Time: September - December 2024
Role: UX Research, User Testing, and Design
Team: Kiernan Salmon & Katherine Ong
A finalized prototype of the post-submission features.
The Design Process
Identifying the Issue
When I joined this project, the features were in the final stages, soon to be sent to developers. I noticed some issues with navigation. To validate my concerns, I asked a few students to look at the prototype.
5 people went through the current prototype and gave their thoughts.
Findings
“You’re trying to create a thing other than a database”
Wants more transparency
Clearer system needed
A third thing
Findings
“You’re trying to create a thing other than a database”
I presented my findings to my team and was tasked with creating a new navigation system. This was my goal for how the user interacts with the site.
We kept it consistent with some UC Davis colors and proxima nova font, but incorporated more colors.
Iteration
The main screen was the central map
The main screen was the central map
User Feedback
6 students went through the mid-fi screens and gave us their thoughts.
Final Design
Central Map
Vote Breakdown
Vote Breakdown
User Validation Tests
We conducted testing with UC Davis students to validate our designs and ensure good navigation.
20 Testers
4 Tasks
M
V
M
B
M
Bonus Hypothesis Testing
Next Steps and Reflections
Going forward, Test and finalize the development strategy for creating TherMOOstat Stories. Investigate what drives the negative relationship between experience and site engagement and understand how to optimize for all users.
I also realized the importance of speaking up when I feel it's important for me to do so. I felt nervous to speak up, but it saved time and energy of my time to discover issues before the designs were developed and released. I also realized how much I enjoy doing uer tests and thinking about how to improve the final result.