Final Project; Phase 3 - Design

Phase 3a
For Phase 3a, we refined our 3 user personas - the advance user, the novice user, and the anti-user based on last week's feedbacks. We decided to target the military users and come out with a military phone. We then did some user research on participants who fit our updated advance user persona before attempting to design our product.

Our product basically can be divided into 2 sub products: the mobile phone, and the website that allows user to customize the mobile phone and purchase it.

For the mobile phone, we carried out a simple cultural probe using just a small notebook and pen, like in Assignment 3. This is not only due to our budget constraints, but also because it will be impossible for our participants to bring in visual/ audio recording devices into their military camps.

Because military personnels in Singapore will all carry a little black notebook and pen with them during training, we decided to give them the same notebook to record down their feelings and happenings during the search, the usage, and the disposal of their mobile phone. This is in accordance to the Product Life Cycle, the Value Creation and Delivery Sequence Model, and the Simplified UX Model, whereby the user experience of the product can be enhanced by tracking each stage of their usage, from the product manufacturing raw material (think Body Shop), to the sourcing/ purchase, to the actual use, and finally to the disposal of the product.

We also carried out survey to find out about the needs and excitement features of a mobile phone as perceived by our target users. Likewise, we also seek to find information online through the online forums that may be frequent by our target user.

For our website, we analyzed numerous mobile phone companies' websites (e.g. Nokia, Samsung, etc.), service providers' website (e.g. Singtel, M1, and Starhub), and also Dell's website to come out with a common-to-all information-categorization list. Card sorting was then carried out to determine the most user-friendly information structure for our target users.

Here's our presentation for Phase 3a:

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Phase 3b
There is no presentation for Phase 3b. What we are required to do, was to develop low-fidelity prototype based on our user research findings. Hence, we sketched out potential mobile phone designs and listed the specifications of our mobile phones, and we also came out with paper prototype of our website.

Mobile Phone - Low Fidelity Prototypes
Slide Phone
Clamshell Phone
Bar Phone

Showing our mobile phone designs to Mr Reddy, he feedbacked that we should probably do away with the clamshell phone and the slide phone, as the nature of these two designs is that they are less durable compared to a solid bar phone with the slides and hinge mechanisms etc., which are dust magnets. He also asked about the use of our mobile phone by soldiers during the night whereby there is a need to be tactical.

We also decided on 4 main tasks that we want our users to undertake to test the paper prototype of our website, and see if the users are able to derive positive user experience or face difficulties trying to carry out the tasks.

The 4 tasks are as follow:
1.Sign up for a user account
2.Purchase a mobile phone
3.Customize and purchase a mobile
4.Trade-in a mobile phone

And here's our low-fidelity prototype:


Phase 3c
For our mobile phone, we incorporated the ideas we got from our research and came out with this medium-fidelity prototype.

Unfortunately, we were unable to do a high-fidelity prototype like the dummy phones we often see on display. Here's our mobile phone prototype.


For the website, we managed to create a high fidelity prototype, which can be found HERE! and incorporated the findings from our previous researches as well.

Final project; Phase 2 - Define

We refined our Needs Analysis from Phase 1 through ethnography (observation of people in our daily life). Having reaffirmed our belief that customized mobile phone is the way to go, we went on to do In-depth interviews with 15 randomly selected respondents about their mobile phone usage.

We found out that different users have distinct usage and needs for mobile phone. What strikes us the most is that often times, social circumstances restricts/ affords only certain usage patterns e.g. National Servicemen in our conscripted army are not allow to bring in camera phone into military compounds. Hence, we decided that a customizable mobile phone for this user group is the way to go.

Based on this user group, we came out with our user personas, as well as the three levels of emotional appeals, and four-pleasure analysis of our advance user.

Here's our presentation for Phase 2:

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Class feedbacks
Feedbacks we got says that our target users are too varied and diverse. It's not a niche-enough group and that will increase difficulty in our product design to satisfy them; this despite our argument that our product is customizable and hence, able to cater to a larger group of users with different needs.

