transforming living spaces lo-fi prototype + usability testing

Here’s a quick overview of our presentation today. LO-FI PROTOTYPE UI/UX CHANGES USABILITY TESTING Here’s a quick overview of our presentation today.

First I’ll talk about our interface and our lo-fi prototype. overview LO-FI PROTOTYPE UI/UX CHANGES USABILITY TESTING First I’ll talk about our interface and our lo-fi prototype.

overview LO-FI PROTOTYPE UI/UX CHANGES USABILITY TESTING Next I’ll talk about how we conducted our usability testing and discuss our results.

overview LO-FI PROTOTYPE UI/UX CHANGES USABILITY TESTING Finally, I’ll end by proposing some changes to our current user interface based on the feedback we received during our usability testing.

In a shared living space, it is difficult to be aware of expectations (both explicit and implicit) and to keep people accountable for following them. In a shared living space, it is difficult to be aware of expectations (both explicit and implicit) and to keep people accountable for following them.

What if we had a way to 1) explicitly list all our expectations and 2) use this list as a maintenance tool to remind us of our agreed-upon obligations? What if we had a way to 1) explicitly list all our expectations and 2) use this list as a maintenance tool to remind us of our agreed-upon obligations?

collaboratively coexist value proposition collaboratively coexist Introducing coList. Collaboratively coexist with coList.

gamification UI sketch #1 makes the act of exchanging expectations into a game In order to begin exploring how to implement our concept, we got to sketching. Our first UI sketch featured a gamification approach. In the sketch, the act of exchanging expectations becomes a game, and roommates can “gift” each other expectations and earn rewards for completing tasks.

visualization UI sketch #2 represents housemates’ obligations in the house through visual data Our second UI sketch featured a visualization approach, inspired by the desire to make expectations as clear as possible. What I think is “clean” might be different from what you think is “clean,” so I can take a picture to show you exactly what I mean by “clean.” Originally, we focused on camera input as the visual data, but we expanded it to include other types of data visualization like graphs and charts to show progress and impact.

design selection rationale We made a list of pros and cons for each idea. For example, [READ OUT 1 PRO AND CON FOR EACH]

We decided on our visualization interface. design selection rationale We decided on our visualization interface. We ended choosing UI #2, which differs from the other products on the market by offering a unique way of visualizing personal and household data. We had several reasons for doing this. First, we conducted research on what kind of apps are appealing to millennials, our target audience, and we found that millennials prefer utility apps, or apps that focus on functionality. Second, we had concerns about the feasibility of implementing the AR-component of the gamification UI and did not think in the time frame we had we could implement it the way we wanted.

design selection rationale Gamifying the experience could have resulted in an interesting and instantly appealing UI/UX, but after considering coList’s core goal of keeping our users happy together in their homes, we decided to focus more on intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation. And third, maybe most importantly, [After you read this slide] We want our users to want to make their housemates happy, to take out the trash because it’s their home, too. We want to help create a cooperative environment in which everyone plays their part and everyone can see how they help create a happy home. And we want to have this goal reflected simply, clearly, and powerfully, through direct visualization of impact, rather than through games. And in order to test this design, we created a lo-fi prototype.

lo-fi prototype task 1 Input your expectations for how clean you want to keep the common area. The first task in our lo-fi prototype is to input your expectations for how clean you want to keep the common area.

lo-fi prototype task 1 Input your expectations for how clean you want to keep the common area. To complete this task, you’d first click on “common areas” to indicate you want to add an expectation in that category. Then you’d click NEXT.

lo-fi prototype task 1 Input your expectations for how clean you want to keep the common area. If you click DONE without entering anything, you’ll see an error message.

lo-fi prototype task 1 Input your expectations for how clean you want to keep the common area. Click on the ADD button (kind of hidden in this picture) to add a new expectation.

lo-fi prototype task 1 Input your expectations for how clean you want to keep the common area. After inputting various information like a description, check-in time, and visual media, click DONE.

lo-fi prototype task 1 Input your expectations for how clean you want to keep the common area. And you’re done with the first task!

lo-fi prototype task 2 Review the expectations your roommates have suggested for the house. The second task is to review the expectations your roommates have suggested for the house.

lo-fi prototype task 2 Review the expectations your roommates have suggested for the house. You’d first tap on the suggestion to pull up an edit page.

lo-fi prototype task 2 Review the expectations your roommates have suggested for the house. You noticed that your roommate wanted the toilet cleaned five times a day, which is pretty unreasonable. After editing this, you click DONE.

lo-fi prototype task 2 Review the expectations your roommates have suggested for the house. And you’re done!

lo-fi prototype task 3 Check your own progress and see if you have been meeting the shared expectations. The third and final task is to check your own progress and see if you have been meeting the shared expectations.

lo-fi prototype task 3 Check your own progress and see if you have been meeting the shared expectations. The first thing you’ll do is click your own profile.

lo-fi prototype task 3 Check your own progress and see if you have been meeting the shared expectations. After you’ve done that, you get taken to your own page. You’ll then click on YOUR TASKS.

