Week 1 - Core Principles of UX Design & Challenge Activity
This first week we look at the core principles of UX Design, and introduces us to an overview of the design thinking approach that is so crucial as a means of understanding and reacting to developments in user environments and behaviours. (What is Design Thinking?, 2021).
There are multiple versions of the design thinking process, but generally they are broken down into five key stages stages;
Empathy - Gaining an empathetic understanding of a problem to gain real-world insight.
Define - Analysing data gathered to define the user needs and core problem statements (user personas add a human-centric view)
Ideate - Carry out rapid brainstorming to compile different views of the problem and seek to find innovative ways of addressing it.
Prototype - Identifying the best possible solution for each problem by experimenting with small scale prototypes.
Test - Rigorous testing of prototypes to test if they are the best solution. Often, results of testing require the designer to go back to an earlier stage.
Challenge Activity
This weeks we are teamed up with a fellow colleague and tasked with interviewing them about their desktops and work space. This gives us the opportunity to carry out a small scale project using the above design thinking processes. I was partnered with Hanni, and in order to gain an empathetic understanding I asked her the following questions:
Fig 1. Interview questions
Following this interview I analysed my findings in order to further understand the situation.
Fig 2. Analysis of findings
Problem Statement
At this point I defined three key problem statements which my solution needed to address:
Hanni needs better on-screen organisation because her messy desktop does not encourage a smooth workflow.
Hanni needs more desk space as she is uncomfortable.
Hanni needs a better layout of her equipment because she is distracted by too many things at once.
Redesign
I redesigned Hanni’s workspace following the identification of the key problems. As I said previously, her physical workspace was fairly organised but the lack of space on her desk meant that everything is quite cluttered, and having her laptop, phone and personal items too close causes too many distractions. In addition, her mac screen is quite cluttered with files and images.
Before Redesign
Desk too small
Too many distractions
Disorganised computer screen
After Redesign
Larger corner desk allows gadgets to be spread out.
Different equipment could be used for each type of work (home, uni, work).
After Redesign
A phone holder allows her to see her screen from further away without constant temptation to use.
A large pin board on the back wall is a place to display photos, lists and calendars - providing inspiration, joy and a homely feel.
Her screen desktop needs to be organised and clear, with a calendar screensaver which could show her weekly/daily tasks to optimize workflow.
References
The Interaction Design Foundation. 2021. What is Design Thinking?. [online] Available at: <https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/design-thinking> [Accessed 30 January 2022].