Design new products with user centred approach

My goal for this project was to learn the “[...] ability to take an empathetic view of the user, and to interpret that into a systematic design solution.”— Peter Merholz
Product
A user-centred design alternative to apps in the pet tracker market.
Role
Apprenticeship project with two mentors: a UX Research veteran and a UX Design tutor.
Challenges
In 2020, the UX bootcamp market fails to teach the basics of UX (e.g. Research).
Key activities
User Research, real model of technology [GPS], empathy and journey mapping, flow diagrams of key user pain points, low + mid + high fidelity prototypes, usability testing
Achievements
Determined the minimal changes needed to significantly improve user experience for pet trackers.

Key challenge: technology behavior depends on context

Ideal vs real journey

Existing apps cover only the ideal scenario (full view of sky) which happens when our persona takes their dog to a walk in a field. But this covers only a small fraction of their day or week. My challenge was to design scenarios where our persona spends most of their time (at work and at home), and day-long walks in the woods.

Results after two rounds of user testing

I’ve tested remotely 12 key tasks with pet owners — first round with sketch mockups, mid-fidelity prototype for second round, and high fidelity interactive prototoypes for third round.

Design Process

The below document shows key insights driving the design solution. View PDF

What I learned. Reflections

At the beginning of this project, my goal was to get a grip on the UX process. Looking back, it seems like ‘the ability to take an empathetic view of the user and to interpret it in a systematic design solution’ is a robust definition of a user-centred design approach.

Work

Opinion

What the gorilla video tells us about what we choose to perceive

Stop explaining UX to 5-year olds

AI, confabulating and consciouesness

Why Agile stories work for all your teams

Get out of UX / UX everything

AI, confabulating and consciouesness

Why Agile stories work for all your teams

Stop explaining UX to 5-year olds

Contact

Let’s make a better world for your clients experience and your business outcomes. Write me at  contact at mariusgrigore.com to get in touch.