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Today in class we looked at the technique called the “Design Sprint” which was based on Google’s method in UX design to practice design leadership in a team. It is used to solve problems when developing ouur design,prototyping and test out our ideas with users.

Design Sprints are a process which happens over 5 days. But today we were asked to complete it in a day.

The Problem

Too much pressures in hopsitals. How many we ease the pressures on E&A Department in Hopsitals.

I worked with Matthew, Florence and Cormac to come up with a digital soloution to this problem. We were asked to follow 6 point stages in order to pitch a product.

1. Understand- Who are the users and needs?

During this stage we wrote down a list of “How might” or How can” we questions. Then we catergorised them together and selected the best post it and go with that idea.

2. Define

3. Ideation- Brainstorm Ideas

4. Decide- What is the best idea?

5. Prototype- Design One

6. Validate- Testing

Reflection

I thought this was a fun task to do as a group. It got us to think outside the box and got us working together as a team to come up with a solution. I really enjoyed it and it was nice to have a change from the usual lectures on Thursday. I felt our group worked well and in the end came up with a good idea which I could see it being produced to ease stress and anxious in the waiting rooms and hosptials.

This we looked at another Ux Law called “Peak End Rule”. This rule is a cognitive bias thats impacts how people remember past events. “People judge an experience largely based on how they felt at its peak and at its end, rather than the total sum or average of every moment of the experience.”

When creating a design or movie pay attention to the users interest and how they will react at each stage of the process. Leave the user on a positive experience which will create a lasting effect. Work out when the product or service was used to eneterain the users.

This Law orgined in 1993 following a study by Kahneman, Fredrickson, Charles Schreiber and Donald Rederlmeir to help they gather evidence for the peak-end rule.

Example

They put this to the test by getting participiants do different trials were they sumergered their hand in 14 c of water for 60s. Then followed by the other 60s, keeping their hand submerged futher 30 s during which the temerpature was raisen to 15c. They were then asked which trial they were perfer to do again. Both were in favour of the 2nd test as it was in recent memory.

Reflection

When designing my website it’s important to interest users and get them to test the usbalitiy in order to improve.

Millers Law is another Law used in the field of Ux design. Miller’s Law states that “The Number of objects an average person can hold in their working memory is about seven.” This is known as The magical Number Seven. Therefore if your users need to make a choice, it’s important not to give them too many choices.

Basically in order for the user to understanding the content, it’s important to break it down into chunks.

This Law was published in 1956 by Professor George Miller when he discovered the theory, were he tested users to see how much memory memory they could hold.

It’s important when designing my content to make sure I break down the information into mangeable chunks to help users process, understand and memorise information easily.

Short term memory captaicity will vary depending on the user.

In week 3 Paul asked us to get into groups and using the data he provided to complete a mediical form in a clear and apporitate way.

I worked with Florence and Cormac to complete this task efficently. We dicussed ideas how we would breakdown this task evenly. We started off writing the data out on sticky notes and determined the structure of our form. We put the most important information to the top.

Once we were happy were the data would be going on the form, we went onto to figma to begin creating this form. We made sure our designs were consistent throughout. We choose an appriotate font type and colour scheme.

We finished working on the form in our sparetime. Once we were happy we came together and finalised our form.

I’m happy with the final outcome. In the future we could possibly add more options or leave out information that isn’t nesscary to the user.

The benefit of having an online form compared to written one is you have more options to choose from and more space to type your answer.

Below is how our form looks like on screen.

Form IXD303

Reflection

I enjoyed working on this task with Cormac and Florence as I felt we worked well together. Hopefull we can work on future projects or tasks together. I felt be doing this it was good practice when producing our own app when we take our own data into figma and stuctuely create our prototype.

During class Paul give us a brief which asked us to draw an app for a company called PlantCo Smart Pot. I decided to team up with Emily and Leonie in a group of 3 to work on this small group exercise. We frist dicussed the main target audience of our app and how it could benefit the user. We felt it applied to 21-30 year olds.

Our task today was to draw wireframes and make a user follow for this App.

User Flow

We created a simple step by step user flow of the path the user can expect to follow when using this app from the launch screen.

We each wrote the following requirements of the app on postit notes:

• Plant Guide/ Identification
• Plant Recommendations
• Moisture, light, Nutrient Levels
• Temperature
• Plant Location
• Home Screen
• Add a Plant
• Plant Care
• Check Moisture Levels

We stuck these on a big sheet and placed them order of the flow chart. This allowed us to see the path the user would follow and how many screens we would have to produce for the app. This user flow starts from the download scren and shows the all possible options they could click on.

Sketches

Once we were happy with the user flow, we made some indidviual wireframe sketches on paper. We all took a page of lined paper each and sketched our 6 different screens representing the app screens. This meant we had a choice of wireframes to choose from.

After we combined our ideas by choosing the best ones to draws on a larger scaled paper.  We dicussed the screens and choose the final screens. At the end of class we pitched our idea to Paul and talked through the 6 different screens and what it allowed the user to do.

