Observing my “Design life”
#Design in daily life
For the Exercise #3 at Ironhack’s prework i should think about good and bad user experiences in daily life. Here are my three worst and three best user experiences in the past:
Worst User Experience #1: CAREER FOUNDRY
I already had the luck of getting the opportunity to start an UX design online course at career foundry with a Bildungsgutschein. I signed a studying contract one month before the course started in which was written that i have a trial period of ten days. By this time i should have submitted 6 tasks via an online dashboard where the whole course is taking place and you also exchange with your tutor and mentor. While I started the course on my dashboard there was a progress bar which kept me up to date if i was right on time and when is my deadline for the different tasks. For the whole ten days it told me that i’m doing great work and i’m right on time and if i move on like this i will end earlier with this first chapter. Problem was: the dashboard contained a bug. As there are students with a trial period using a “Bildungsgutschein” and others which are paying the course by themselves and not having a trial period the dashboard wasn’t customized to these different types of users. So sadly i fell out of the course and couldn’t return. Also they didn’t tell their tutors and mentors that there are different deadlines. Overall this was a really really bad user experience especially because they should have been teaching me “User Experience Design” but even didn’t meet their own lectureship while using a not working progress bar which should help me meet my deadlines.
Worst User Experience #2: Water tap
Because our water tap in the kitchen was broke there was a need to buy a new one. As me and my friend wanted to have a hand shower option for making it more easy to clean big pots we decided to buy one of these water taps which you often see in restaurant kitchens. While in Germany there’s two kinds of water taps (low and high pressure) we finally found out what we needed. After a long search in the internet we finally found something that matched our conditions — then installed it (what took also quite a while) and were happy that everything worked out. But with having the hand shower option there are two regulators now. One for the water temperature and one for deciding whether the water is coming out of the hand shower or the normal tap. But that’s not all: The hand shower is only working while you press another regulator. So you have kinda three regulators for one water tap which is really too much when you just want to quickly clean a pot.
Worst User Experience #3: Concert at Funkhaus Berlin
We had tickets for a nice DJ playing at Funkhaus Berlin. Even if it’s badly connected with public transport the location is really worth it going there. But the whole experience was exhausting: To buy tickets online I got a link to fill in my credit card information — afterwards i got my tickets. The advantage should be that your ticket is then connected to your credit card and you can enjoy cashless paying. Until here everything seems normal. When reaching the location the entrance seems to be really far away (especially in winter you can’t wait to go inside). But what seemed to be a good idea literally sucks at Funkhaus: the queue for the coat check is even longer because the only way to pay giving your coat to the checkroom is your ticket which should be connected to your credit card. If then there is any problem with your credit card there is no possibility to give your leave your coat at the checkroom nor the possibility to buy drinks. Also in my case I always buy at least two tickets for a concert but in this case that would mean i have to pay all the other services as well — because all the tickets i bought are connected to my credit card. What might was meant to make a concert experience more easy turned out to take weigh more time and more patience and also the need to have a credit card.
Best User Experience #1: Turo App
Because my brother moved from magdeburg back home he had some leftovers which i could really use in berlin. So i decided really spontaneously to rent a car for the next day and hook up what i could use. Therefore i found the app Turo really perfect. There are cars for every need from private car owners i can write to easily. Also the renting process is made super easy.
Best User Experience #2: Gazzo Pizza
As i got the recommendation to try the “best pizza” in town i tried to reserve a table at gazzo pizza. But on the website they write super chilled “berlin means freedom — why planning your fun? — most of the tables are for walk-ins”. As i was super skeptic because i already heard it’s a really crowded place and i had fear of waiting too long then for a table the reality was that it was even simpler. Because nobody (except of more than 6 persons) reserved a table and they are quite fast in serving drinks and food we had a table in less then 5 minutes even the place was full until the last seat. I like the idea of feeling more free and not going crazy planning meals on time and in this case it worked out really well.
Best User Experience #3: waste disposal
What i think is also one of the best user experiences because i never have to think of it: waste disposal. All i need to do is separating waste, bring it downstairs to the trashcans and forgetting about what happens afterwards. Even if it’s a long chain and a big system behind it as a user i never have problems with it which i should be grateful everyday. Thanks to all the BSR-Employees out there and everyone else which is included in the whole process.
I liked the task to observe my daily life — whether i had a good or a bad user experience. It makes me realize how much out there still can be improved for only me but of course for every other user too.
