Knowing the right answer
Sprint 2: NEPTUNE
This week our team learnt the power of user testing (after testing prototypes on 3 astronauts and 6 experts from Mission Control!!).
Just like the roman god Neptune who rules this sprint, our user testing yielded unpredictable results. Before getting into the results though, let me talk about our prototyping process.
Narrowing ideas
We started the sprint with 100s of ideas on ways to create a diagnostic tool that supports astronauts. Our ideas were wide ranging: whether it’s Trello for Space or a device that scans barcodes to detect anomalies.
We distilled our ideas through a long and complicated process of grouping and sorting until we narrowed down to 3 prototypes.
(It looks crazy…but you should see our entire Miro board!)
Prototyping
We quickly prototyped our ideas on figma and made them interactive.
Here are our top 3 ideas:
- Problem/ Impact/ Workaround- A way to front load communication and guide troubleshooting.
2. Space Trello- A tool to track anomalies and plan in-depth before taking action.
3. Plan Builder- A way to merge information feed and intelligent references to build out a course of action.
User testing
Our amazing clients at Ames helped us find 3 astronauts to user test with!! We also tested our prototypes with 6 different experts from Mission Control!
We could never have guessed the feedback we received on our prototypes…
For example, The Plan Builder idea got the most extreme ranking- receiving a 9 on 10 from one astronaut and a 1 on 10 from another.
Problem/ Impact/ Workaround and Space Trello being on opposite spectrums of customization sparked debates on how much autonomy an astronaut should have when planning their next steps.
Astronauts are given a kneeboard (kind of like a sketchpad on their knee) to jot down their thoughts. Every astronaut has their own way of writing down notes/ shortcuts, but can astronauts understand what is on each others kneeboards?
Will allowing customization in our product empower them? Or make tracking more confusing for everyone else reading the same documentation?
AI and data management in our prototypes drew skepticism and support. Questions like “How does that work?” Contrasted with suggestions like “This should also have VR”.
Now we are taking in all the feedback we received and working on ways to create one super prototype (a combination of all 3 prototypes).
We still don’t have all the answers or ways to address all the questions we received. So let me leave you with this…
The Secret to Success
(By an astronaut and current flight director we tested our prototypes with)
When I started my career in the US Army, I thought it was: Knowing the right answer
As an astronaut, I thought it was: Asking the right question
As a payload operations director, I thought it was: Asking the right people, the right question
As a flight director, I thought it was: Asking the right people, the right question and having time and money
And now, I think it is: Knowing the right answer
What we’re working on next
Consolidating our prototypes into one idea, that we will continue to user test with astronauts and Subject Matter Experts. Start to think about the visuals for our final concept.
Media recommendation for this week
Want to see what makes an astronaut happy? Follow TJ Creamer’s Today’s happy on twitter:
https://twitter.com/Astro_TJref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