Here’s the instagram post we took of our work.

Reflection

I enjoyed this team excercise as it got me working with other people in the class. It allow us to be creative and share ideas with one another. The more ideas we came up with the more succesful our final outcome would be. I felt we all worked well together. I would defintely work with them in the future. I thought their ideas and wireframing were excellent and they contributed so much.

This Week we focused on Sketching Interfaces. Before designing it’s good to put alot of effort into sketchin/wireframing. Drawing is a very important phase in the design process. Any projects you work on make sure to always start off on paper as it helps you to brainstorm you ideas and allows you to try out different designs.

Why choose paper?

Well firstly its quick, it’s cost efficent, fast and flexible, simple and allows you to share your ideas. By using paper you can come up with different ideas before finalising it. Start getting comfortbale using pens in your designs.

According to 2020 design tools survery, the majority of designers use pen and paper when brainstorming/sketching ideas. The top software they use for digital wireframing is figma and for research it’s notion.

Diverage before configuring. Start off with low fidelity.

The key point to remember is that pratice makes perfect.

Some designers I will look at for inspiration is Sarah Cupples, Cathal Dixon and Paddy Donnelly.

Relearning to Draw

Doesn’t matter if you are a designer or not everyone can draw. Sketchnotes is a great tool to use to help you sketch out ideas on paper. When you are taking notes you can sketch out images/icons which can help you make it clear and easy to understand efficently. When doing this limit your palette focus more on drawing.

Another tool you can use is visual starter kit which can help you make your notes and planning more visual.  Visual images/ sketches are great as they allow people to process content much faster than text by getting striaght to the point. Images are a lot clearer to understand than word. For example when you see a sign you automically know what it is.

Sketching is a thinking process. Getting the point of communication across is to the user is more important than the drawing.

Speed Drawing Excerise 

To help us feel more confident in are drawing ability. Paul set us a task to draw the following:

A Camera, house, speech bubble, a padlock, a magnifiing glass and a heart in 20 seconds, then again the same in 10 seconds then 5 seconds respecitvely. This was a fun task as it allowed us to be free and as creative as possible in the short time frame given for each image. I think it was good seeing the drawings we could come up.

2. Mapping Flows

• Start on paper then develop it.
• Get the logic right
• Test use flows on research users
• Then when happy build it.

You can use Figma or Miro to design user flows.

By making sketches it mimalises the risk of mistakes. Innovation is easy. An idea is nothing than a combination of ideas.

Example of a userflow is when you make a post on Instagram.

3. Sketching Interfaces

Sketching is not nesscary about being a good artist it’s more so being a good thinkier.

Tips to consider when sketching

• Use a thick Pen
• Draw striaght Lines
• Add Colour
• Make sketches clear and easy to follow
• use the right tools
• time yourself
• Best to prototype early and often as possible.

Reflection

Following todays lecture I learned that when making sketches it’s better to keep them simple and clear rather than to over complicate them. It’s better to have the process and idea on paper to allow the use to grasp the understanding. I enjoyed doing the excercises as it allowed me to be creative. I can also take away from today how important it is sketching on paper is before jumping into any project. I make sure to sketch and wireframe my app before digitalising it as it help to enchance my protype and improve the users experience.

Another Law we briefly covered was Hicks Law which is named after Psychologist William Edmund Hick. It is commonly used in the field of UX design.

This laws states “the more choices avilaible to the user, the longer it for them to make a decision. ” Therefore the less choices they have the quickier they will take to make a decision.

It’s important as a designer not to overload the user with information as they will lose interest. By following Hick’s Law you can improve your website and make the process smoother.

Key things to do:

• Break down complex task
• Simplify the choices availible to the users which will increase their decision making.

Example

A good example of this is a classic remote with alot of buttons. Most of them buttons are not nesscary. Therefore it causes frustration and congintive load as users are unable to decid what to click. But by creating an simplified version of remote with less options it makes it easier to use and process.

Reflection

I will use this Law in my project to improve the user’s experience. I will esnure to only provide them with relevant and simplifed options when creating my app/website which makes it clear and simply for my targert audience to process.

What is Autism?

Autism is a disability/ condition which is spotted from an early age. Other’s names used for autism are ASD, ASD or Asperger’s. Autism means your brain works differently from others.  Autism is easier to spot in boys than girls. It’s thought that over 1 in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and around 700,000 of adults and children in the UK who are autistic.

People with autism have a wide range of complex problems both physically and mentally. They may have difficulty with social interactions, communication, behavior/repetitive issues, anxiety, stress, sensory issues such noise, lights, etc. as well as understanding or processing information

Each person with autism is different. Therefore, there needs, and problems may be different depending on the individual. Some people may need little support while others may need a lot more.

Other physical or mental health Conditions people with autism may have

• ADHD
• OSD
• Bipolar Disorder
• Dyslexia/Dyspraxia
• Anxiety
• Epilepsy
• Schizophrenia
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Cerebral Palsy
• Depression

Top Apps for autism

Proloquo2Go– An app designed for people who are nonverbal.

