Google Calendar App study
Overview
The task here was to explore and discover a solution that would support a holistic student experience at General Assembly. I researched how GA students currently manage their school/life balance and what applications they used to do so. From this research I was able to focus in on the Google calendar app and add a to-do list/timer feature to best help GA students manage their time efficiently.
The Beginning
I first created a topic map, to outline and synthesize my thoughts so I could move in the proper direction for this UX case. As you can see below, I had added quite a few options based on what I thought the user would factor into their lives. After laying it all out, I was able to narrow down my focus and just pick a few key items to use in my research. Those being their personal time [meals, friends, family, and sleep], and their General Assembly time [class time and homework].
My UX process for this project
Research
I first did some user research, where I created a discussion guide based on my topic map and the task given to me. To reiterate that task, it was to discover a solution that would support a holistic student experience at General Assembly. The questions I created were to get an understanding of how current GA students manage their time. I asked about the apps that students use, how they use them, how they currently manage their time and how they factor in any other activities. From these interviews I got a pretty good idea of the techniques people used to manage their time, whether it be using an app to it, making lists, positive thinking, making time for your friends or yourself or just staying healthy. You can see from the quotes below that students found it really important to take some time for themselves and see friends because they needed that mental break.
Synthesis
I had interviewed four people, two alumni and two current students. From these interviews, I was able to create my affinity map, where I figured out the trends and insights. I was able to confirm the app I would be working on, the most common problems, techniques and ways these people found the time to do any outside activities. I synthesized all of this research and created my “I” statements. With these statements I was able to discover that everyone used Google calendar, they all found it important to stay both physically and mentally healthy, they all had techniques to manage their time (ie, To-do lists or time boxing) and they all said GA took over their life. As much as everyone had their own technique to manage their time, they wanted an easier way to do so.
Persona
From these observations, I created my user persona. This was a really good way for me to stay focused on the users as a whole and avoid designing for myself or just one individual. This persona is a great summary of the interviews I had conducted, and what they felt their pain points, goals, needs and behaviors were.
Problem Statement
With this persona I developed my problem statement. I reviewed my persona and focused on one to two pain points and needs to figure out the problem that needed to be solved.
General Assembly students understand that their school work outweighs their life, so they look for ways to best manage their time.
Taylor has a hard time using her Google calendar to manage her time, ensuring she gets her work done in the most productive manner. How might we use the tools she is already using more efficiently to get her work done?
Solution
My solution was to add a feature to the Google calendar app to allow the user to create a to-do list, based on the events they have scheduled that day. With that task created, they are then able to schedule a timer, ensuring they get their work done in the time allotted. If they finish early, they get a pop up saying “YAY you did it, you have 15 min of free time, go do something for yourself!” accompanied by a fun cat gif to keep them motivated, and give them that satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. If they finish on time, they still get a cat gif pop up saying, “YAY you did it!”.
Ideation
With my solution figured out, I then moved on to my sketches. I started with a few ideas and then settled on one for the main to-do list page. I moved forward and created my paper prototypes and usability testing script. I developed 3 scenarios and 3 tasks for the user to accomplish in these usability tests.
Scenario 1
You are a person who loves lists and just started class at General Assembly. You are trying to use your Google calendar app to efficiently get your work done.
Task 1
Open the app, look at your day’s schedule and make sure you remember to get the work you need done that day.
Scenario 2
You are done with your work early!
Task 2
Check your phone, open the app and check off that task!
Scenario 3
You are finally done with your work and you heard your timer go off on your phone.
Task 3
Check your phone, open the app and check it off!
I tested 4 individuals and gathered some really good feedback. Overall everyone liked my idea, but I realized that my sketches were too detailed. It caused a lot of confusion and forced me to guide the individuals through some of the process. Some users also said they found the process of adding the task, opening the app to check it off and then exiting out of two different pop ups to time consuming. There were also some features they wanted to see, like changing the event based to-do list to an all day/custom list. Everyone really did enjoy the cat gif pop up they received, and mentioned it was rewarding to see that.
With these findings, I revised my low fidelity prototypes and created my mid fidelity wire frames. I revised the main to-do list page, making it simpler to look at. I removed the barrier between the task and timer button, as well as removing some of the confusing lines. I also showed the keyboard pop up, so users knew they would be typing in their task.
I also revised the notification they receive on their lock screen. I made a “finish” option so the user could swipe away the notification, simultaneously checking off their task, thus avoiding that extra step of opening the app and checking it off that way.
Deliver
The next step was to do create my mid-fidelity prototype and do another round of usability testing. Here, the user would open their Google calendar app, click the + button, and select to-do list. They click next to the square radio button to start typing, and enter their task. They then click schedule timer, making sure that is the right time and hit save. When the time comes, they receive a notification on their phone, where they are able to swipe and hit start to begin their timer.
That notification stays on their lock screen, so if they are done early, they swipe it to the right, and choose any of the three options. Manage takes them to the actual task page, where they can physically check the task off, and then receive the cat gif pop up saying they earned free time and reminding them to do something for themselves. Open your reward takes them straight to the cat gif pop up and finish checks off the task and clears their notification allowing the user to avoid opening the app.
If they do not finish early, their phone will make a sound, signifying their timer is done. They then swipe it to the right where they have the same three options. The only difference here is their cat gif pop up just says “You Finished!”.
I also added the feature of a custom to-do list. The user would just click the top triangle button next to the date, and choose custom to-do list. This allows the user to create a list not restricted to the events scheduled that day. The following actions are the same as the event based list.
Results
Here I again tested 4 users and they all liked the addition to the app. One user mentioned he liked the cat gif rewards because it was a good motivation to keep going, and use the app itself. All the users seemed to navigate it, create their task and set their timer easily. Only one user found it difficult to know where to type, but after viewing the screen for a bit he was able to figure it out. I would say that the usability test for the overall task was a success. The users liked the simplicity and planner like quality it had. The only recommendation is maybe adding a couple more lines next to the radio buttons to show a new user where they should type.
The main issue I found was with my notification options. All of the users clicked finish instead of manage or open your reward. When asked why, I was told that they didn’t know what the buttons meant or did and they were unsure why it was there if they weren’t done with their task yet. My recommendations here would be to change the wording of the options to the standard “manage”, “view” and “clear” to keep the continuity.
Next steps
My next steps would be to make those changes to the notification options and do another round of usability testing. I would also want to explore how the average person responds to a notification on their screen, by doing some interviews. I observed that everyone handles notifications differently, and it would be interesting to explore a new way to fit the majority of users’ needs. I would also want to test some suggestions I was given in my usability testing to help add to the motivation factor of my app. With these additions, I would do a round of usability testing to see if they work or if they made the app more complicated. Then I would continue to the high-fidelity prototypes and conduct another round of usability testing.
