You have 3 days, unlimited coffee, and The Whole New World of UX Design to explore. Ready to dip your toes in? Great, let’s go!
The following article outlines my first week as a UX Design Fellow at General Assembly. Let’s dive into the life of a UX newbie and see what we can learn.
Day 1 | User Research
On Tuesday, I sat down with Mary and asked her: “What was your day like yesterday?” She immediately expressed feeling exhausted and overwhelmed from the previous day: “I fell asleep right as I got home and ended up sleeping for 10 hours.” Mary had just moved to a new city the day before our interview. Her mental and physical health were under pressure, and the pressure was only intensifying from this point onward.
In order to identify Mary’s problem, I created an affinity diagram based on the details from our interview. The patterns in Mary’s frustrations became clear.
The Problem
Mary needs a way to make extra money and take care of herself in order to end her stress cycle.
The Solution
We believe that by paying Mary to practice her top 4 self-care tools (focusing on 1 goal/day), her financial stress will decrease and her ability to manage stress proactively will increase. We will know this to be true when we see Mary’s stress levels decrease.
Day 2 | Ideation
The design process starts with getting ideas down on paper. There is no idea too messy or rough at this stage!
Next, we refine ideas by expounding on original ideas and implementing practical functionality into the design (e.g. buttons, images, icons, etc.) The incorporation of functionality moves the process forward into the early stages of wireframes.
In order to refine wireframe sketches, it’s important to test the product on users (only Mary in this scenario), evaluate design feedback, and iterate to better meet the user’s needs.
Day 3 | Prototyping
I uploaded the latest iteration of wireframe sketches into InVision. Using hotspots, I was able to create a functional prototype that Mary could interact with for user testing. Click here to test Mary’s App!
Retrospective
To my surprise, sketching was the most challenging phase of developing the prototype. After several trials, errors, and iterations, it became easier for me to loosen up and sketch at a faster pace. I learned to let go. Iteration is a fundamental aspect of UX. The product can always improve — that’s one of the most enthralling aspects of user-centered design!
The best way to learn is by stripping the self of fears and expectations. Great ideas are born when the self dissolves into the cycle of experimentation and iteration.
Now, where do we go from here?
1. Create a user persona to broaden the project’s scope
2. Develop a comparative analysis of current products on the market
3. Test the product on prospective users
4. Iterate based on user feedback
5. Reach out to professionals with experience in non-profit organizations and develop a business plan
