First Timer: UX
User Experience for me was a first. It’s essentially pulling one million puzzle pieces together, and when it is completed, looking down at not only the beautiful image but noticing all the pieces and how each one connects.
Running through the process: we were given an objective, create a mobile application that will better the GA social life (GA=General Assembly). My mind immediately began running wild. I want to add a calendar, I want to add an events tab, I want a communication platform, I want to add social media links, etc. My first problem, “I want…” I am a newbie at GA along with UX design. I don’t know what problem needs to be fixed. That led me to thinking, what could be the problem? In this part of the process, the designer can assume certain issues (which later could either be proven correct or just big swing and a miss.)
After creating my hypothesis, I started conducting interviews.
Interviews were my favorite part of the process. I love to talk, but I really needed to listen. I had a million ideas, but the ones that formed the application was not the ideas that I had in my head, but the ones coming from the interviewees. Interviews allow the designer to build something that will fix their problems. Once I started conducting interviews, I was handed the puzzle pieces. With that, I began my affinity mapping process. I jotted down important points and different sayings the interviewees had stated, put them on a million post it notes and stuck it on the wall. (This took me 2 hours — I redid the map three times.)
This is when the picture started forming. I began to see trends and similarities in all four of my interviewees. I realized that there was something missing and needed to be figured out.
With all of the sticky notes, I created my persona, Emily. She encompasses the behaviors, frustration, demographic, and goals of my interviewees. And most importantly, she had a problem. Emily is overwhelmed with school work, how might we help her better organize her schedule.
Next, I started low fidelity paper prototyping. I did this completely wrong. I began adding all of the ideas onto just one screen, it was very messy, very tight, and the user could barely figure out what the app could even do.
I really encourage one to use paper prototypes. It is super easy, you could crumble and throw out, and you just need a pen and paper to do it.
After going through a dozen fake iPhone templates, I began creating on sketch. This was my second time using sketch. It was probably one of the easiest programs to learn and use. Adding icons, calendars, shapes, arrows, etc. are basically the fundamentals to any mid-fi prototypes.
Taking my sketch to Invision was the final step. Everything was a lot easier than anticipated, it might just be my generation, where we are in front of a computer and our bodies are so used to learning new technology that we just get it.
I’m not entirely sure how everything just started working, but sooner or later I saw the picture. It was the most magical moment. In two days I created a masterpiece (well my idea of it). It was so exciting and I shared my clickable prototype to everyone I knew. Sooner or later, I was just sending over my presentation because literally that’s how excited I was. All in all, my main takeaway here is be brave, be bold, and do something that exhilarates you the same way UX does for me.
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” — Robert F. Kennedy