My reflection
In retrospect, I have to agree with the class that it is better if we are able to zoom in with a very clear focus on who we want to target, and then seek to maximize the user experience of this target group.

Final project; Phase 1 - Discover

Research and Proposal
For our final project of this module, we are required to identify the needs of people and come out with a product that is touted to cater to these specific needs and wow the people.

Ideally, we should be looking at niche groups with very specialized needs. The reason given is that it is better to satisfy one group thoroughly rather than try to cater to the masses and fail to satisfy any group at all (with all the groups being moderately satisfied only).

And we went about trying to identify these unfulfilled needs by observing people around us (kind of like ethnography, except that we did not know what we were looking for or where to start), and asking friends about what they are missing in their lives that they feel can be made better with a one-of-a-kind product/ service.

For a start, we found out that everybody wants to individualize themselves. There is an inherent need for people to stand out from the rest of the crowd, to express their own identity, to exert their presence as in individual, and to state who they are. This is evident in the myriads of clothing, hairstyles, accessories, bags, etc that people turn up in just for that few hours of lessons in school. Even people who simply throw on a pair of FBT shorts, tee-shirt and slippers are trying to express themselves (perhaps as nonchalant, or socially non-conforming?).

Paradoxically though, while they need to declare their individuality, there is also a need to be part of a group. This is perhaps better known as the individual-collective identity paradox in social psychology. This may probably explain why Mac users are individuals who wish to stand out from the majority of PCs users, but are closely bonded (almost cult-like) to other Mac users.

Having identified this need, we then attempt to seek out products/ services out available that are currently unable to satisfy this need. It was by chance that we realized that customized mobile phone might be just what we are looking for. We found out that people often have very distinct use for their mobile phone e.g. some people listen to MP3 on their mobile phones while others own an MP3 player instead. Besides usage, social circumstances also dictate their mobile phone needs e.g. national servicemen serving the country in military vocations are forbidden to bring camera-phones into camp to guard confidential information.

Hence, we propose that a customized mobile phone a la Dell computers may be the way to go for our project. Given the expertise of Dell Inc as a quintessential Internet company touting direct sales business model and build-to-order production, we hope to tape into Dell’s existing expertise, networks, and infrastructures to come out with the new product line.

Here's our presentation for Phase 1:

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Class feedbacks
The class is divided into 2 camps of thoughts generally about our idea. The first camp is excited about the prospects of our products as they feel that at times, they face difficulty choosing which mobile phones to buy, wishing that they are able to combine the best of all mobile phones and discard what they don’t need. Perhaps comparative advantage (in economics term) is what they are looking for.

The second camp is more sceptical about the idea and they raised rather valid points. The first point is that of technological possibility and patent-issues. Unlike the computer which uses standard parts/ components, mobile phones do not. Hence, it will increase the difficulty of us trying to emulate Dell’s model since it will be hard to source for suppliers of the components.

The second point is that of identity. While our product allows people to customize to suit their identity, our product has no identity of our own. Mr Reddy raised the analogy of a famous interior architect. While the architect will customize his/her designs based on the clients’ desires, he/she will have a signature style that attracts these clients in the first place.

My reflection
I very much agree with the comments given that there are issues that we need to iron out before we can say that our idea is feasible (at this point in time). I guess we will have to work on whether we want to carry on with our idea or discard it for an altogether new one.

Assignment 3; Design Probe

For this assignment, we are supposed to employ any of the user study methods taught and then propose solutions to improve the lecture learning experience.

To make sure that we get to practice most of the methods, we decided to use three methods instead of just one. Given that the scope of the topic is very broad, our aim of the user study methods is to get a broad perspective on the general problems or barriers to great lecture learning experience. Hence we did not restrict on particular lecture group, lecture module, etc.

User Study Methods Employed:
The three methods are 1.) Cultural Probe, 2.) Laddering, and 3.) Ethnography.
Our probe pack

Having identified many problems using the three methods, we then attempt to sieve out the common problems in all three of them.

Common Problems Identified:
The first common problem is that of the lecture theatre’s design.