Endless Reader– An App which helps them to develop their reading skills

Language Therapy for Kids- MITA

An app used to help them to communicate, develop their language and speak confidently. Available in multiple languages worldwide.

Otsimo/ Special Education AAC

An App that improves children’s speech It has different games which can personalized for a child’s specific needs.

CommBoards Lite-AAC Speech Assistant

An App that provides a communication assistance method that lets users tap on images, hear sound and word pronounced aloud to help them learn.

ABC Autismo

An App that allows people develop their skills, confidence and have fun while learning.

https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/adults-with-autism-are-at-risk-for-host-of-health-problems/#:~:text=The%20health%20complications%20that%20accompany,disorders%20such%20as%20cerebral%20palsy.

www.autism.org.uk

www.hns.uk

https://www.healthline.com/health/autism/top-iphone-android-apps#language-therapy-for-kids

https://www.autismspeaks.org/medical-conditions-associated-autism

This week in class we had a lecture on Design and Startegy. There were a number of different strategies we covered.

1. AI and UI Techonolgy.

Paul showed example of sites which can allow users to create, logos, videos, banners mockups instantly. Although these online tool are great but there is no creatively. They all follow a similar layout. In future these designs may become more sophicated but they can’t  be used to replace the designers. There was an article Will Al replace designers which would be a good read.

Outstanding Ai

Everthing we’re doing currently in ux design such as:

• Empathy
• Creativity
• Idea Generation
• Lateral Thinking
• Strategy

These are examples of UX Design

There are big companies which are mostly Design Led these include:

• Facebook
• Apple
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Uber
• Mailchamp
• Adobe

2. BHAGS- Big Hairy Audacious Goals. This is basically a long term goal that inspires everyone in the business to understand and get behind. They are used to help boost and exite people in order to achieve their goals.

Examples: JFK: The Moon, Microsoft or SpaceX

What might that look like?

Website, App, Email Channel or Social Media.

Frame Your Design Challenge

During class we were asked to Frame our own design Challenge based on IDEO’s idea. We had to consider the following questions:

1. What is the problem you’re trying to solve
2. Try to frame it as a deisgn question
3. What’s the impact you are trying to have?
4. What are some of the possible solutions to your problem?
5. Write some of the context and constraints you are facing?
6. Does your question/Design need a change/edit?

I wrote my own.

Laws of UX

• Hicks Law states that that time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices avaible.
• Basically simplify the choices of people to increase decision making. The less decisions the quickier the choice is made.
• Break down complex tasks

Congnitive Load

Don’t overload the user with too much Information. Make your design clear and simply for your targert audience. Good examples of this process used efficently is Google. They make it clear and easy to understand.

Onboarding

(Defintion)

Offboarding

(Defintion)

(Examples)

Dark Patterns

Dark patterns are used on internet to catch users out by making them do things they don’t really want to do. For example buying or subscriping to something.

Users/ Human 

These are the targert audience of the design. It’s important to empathise with them.

The Blank Slate

User Personas Vs Jobs to be done

We’ll need to focus on developing these next by undersanding your personal users. User Personas are your typical users whose needs you should look to meet. It’s important to get into the mindset or the users and their goals to help your design.

Things to include the User Personas:

• Bio and Photo
• Name
• Age
• Location
• Goals
• Threats

Example: Ul Generator or Username Generator

Common Problems with User Personas

They are amalamtion an average of attributes. There is no indivually they are all similar answers.

The Persona Spectrum

We watched a video explaining Mcdonalds Milkshake Process.

Jobs to done

There is number of jobs to be done:

• Dentifty Jobs customers are trying to do
• Catergoise the jobs
• Define
• Competitors
• Priortise the JTBD expectations
• Releated outcome expectations
• Outcome Statements
• Jobs evolve much more slowly

We watched a short clip from Mad men

So what is your “Job to be done”? Consider this.

Inclusive Design

We then looked into Inclusive Design and Accessibility. As a Ux designer this is very important to consider. Inclusive Design is a method that enables and draws on the full range of human. The design we create should be accessible to all users.  There is a range of impariments and different disabilities to consider when it comes to design.

In the image below you can see different types of disabilities both peramanent, temporary and situational.

Disability Defintion

Consider the Who, what, where, when, why and how approach in your design. When designing a product empathy with your audeince. This can be done through an empathy map.

This week:

I will continue my research and hopefully start coming up with ideas for my designs.

Reflection

Today’s class gave me an eye openers into different design strageys and things I could in my design for my project. It also made me more aware of different users and there complex needs and how I should make my design to meet all their needs.

This week we learned about “Postels Law” which is sometimes referred to “Robustness principle”. Following on from last weeks class this is 2nd one we covered. This law is a commonly used in the field of interaction design and computer. Postels Law states “Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send.” Postels Law was named after American computer scientist Jon Postel, who contributed to the early development of the internet. Postels Law has been around since 1980 and still very important in today’s Society.

In the following weeks to come I will try to apply this law to my designs.