Have you ever thought if everything around you can be easily accessible without putting too much stress and balancing act? Have you ever wondered if the high ceiling cabins can only function more than its purpose?
Hi there! I am Vasavi HN. Enthusiastic newbie in UX with previously a graphic designer. I am curious about problem-solving in daily life, leading me to pursue UX Design with the help of Growthschool’s UX Career Accelerator Mastery course by Anudeep Ayyagari. Learning and unlearning a lot!
Let me present my first case study Of the Design Thinking Process for the Automation of cabin/ceiling designs with storage (🤫 nobody knows this). In this document, I will explain how and why I designed it. Come, let’s dive in 🥽.
Here is what I did first — Interviewing Peers in the storage area
I embarked on this project to revolutionise storage areas and improve the user experience. To ensure an unbiased solution, I adopted a different approach: taking help from my fellow learner and interviewing my peers for their valuable insights. Recognising the distinction between designers and users, I carefully crafted questions to understand their perspectives and uncover hidden needs. Armed with these newfound insights, I created a physical product to address the identified problems. My journey was fuelled by curiosity, empathy, and a passion to make a meaningful impact in the world of storage.
Started off by conducting interviews, to gain as much as possible insights in and around storage spaces in different environments.
Thank goodness for the recording of my interview. It helped me analyse my doubts and thoughts running in my head for future research of this project and to make my questions better for the next user to be interviewed. (it was a fun-filled time to question your friend in a very formal way of the process, we overcame the fear of expressing ourselves and also many times went off topic to casual chitchat.)
Later I realised, some of the users didn’t identify any concerns because they are accustomed to their adoptive nature. (here is where I felt the need for a third eye)
I felt like a mouse in a maze but with no cheese at the end 🚫🪤
I was overwhelmed by the amount of information collected during the interviews. It was necessary for me to channel it in a more structured manner to get ideas.
So the next step was to figure out all the possibilities to Define problem statements based on all the insights I collected. My goal was to get five problem statements from each participant, I achieved to get 23 problem statements.
Crazy 🎱 technic to the rescue
Considering the listed problems, it was challenging to Ideate and envision physical products as solutions. I attempted the crazy 8 technique, setting a timer for 8 minutes to generate 8 ideas, but struggled to come up with only Frustrated, I closed my laptop and moved to the poolside, where I resorted to pen and paper to brainstorm. Stepping outside seemed to unleash my creativity, resulting in a few product ideas that could alleviate life’s burdens. I felt a sense of genius as I tapped into my newfound wisdom.
To prioritise and shortlist the ideas, I compared them to the top 3, considering their potential impact on users, their applicability to any gender, utilisation of unused spaces in houses, an improvement upon existing solutions, independence from external factors, and avoidance of physical strain on users. These factors heavily influenced my selection process.
✨The star solution
In the quest for a star solution, Inspired by user interviews, I envisioned a sleek and automated system to store and retrieve items from high spaces with the push of a button. This breakthrough concept eliminates the need for ladders or makeshift solutions, offering convenience and efficiency. Revolutionising the way we interact with our homes. I’m excited to develop this transformative product with a star solution within reach. These insights are based on user interviews, highlighting the fact that users are often unaware that this issue exists. Despite being accustomed to the routine.
- Accessing attic spaces or high cabinets still requires physical strain.
- Women, in particular, often face fear and physical exertion when climbing ladders.
- Accessing the loft falls on men or younger family members leading to dependence.
- Chairs and tables used to climb on, leads to a cumbersome process of clearing items, placing them back and searching for specific belongings while on an unsteady ladder.
- Designated spaces for tables or ladders within the house
- Accidental falls are a prevalent safety hazard
- Ladders being non-movable add to the difficulty of reaching items stored in high areas.
The next thing that was for me to do is to build a prototype, keeping the constraints of the actual size I tried representing my solution on an existing image.
Vola💫
Retractable Ceiling Cabins with storage
With a sense of satisfaction😌, I shared my idea through an image with all my peers, eagerly awaiting their feedback. Nervously anticipating criticism, I received valuable constructive feedback. However, my nerves were quickly put at ease when a user expressed their enthusiasm to install the concept in their own home. It was a delightful reassurance, but then the roast session commenced, adding an element of humour to the experience.
Recognising the need to focus on the main solution, I shifted my attention towards emphasising the key features, such as sliding cabins to a lower surface. Simplifying the product, I transitioned to individual cabins rather than a complex system. Moreover, I devoted my efforts to addressing physical constraints, considering factors like weight limitations and the ability to customize cabin sizes according to user needs.
🔮 Futurity
- Smart Remote Control
- Security
- Power efficiency
- Sustainable system and material
- Ai Powered
Here I was very curious to know if ChatGTP would give any suggestions that I couldn't think of and then it showed up this brilliance
- Automated organisation and inventory management with RFID tags
- Smart storage solutions leveraging real-time data and analytics to optimise the utilization of available space. This could involve dynamically adjusting shelves or compartments based on the size and quantity of items being stored, maximizing storage capacity.
- Storage cabins could be integrated with delivery services, allowing packages or groceries to be securely delivered and stored inside the cabin until the user is ready to retrieve them.
“We spend a lot of time designing the bridge, but not enough time thinking about the people who are crossing it.”– Dr Prabhjot Singh, Director of Systems Design at the Earth Institute
This has been an incredibly challenging task for me, and I must admit that my writing skills feel like they belong to a 10th-grade student. It’s been exhausting, and I had to rely on tools like Wordtune and Notion AI to help me rephrase my lines. However, despite the difficulty, I never lost hope or gave up. I remained determined to embrace my uniqueness, recognising that the world values individuality. While using a template might have been quicker,
👩🏻🏫 Lessons Learned from the design thinking process
We learnt to prioritise user empathy, setting aside personal biases and focusing on understanding and meeting the needs of our users. .
Understanding user needs and empathising with their challenges to define problem statements helped me to ideate specific to the user and then an assumption problem.
I then realised Ideating small improvements to existing solutions is ok as it give a significant impact on user satisfaction and the overall situation.
The prototype (sketch) which was less than the actual product helped me test it with real users to get feedback from my users and make necessary adjustments before the final product.
Thank you for coming this far, Big shout out to my super energetic
mentor who always gives positive vibes Anudeep and
my 🥷 support g-1159 🫶