The lecture theatres are generally too big for most classes, resulting in empty/ half-filled lectures. This emptiness may lead to a drop in temperature without the human warmth.

Students also like to sit at the last few rows of the lecture theatres, talking among themselves, distracting other students.

Some lecturers cannot be heard especially by students sitting at the back rows.

The space between the rows are also too narrow and restrictive for comfortable seating.

The second common problem is the lecturer factor.

The lecturing style, speech/language, nuances, and accents of the lecturer may affect the UX of learning in lecture theatres.

The lack of “Crowd control” by the lecturers may also reduce the UX of students who genuinely want to attend the lectures.

Appropriate pauses for questions/taking down notes were not given and this may reduce the UX of learning as well.

Lastly, the lack of personal grooming by the lecturers may also affect the UX of learning in lecture theatres.

The third common problem is the student factor.

Generally, students lack proper time management to maintain sufficient time for sleeping and eating (especially breakfast).

Many students are also affected by their fellow students’ improper behaviors and attitudes during/ towards lectures.

Proposed Solutions:
We propose that lecture timing should not coincide with peak hours (office hours) as this may indirectly affect the travelling to/ fro campus for lectures. Back-to-back lecture timing should also be avoided.

On the students part, we propose that they need to manage their time better to have enough rest. A positive attitude towards learning is also required.

Most importantly, students need to be sensitive and considerate to other students who are attending the lectures by not talking, eating, or doing anything disruptive to the lecture.

Changes to the design of the lecture theatres will also improve the UX of learning in them.

We propose seminar style teaching with maximum capacity of 30 students per class. This will essentially eliminates the problem of empty lecture theatres, cold temperatures, and the lecturer not being heard.

The smaller class will also allow the lecturer to perform better crowd control.

Regular maintenance of the projectors and sound systems is also required.

Lastly, we also propose some solutions for the lecturers.

Lecturers should improve their lecturing style by being less monotonous and not read from the slides. Accented English is acceptable as long as it is comprehensible.

Proper crowd control should be carried out by lecturers to maintain the level of UX in learning for most students.

The lecturers should also give the students sufficient time to take down notes and/ or process the information delivered.

Good personal grooming by the lecturers will also aid in improving the overall UX of learning in lecture theatres.

My Reflection
User experience varies greatly between individuals. Even with extensive studies on users, it will be difficult to identify what creates positive experience.

I guess one good way to start is by observing the daily happenings, the social norms and cultural practices. Once we've identified these events, we can go on to interview the people to probe deeper into why these events create positive experience for them.

After doing this assignment, I suggest that perhaps researchers can start with cultural probe and/or ethnography. With a better understanding of the situations, then we may move on to laddering to probe deeper. This will kind of answer my previous question on how to ask the 'correct' questions for laddering to work too. The basic understanding of the users will allow the researcher to formulate appropriate questions to ask in laddering.

And here's our Presentation Slide

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A question on Ethnography

I posted this on the module forum but I thought I'll post it here as well since I have kind of neglected this blog after all the festivities and celebrations. And considering that this blog will be graded as my participation, I ought to do something soon! I promise. =)

I am just wondering that it is a necessary criterion for ethnographers to observe without imposing a presence.

For example, if I'm observing the happenings in a lecture theatre during lecture and I go in with a bulky camcorder or worst still a film crew, wouldn't it be counter-productive in that I've actually created an artificial presence that will not be there under normal circumstances? And in this case, the people being observed may become aware of them being watched and hence, behave in a different (possibly more composed) manner. This will mean that the observations are not attuned to the reality, but rather a forced reality. I'm sure those of us who have went through education in Singapore long enough will know that teachers do behave differently and that they may even request the students to behave in a certain manner when an examiner from the Ministry of Education is scheduled to sit in during class.

But on the other hand, such artificial presence may actually yield unexpected discovery. I remember my Sociology lecturer sharing his experience of doing an ethnography study on resurgent Christianity in Singapore (Goh, 1999). While he was observing a baptism, his presence actually affected a new believer in that the believer was unable to verbalize tongue despite encouragement (socialization) by fellow members. It was only when he (my lecturer) was ushered away, and after repeated socialization that the new member was able to speak in tongue.

