A new welcome gift for the Full Stack students
Role:
Product Designer
Practices Used:
Heuristic analysis, Fly-on-the-wall & AEIOU observations, Synthesis of data, Design concepts, Low fidelity prototypes, Evaluation plan, Presentation
Background:
I’m currently a UX Design student at a tech bootcamp in the Twin Cities. The tech bootcamp teaches both Full Stack Development and UX Design.
Each student in the UX Design class was asked to come up with a concept for a new welcome gift idea for our Full Stack students.
While the Full Stack students don’t currently get a water bottle as a welcome gift, we were asked to imagine they do and that this water bottle is no longer being manufactured, so we need to develop and propose a new gift idea.
Understanding the problem
Before being able to move into the design space, I needed to first understand why the water bottle no longer worked as a welcome gift. To get a better understanding, I did a heuristic analysis of the water bottle, and here are the findings:
The water bottle as a welcome gift no longer works, what now?
Key take away:
Overall, the water bottle is functional, but not seamless to use.
Observations through fly-on-the-wall & AEIOU methods:
To better understand my users, it is important to see them in their natural habitat. Using the fly-on-the-wall observation along side the AEIOU method, I took some time to observe the Full Stack students in their class room to see what they needed.
Here is what I observed: there were many computer cords laying around, a lot of notes on the white boards, not many toys in the room to be used when a break from work is needed.
Design Concepts:
From my observations, I was able to create three design concepts. I presented all three to my class, one was chosen —
Cord Capture Fidget Toy
(The Cord Capture Fidget Toy is a multifunctional product. It is yellow and has a duck head, as Full Stack students often use rubber ducking as a way to think through their processes or problems. It has 4 slits on top to hold your cords when they are not in use. Lastly, it can bend back and forth to be used as a fidget toy so that Full Stack students can take a break from their screens and do something tactile to take a break.)
Prototype
Testing my goals by introducing the prototype to users:
Better understand if the user would use this product. Would they realize it can be used as a fidget toy, for rubber ducking and holds your cords when not in use?
Gain insights on how they use the product.
Identify any parts of the product that seem to be an issue.
Evaluation:
I interviewed three Full Stack students using the Desirability Test method to determine if my goals were met.
See here to view my interview questions.
From my interviews, I gathered that all participants enjoyed the concept, all stated they would use it and only had minor additions they would like to have added if this prototype would be made into a real product.
“If it worked as a cord
holder, that would be great!”
-User A
“I would use it everyday. I
would use it to keep cables set up.
I wouldn’t use it for breaks, but would
for reprieve.”
-User B
Takeaways:
When immersed in such an intensive course such as the Full Stack students are, there are many small things that could make their days easier while they work. Conducting the fly-on-the-wall observation, I was able to synthesis my findings and come up with a new welcome gift design that would help many.
