My Roles
Project Manager
UX Researcher
UX Writer
UI Designer
Tech for better lives:
Searching for a new
community hub
Technology and automation have brought heightened unemployment, due to these fast changes, many have argued that any given community should have an outlet to gather and gain resources.
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How could this community hub improve the skills of the users and help them find employment?
I was presented with a project brief that outlined the apparent issue, and was told that the solution would have to take into account:
Challenge
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How can it be a resource to prepare young professionals for the labor market?
Team
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I worked alongside 4 designers
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As project manager, it was my responsibility to assign tasks and roles to my colleagues
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We collaborated on a team structure that would allow us to be successful
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This required the implementation of the fearless feedback method
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Encouraging feedback
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If negative, making sure that
it is constructive
Solution Framework
Because we were tasked with creating an MVP of this product, we decided, as a team to implement the Design Think Process
Research:Understanding The Space
Data must be collected in order to understand problems, and to empathize with the user. This is the foundation of the human-centered design process.
Competitive Analysis
Objective
Identify a group of direct and indirect competitors to compare and contrast critical aspects.
Insight gained
This allowed us to understand the players in the market to learned what they are doing well, and where we could differentiate our product.
Direct competitors
Insights
All are outlets that allow users to obtain resources so they can enhance their careers
All of the websites had clear visual hierarchy, making the
information clear (except for the SF Public Library)
The direct competitors all offered a way to interact with others
The indirect competitors either require a purchase or have a subscription model
User Interviews
Objective
To gain in-depth information about
user experience with the direct
and indirect competitors.
Methodology
Conducted remotely on Zoom due to SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Insights gained
Found pain points and inquired about the current experience offered at libraries and other alternatives.
Results
Participant count
10
Demographics
Ages: 27 - 46 yrs.
Insights
100% view the library as a community hub
90% expressed they don’t have adequate resources to advance their careers
80% were looking to advance their careers
70% visited the library last year
70% attended a workshop and or meetups last year
Pain points
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Participants thought it was inconvenient to go to library
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Users can find information that one can obtain in a library on the internet
Synthesis: Define, Define, Define
Amalgamating all the data complied in the Research phase to illuminate user problems that will be addressed in a design solution.
User Survey
Objective
To ask a wide audience about their user habits with using the direct and indirect competitors.
Methodology
Created survey using Google Forms, and posted link on various social media outlets.
Questions asked
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Interested in advancing career?
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If you don't use the library, what resources do you use?
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Have you attended workshops, meetups, or other networking events?
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How many times have you visited the library in the last year?
Results
Participant count
64
Interested in advancing career?
78% yes
22% no
If you don't use a library, what resources do you use?
65% use an online book seller
31% use physical books
4% use both
How many times have you visited the library in the last year?
50% visited last year
50% did not
Have you attended workshops, meetups, or other networking events?
50% have attended
48% have not
Affinity Diagram
Objective
A method in which teams can synthesize abundant amounts of data and group the data into themes.
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The team and I wanted to better organize
the insights gathered from the User Interviews.
Methodology
Conducted remotely on Miro due to SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
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Sticky color - each teammate had their own color
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Sticky color - each teammate had their own color
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Categories - needs to be organized to identify trends
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Further synthesized this larger diagram to be more specific
Elements
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Use quotes if possible
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Highlight habits
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Note pain points
All To The Wall
User Pain Points
Due to our strategy of synthesizing, we began to see barrier and pain point trends. Theses are aspects that we took into account when we created the product.
User Goals
Key Takeaways
Insights
Interviewees valued that libraries and community centers offered group meetings, workshops, etc.
By far the biggest takeaway - interviewees wanted to learn new skills
Users brought up using technology
Pain points
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Lack of awareness - some interviewees did not know that libraries or community centers offered workshops
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Interviewees mentioned that safety was a concern
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Viewed a basic internet search as a better resource than a library
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Interviewees do not like the antiquated experience that a library or community center offers
User Personas
Objective
Human centered design emphasizes trends that are present in research be personified in user personas.
Elements
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Based on real data from research
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Create identifiable archetypes
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Create primary and secondary personas
Primary Persona
Insights
Age - majority of those interview were in their early thirties
Trend - 78% of people
wanted to enhance
their careers
Is accustomed to using technology to obtain information
Secondary Persona
Insights
Age - majority of those interview were in their early thirties
Trend - 78% of people
wanted to enhance
their careers
Journey Map
Objective
Help visualize the actions a user personas goes through to accomplish a goal.
Elements
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Feelings - measured the feelings the user has with the product as they are experiencing them
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Actions - noted the actions they are having with the product
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Questions - noted any potential questions the user has during their experience
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Take note of any opportunities that might exist
Primary Journey Map
Secondary Journey Map
Key Takeaways
Insights
Users engagement with the product will be key
Feelings trend to be negative when there is not a clear product flow
Once the user finds what they are looking for feelings trend positive - we need to have clear flows that allow the user to accomplish what they’re looking for, quickly
Pain points
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Outreach - getting users to use the product
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User flows - make the purpose of the screens are clear
Milestone
At this point in the design process we had enough data about the market, and users needs to formalize a valid
problem statement.
Problem Statement
As a busy professional with a strenuous job, I need easy and fast access to updated resources, events, and educational programs to boost my career so I can stay informed of emerging trends and engaged within the community.
Ideation: Put It On Paper, And Then Do It Again
At this point, we have the data needed to generate potential design solutions for our product. It is about putting the pen to paper - so to speak.
Low-Fidelity Sketches
Objective
This allowed us to get our first concepts down on paper. This is the first go, it is supposed to be messy.
Methodology
Use a sheet of paper, and allow a set
amount of time.
Key Screens
Sitemap
Objective
We began to conceptualize the hierarchy of the product we were building.
Methodology
Used Figma remotely due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Elements
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Accounts for all the screens in the product
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Conceptualize the flow
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
Objective
Take all of what was learned from the initial sketches and sitemap and create a more digitally detailed layout of the product.
Methodology
As a team, we used Figma to collaborate.
Key Screens
Implementation: It's Showtime!
Everything has lead to this point. We are ready to test our design solution with users.
Usability Test
Objective
We asked users to perform tasks to measure the usability of our solution.
Methodology
We tested users via Zoom, and having the user screen share.
Goals
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To make sure the navigation flow is clear, engaging, and easy to learn
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To make sure elements (buttons, hyperlinks, text fields, etc.) categories and sections are labeled logically
Results
Participant count
5
Insights
80% of participants found the labeling easy to understand
60% of participants pointed out that pick your interest screen was too much information
20% of participants used the search tool to complete the task
Iterated Wireframes
Objective
We take the feedback from the usability test and implement them into updated wireframes.
Methodology
As a team, we used Figma to collaborate.
Key Screens
Key Learnings
During this process, it reiterated the importance of collaboration. I worked alongside 4 other designers. Learning from one another.
Iterate, iterate, iterate. All in all, we went through 3 different iterations of the solution. Each one more refined and a better solution for the user.
As humans, we believe that our individual hunches are always correct. This project taught me that hunches are not a substitution for actual user data.