Hence, the observation on the effects of his presence (and many other factors of course) actually made him conclude that Charismatic Christianity may not be as rational as people believe it to be.

With these conflicting examples, I am interested to know whether or not ethnographers should observe without people knowing or vice versa. Any ideas?

Reference:
Goh, D. P. S. (1999). Rethinking resurgent Christianity in Singapore. Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science, 27(1), 89-112.

Reflection on Session 4

It's the first day of Lunar New Year and I want to wish one and all a prosperous and happy Lunar New Year! =)

Back to the topic of UX design; this week we learned about 4 different approaches to experience design. While none of the approaches will guarantee the result of a product with excellent UX design, they certainly provide a basis for understanding the users better.

We also got to try out the technique of Laddering in class. Seemingly simple, this technique requires the researcher to ask a series of 'why' questions to a participant until they cannot explain further to find out the root of the problem.

It is only when we put it into practise that I realized it's not as easy as perceived. I ended up in a quagmire of circular reasoning with my respondent saying that "A is like that because of B, and B is like that because of A".

In order for Laddering to work, the researcher must be trained to seek out very specific yet related questions that will lead the respondent to answer specifically in a non-leading manner (I hope I'm making sense). What I'm saying is that we need to ask very precise questions that will not corner the respondent into limited choices of answers as this might affect the accuracy of the research. I believe this is an acquired skill that comes with a lot of practice.

And the most interesting technique to me is ethnography. I guess it’s due to the voyeuristic pleasure of observing people in their nature surrounding (just joking). But the irony of this technique is that while we want to blend in with the environment so that the specimen in concern will not be affected by our presence, there is a risk of going native and end up not being able to pick up crucial behavioural details. For example, a researcher might end up being too comfortable with the participants’ behaviours and not realize that their behaviours might be out of the norms.

Again, I believe it takes time and practice to master the technique. God, please give me 48 hours a day!

Assignment 2: Four Pleasure Analysis

Based on the picture of a product given in class, we were supposed to create the profile of a potential user. Here's the picture:
(Source: http://www.blavish.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/Knee-High%20Croc%20Boots%20Christian%20Dior.jpg?)

For the uninitiated, this pair of Black Miss Dior boots is designed by Christian Dior in 2006. A newer version of it is currently available on Dior's website

Imaginary subject: Miranda, 28 years old fashion buying manager living in Singapore.

Miranda attended one of the top all-girls high schools and achieved straight Aces for 9 subjects in her GCE 'O' level. However, she opted for an alternative education path by enrolling herself to the Diploma in Fashion Management course offered by La Salle College of the Arts. Emerging as the top student, she moved on to graduate with a 1st class honours degree in management (marketing). Her education had been funded by one scholarship after another throughout.

Although she has been working in the fashion industry ever since she graduated from university 6 years ago, her current job is not her first; she started out as a store manager for a global fashion brand and was quickly poached by competitors for her excellent work performance. Subsequently, she worked as a fashion merchandiser and a fashion marketer. Given her unique and intricate fashion style, she was headhunted to become a fashion buyer for a luxury brand. Within a short span of 3 seasons, she was promoted to the position of buying manager. She feels that every man is for himself and she will not hesitate to job hop when the next better opportunity knocks.

Miranda enjoys her current job very much as it gives her immerse sense of satisfaction jet-setting from one country to another. She takes pride in the acknowledgement awarded by fellow industry players that she has unique foresight for fashion; she maintains her edge by keenly following all fashion trends, seeking out unique details so as not to be seen as a blind follower. This is evident in her disapproval of fashion bimbos who swear by absurdly high heels despite the health risks and physical inconveniences. Although she faces heavy stress from her job, she takes them in her stride and refuses to show any signs of fatigue or defeat.

