Case Study: DocuSafe

Problem:

By the year 2030 all Baby Boomers will have passed age 65 and the over 65 crowd will reach 20% of the population. Today’s Baby Boomers are a pretty tech-savvy bunch.

Baby Boomers don’t currently have a digital solution to store and access their important documents, records, passwords all in one place. They also do not have a reliable digital solution to hand off this data to loved ones if necessary.

Proposed Solution:

Partner with AARP to offer members access to a desktop and mobile app that allows users to digitize all their important documents and store it on a secure server. These documents will be available on demand from any internet connected device through the app. The app also allows for transfer of ownership of these documents in a seamless manner.

Team Members: Alana Herman, Debby Alberts, Simon Douek

Role: Information Architect, Designer, Researcher, Usability Tester
Tools: Pen and paper, whiteboard and markers, post its, Omnigraffle, Photoshop, Sketch, Invision, good ol’ Google.

Duration: 2 weeks

Process

The following is our process creating and validating our proposed solution.

Workflow Management

Method: Waterfall Spreadsheet

Takeaways: This method of team management worked allowed us to take ownership of specific parts of the project and complete them in a timely manner. This was especially crucial for us as we had a lot we wanted to accomplish in a short period of time. It also helped us stay on the same page and on target.

Method: Daily Standup Meetings

Takeaways: Conducting these once daily meetings refocused our efforts and communication. Not only did it give a clear picture of what was done and what needed to be done, it allowed us to address any challenges each of us were having and find solutions.

User Research

Method: Fact Finding

Takeaways: We found that baby boomers are large and especially rich segment of the population that is surprisingly tech savvy. If presented with a technological solution for a problem they are having, they are likely to adopt it.

Survey

Takeaways: The survey finding confirmed a need for a storage solution for survey participants. Most importantly, it confirmed the demographic was tech savvy and familiar with other cloud storage soltions. This reinforced our hypothesis that if boomers found our product pleasant and intuitive, they would be inclined to use it.

Method: User Interviews

Takeaways: Those interviewed who were within the age of boomers tended to use technology frequently in their day-to-day lives. However, although they appreciate technological solutions, they are wary of the privacy issus invloved. When it comes to online storage of important documents especially, they crave security.

When it came to mobile apps, the overall sentiment among interview participants was that they appreciated products that mimicked everyday objects. They also preferred products that were easy to read and interact with.

Method: Affinity Map

Takeaways: We analyzed the user research data and wrote key points on post its. We then organized them. This helped us summarize our findings into 3 catgories:

What we know

Findings that shows need

What the users perceived as a solution

Market Research

Comparative and Competitive Analysis

Takeaways: Most apps were not catering to the boomer’s need for security, instructions, and usability.

Method: Analyzing Competitor Userflows

Takeaways: Most apps had a confusing and convoluted uploading process. However, most offered plenty of ways to upload files. We took the opportunity to learn best practices when it comes to navigating and adding within file systems on a small screen.

We also liked the scanning feature offered by some apps and decided to incorporate that into our own app.

Synthesis

Persona and Scenario

Linda has an overflowing binder that is extremely disorganized filled with her family’s important papers. She has recently retired and now plans on spending her time traveling the world with her husband. She worries about not having all her important documents in place before departing and needs a digital solution to solve this problem.

Design and Testing

Concept Map, Sitemap, and User Flow

Takeaways: These helped us narrow down the scope and form the fundamental information architecture of the app.

Method: Wireframing and Testing

Takeaways: Finally getting our hands dirty with the design of the app was very challenging. Throughout our design and testing process we were constantly going back to the drawing board to make edits based on the feedback we got from testing.

Final Prototype

If you would like to click around the prototype, here is the link. Click here to check out our presentation.