Project 2: Problem-Seeking

For this project, we are going to use our design knowledge and creative skills to deliver useful new products and ideas to people who are often ignored. Everyone deserves good design. If we solve for one, we extend to many.

The audience, problem, and a modifier are chosen at random, and it will be our duty as designers, to research, identify, and develop solutions for our target personas. We will explore the failings and shortcomings of an experience. It is an intentionally broad starting point, but there should be endless amounts of potential for fixing these services from a user experience stand-point. If you design with these provided edge cases in mind, then you will benefit the larger whole.

Your team will be choosing random cards for the following aspects:

  • Scenario
  • Persona
  • Modifier

This will be the launching point for your conceptual development. You may stray away slightly if the cards don’t quite fit together or don’t lead you anywhere productive, but you need to at least demonstrate that you attempted to make it work.

Student Examples

Click to see examples

Deliverables

Prototype

  • Figma Link to final prototype turned in on a Google Doc

Pitch Deck & Video

  • Your presentation will be in the form of a short pitch deck and video, therefore you will be structuring your dialogue as if the class were the client/investors. The pitch presentation including time for the video will be no longer than 6.5 minutes. (approximately 5 minute presentation + 1.5 minute video would work)
  • In the pitch deck, introduce us to the validated problem/solution, your rationale for how you designed the experience, and your vision for the future of this digital experience.
  • Then create an animated video using After Effects and/or Premiere that clearly demonstrates the context, design, features, and interaction. The video allows us to see your product in action and better understand how it works in context.
  • There are many different ways to approach a video.

Case Study

You will be be writing a case study that addresses the following outline which helps to evaluate your team’s solution to the design challenge. It narrates your journey through decision-making and learning insights. Point out any surprising or counter-intuitive lessons from your process. Include any additional content and photos to support and explain your case study. Your case study will be in the form of an approx. 1,000 word PDF with plenty of photos, mock-ups, process, etc.

A. Background: A brief introduction of the project: the brief, the scenario/topic, the problem.

  • Team– Who else did you work with?
  • Contributions– What were each member’s specific contributions to the end result?

B. Problem: What problem did you set out to tackle?

C. Solution: What was your proposed general solution? This includes how you approached the problem, strategy, etc.

D. Process: What steps did you take to reach the final product?

  • Pain Points & Opportunities– What pain points and opportunities did you discover through online topical research, brainstorming, interviews, user journey mapping, and any contextual research?
  • Validate Assumptions– What assumptions about the experience did you make and how did you validate them from framing questions, surveys, “how might we” questions, and competitive research? What other pain points/opportunities did your discover?
  • Target Audience– Who is your target audience? How did you determine this? What did their user personas and scenarios demonstrate?
  • Define – Why did you choose the concept that you did? What was your product statement? And what were your prioritized goals and user flow?
  • Visual Design – What were the design directions you explored? Show and explain sketches/wireframes, moodboard, preliminary visual designs, and refined designs. What feedback did you get on the various design phases?
  • Testing & Analysis – How was the final experience implemented and tested? What did you learn from user testing your lo-fi paper prototype and getting feedback on your hi-fi designs? What were the take-aways from your results?

E. Outcome: What was the end result?

  • Final Design – Show the final design, any mockups, and highlight its features
  • Challenges – What were the challenges you had to overcome?
  • Reflection – What did you learn from completing this project?
  • Vision/Future Goals – Is there any room for growth with this project?

Evaluation

50% Concept/Design/Usability
18% Case Study
18% Pitch/Video (visual, verbal, storytelling)
14% Collaboration/Professionalism

Click to see Rubric:

Concept (15)
strength & innovation of concept
level of product differentiation
solution meets target user’s goals and the brief’s framework

Design (20)
overall visual structure
overall typography
iconography
integration & quality of branding

Usability (20)
overall clarity of solution/product
information architecture/user flow
appropriate quantity & quality of content
clarity & consistency of buttons/interactions

Pitch (10)
explanation & clarity of overall problem, solution, & vision
verbal presentation skills / visual design of pitch

Video (10)
demonstration of context, design, features, and  interaction
quality of video production and narrative structure

Case Study (20)
clear & convincing argument explaining: brief, scenario, problem, solution, team roles
process: brainstorming, interviews, framing questions/assumptions, survey, competitive research, user personas, user journey maps, how might we’s
concept evolution: prioritized goals, product statement, scenarios, user flow, sketches/wireframes, lo-fi prototype, design iterations, hi-fi prototype
explanation of outcome: user testing results, final design, challenges, reflection, vision
design of case study & appropriate amount of content (1000 words + images) 

Collaboration/Professionalism (15)
team evaluation (collaboration, communication, respect, integrity, motivation, timeliness)
level & value of contribution
overall class participation related to project and meeting checkpoints for project

Schedule:

Click to see Schedule:

WEEK 5 – COLLECT

Tue, 4.26: Assign Project 2. Draw UX Combinations for which scenario and audience to design and research around.

Due Thursday: 

  • Conduct initial research online about the topic and audience. What are problem areas and areas for growth related to your subject?
  • Competitor research analysis on products in that space/topic

Thur, 4.28: Go over assigned scenario, audience, and research. Do short framing exercise to develop assumptions. Start writing interview questions and survey questions in class.

Due Tuesday

  • framing exercise
  • survey questions and key takeaways
  • 3 interviews with target audience and indirect audience that might be impacted – interview questions plus key takeaways
  • 2 user journey maps doing something related to your scenario or using similar product
  • 2 personas – one direct and one indirect based upon user research, interviews, survey results

WEEK 6 – SYNTHESIZE

Tue, 5.3:

Due Thursday

  • how might we activity
  • prioritized goals
  • product statement / feedback on others’
  • scenarios/user task flows

Thurs, 5.5: Go over how might we’s, prioritized goals, product statement, scenarios/user task flows

Due Tuesday

  • sketches/wireframes
  • lo-fi prototype or paper prototype
  • style board

WEEK 7 – ITERATE/TEST

Tue, 5.10: Test lo-fi or paper prototype.

Due Thursday:

  • key takeaways from testing
  • initial design iterations

Thurs, 5.12: Look at initial design iterations and discuss key takeaways from testing

Due Tuesday:

  • design refinements

WEEK 8 – DESIGN

Tue, 5.17: Critique refined designs

Due Thursday

  • refine designs and create hi-fi prototype

Thurs, 5.19: test Hi-Fi Prototype

Due Tuesday:

  • continue to refine and begin progress on video

WEEK 9 – DEVELOPMENT

Tue, 5.24: work

Due Thursday

  • progress on video

Thurs, 5.26:

Due Thursday

  • progress on video

WEEK 10 – FINALIZE

Tue, 5.31: work

Due Thursday

  • progress on Final Pitch, Case Study, and Video

Thurs, 6.2: Work on Final Deliverables

FINALS – PITCH

11am Section: 
Monday, June 6, 8:00 – 10:00 AM: Project 2: Prototype, Pitch Deck, and Video due
Thurs, June 9, 1pm: Project 2 Case Study due

2pm Section:
Thursday, June 9, 1:00 – 3:00 PM: Project 2: Prototype, Pitch Deck, Video, Case Study due