Insights On User Research And How It Changed My Mind
Having completed user research felt as if I had pinpointed my solution, but that is not yet true. With the research, I discovered what the user was lacking. I only created the hypothesis: the proposed solutions. I still have to redesign the website and determine whether it actually fulfills the user’s needs, which is why I am moving on to information architecture.
Here at information architecture, I am examining how information should be displayed and located. It is more about finding where to store the content of Google Classroom in a way that is intuitive and best for users.
So far, I am conducting an open card sort on my users to determine best how I should label content of Google Classroom. The final deliverable of the Google Classroom Innovation project is yet to come, but in the meantime, user research gave me a glimpse to what UX Design is and what it is not.
User Experience Design is:
- Solving for the user’s problem
- Creating a product (mainly digital) that will make a task easier and efficient
- Data-driven solutions
User Experience Design is not:
- Graphic Design
- Creating apps and websites with cool and fun features
- A “busy work” career
Having finished the initial stage of my projects (that I will most likely have to revisit) also made me much more insightful and aware of user research in my life. A couple of months ago, I was interviewed by a group of recent college graduates working on their own learning app called Edily. It was amazing to be interviewed by Ally and hear her asking the same questions I asked my own stakeholders. When the actual app testing came around, it was cool to see and interact with the wireframe. With each button I clicked, the designers asked questions on how easy or confusing finding certain pages were. Furthermore, now I understand why businesses and educational institutes such as CollegeBoard value user feedback so much. This also why, as a user who is familiar with the designer mindset, do my best to provide elaborate yet honest feedback.
I am not only noticing design in my life, but ideas are stirring. My mind is now full of ideas to make better mentorship initiatives in companies. I am documenting each one of them because these ideas can be original projects I am actually passionate about. For example, I have seen Disney’s initiatives to connect with students. Students willing to join Disney usually do so because they love Disney’s characters, amusement parks, products, and more. If Disney wanted to reach hard working college students, using the story of Mike Wasowzki (the green little underdog monster that made his way into the “Havard” of monsters) would be a great way to do so. It would incorporate Disney’s culture into a service to help students who love Disney’s culture.
I am truly excited to continue developing a designer’s mindset and thoroughly understanding the design process!