To cope with her job, Miranda gyms up to 2 hours 3 times a week at the exclusive town club during which she runs on the treadmill with her earphones blasting music into her ears for half the time. She also embarks on a twice a year shopping sprees in a foreign fashion capital to reward her hard work. In her free time, she also patronizes the theatre and enjoys sipping aged wine at the exclusive wine bar with her friends. She appreciates both activities for the masterful artistry behind their creations as much as for being seen as a refined person. She also enjoys playing host to her friends at her district 9 penthouse.

Miranda is single although she has no lack of suitors. Men love her 1.72m and 46kg svelte frame although many of them are put off by her dominance and intelligence. Not that Miranda is affected or worried as she feels that men who are not able to appreciate a strong woman like her are simply not man enough. A staunch feminist and believer of equal rights, Miranda believes that all women should have their own career and be able to fend for themselves. Ironically, the same cannot be said for animal rights as she believes in the jungle law of survival of the fittest.

Only child to an upper middle class family where both her parents are working, Miranda grew up as a latchkey kid from the tender age of 9. Highly independent, she cooked her own meals, travel to school on her own, and revised her homework without being told. However, she loves her parents still and hates to trouble them with her stuff as she knows that they are working very hard to provide for her.

Physio-pleasure

• Miranda enjoys the mobility her job gives her - Appreciation
  
• Working out in gym keeps her fit and svelte - Need
  
• She prefers shoes that are comfortable to wear and walk in - Need
  
• She enjoys drinking aged wine with her friends - Apppreciation

Socio-pleasure

• Miranda enjoys the acknowledgement awarded to her by fellow industry players - Appreciation
  
• She also likes being seen as a refined person - Appreciation
  
• She enjoys hosting her friends - Need
  
• She takes pride in not troubling her parents with her problems to show her love for them - Need

Psycho-pleasure

• Miranda studies hard for her own future and scores excellent results in her education - Need
  
• She holds a very stressful job therefore she exercises, hangs out with friends or patronizes the theatre to relief the stress - Need
  
• She will not hesitate to job hop when there's a better offer taking pleasure in her ability to rise up to any job - Appreciation

Ideo-pleasure

• Miranda has a very unique sense of style and she will not follow fashion trends blindly - Appreciation
  
• Because of her childhood and upbringing, Miranda is wary of being dependent on others - Need
  
• She also believes in feminism and aspire for equal rights - Appreciation
  
• In terms of competitions and animal rights, she believes in survival of the fittest and every man for himself - Need

Product Benefit Specifications
Ideally, the phone should be chic looking and also practical/ user friendly. One close match of the possible hand phone will be the Samsung F700 (below).

(Source: http://byrev.net/2007-12/samsung-f700-release-date-early-november/)

This hand phone is slim and light making it highly portable. The 3.6Mbps data speed will also allow Miranda to work on the go, which is further facilitated with the qwerty keyboard and the 2.78 inch touchscreen display. The supposedly 5 Megapixals camera will also aid Miranda's work in the fashion industry. The music player function will also allow Miranda to listen to music while she's working out; a matching and stylish earphone with ear hooks will be good as it will hold the earphone in position while the user is exercising. One possible earphone is the Bang & Olufsen A8 Earphone (below).

(Source: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417ZKXAE25L._AA280_.jpg)

Another close contender is the new HTC S730 (below). The Microsoft Office MObile software will allow Miranda to access her work documents on the go. The external keys will also facilitate normal usage of the phone compared to the Samsung F700.

HTC S730 (Source: http://www.unwiredview.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/htc-s730-wing-volans.jpg)

To further customize the mobile phone for Miranda, a few modifications can be made. One possible improvement will be to include Wifi. This will allow Miranda to access the Internet freely wherever she goes.

Outlook of the phone can be enhanced as well. This can include the use of exotic leather such as snake's hide, crocodile skin, stingray skin, etc, to cover the back casing of the hand phone.

Stingray Leather (Source: http://www.tropicalleather.com/interestingarticles/stingpow140.jpg)

It will also be good if the mobile phone can be co-branded with some famous fashion designers e.g. Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, etc, who are famous for unique and provocative designs.

The mobile phone should preferrably be within the price range of SGD 800 to SGD 1200 to maintain a certain level of exclusivity while not being too exorbitant for practical reason.