lo-fi prototype task 3 Check your own progress and see if you have been meeting the shared expectations. And go to a particular expectation. If you click on an expectation that you’ve been consistently meeting, you get a message that says YOU’RE DOING GREAT! KEEP IT UP!

lo-fi prototype task 3 Check your own progress and see if you have been meeting the shared expectations. Otherwise, you get taken to a screen where you can see how you haven’t been meeting expectations.

lo-fi prototype task 3 Check your own progress and see if you have been meeting the shared expectations. You then get a message notifying you how you haven’t been meeting expectations and suggesting how you can start meeting them.

users usability testing live with multiple housemates | 20s | two women, two men young professional living with 3 other roommates recent graduate living with 3 other roommates young professional living with 4 other roommates Stanford student living in triple in Xanadu We tested our prototype with users who lived with multiple housemates, all in their early 20s, two men and two women. [READ EACH ONE] We conducted our usability tests in our users’ residences and videotaped each session with permission.

test flow usability testing intro + think aloud protocol explanation START intro + think aloud protocol explanation 2:00 task 1 4:00 task 2 6:00 task 3 Each session went like this. wrap-up + discussion END

test flow usability testing intro + think aloud protocol explanation START intro + think aloud protocol explanation 2:00 task 1 4:00 task 2 6:00 task 3 First we introduced our project and requested that the users engaged in a think aloud protocol, which basically means that we asked them to verbally walk us through every thought they had while interacting with the prototype. wrap-up + discussion END

test flow usability testing intro + think aloud protocol explanation START intro + think aloud protocol explanation 2:00 task 1 4:00 task 2 6:00 task 3 Next the user completed the first task, wrap-up + discussion END

test flow usability testing intro + think aloud protocol explanation START intro + think aloud protocol explanation 2:00 task 1 4:00 task 2 6:00 task 3 Then the second task, wrap-up + discussion END

test flow usability testing intro + think aloud protocol explanation START intro + think aloud protocol explanation 2:00 task 1 4:00 task 2 6:00 task 3 And finally the third task. wrap-up + discussion END

test flow usability testing intro + think aloud protocol explanation START intro + think aloud protocol explanation 2:00 task 1 4:00 task 2 6:00 task 3 After the users completed the tasks, we wrapped up and asked them what they thought about the session. wrap-up + discussion END

results usability testing We began analyzing our test results by recording critical incidents and assigning severity ratings to them.

results usability testing In the second task, the card UI confused users, who didn’t know whether to tap or swipe; each user interacted with the cards differently from one another and from our original intentions In the third task, users were confused but curious about the meaning about the graphs and charts (originally just placeholders) Users thought coList was an overall good idea but brought up concerns that the way the app notified housemates who weren’t meeting expectations could make the app less desirable We had lots of interesting data but perhaps the most insightful were these:

results usability testing In the second task, the card UI confused users, who didn’t know whether to tap or swipe; each user interacted with the cards differently from one another and from our original intentions In the third task, users were confused but curious about the meaning about the graphs and charts (originally just placeholders) Users thought coList was an overall good idea but brought up concerns that the way the app notified housemates who weren’t meeting expectations could make the app less desirable In the second task...

usability testing Participant 1 wanted to be able to tap on the card and see more information. He pointed out that the original swiping motion we intended would be better if there were a lot of items to review, while his housemates might not have a lot of expectations.

results usability testing In the second task, the card UI confused users, who didn’t know whether to tap or swipe; each user interacted with the cards differently from one another and from our original intentions In the third task, users were confused but curious about the meaning about the graphs and charts (originally just placeholders) Users thought coList was an overall good idea but brought up concerns that the way the app notified housemates who weren’t meeting expectations could make the app less desirable In the third task...

usability testing Participant 3 wasn’t sure what the visuals meant, but she, like the other participants, was curious about the roles that her housemates were playing. She commented on how she was doing in comparison to the others and wondered why “Sam” was slacking off.

results usability testing In the second task, the card UI confused users, who didn’t know whether to tap or swipe; each user interacted with the cards differently from one another and from our original intentions In the third task, users were confused but curious about the meaning about the graphs and charts (originally just placeholders) Users thought coList was an overall good idea but brought up concerns that the way the app notified housemates who weren’t meeting expectations could make the app less desirable Finally, users thought coList…..

usability testing Participant 2 was worried the message coList sent those who weren’t meeting the shared expectations was passive-aggressive and said he’d rather talk to his housemate directly than go through the app.

refining + rethinking UI/UX changes Tweak card UI/UX to be more intuitive Decide and design how to visualize household and individual progress Explore different approaches to maintenance

what we learned Usability testing was very useful in being able to pinpoint problems with old ideas and create new ideas Users are interested and invested in knowing the roles of everyone in the house and want to contribute to a positive shared experience We always have to keep our core concept in the back of our minds so we can stay true to it - we intend for coList to be a supplement to, not a replacement for, open communication between housemates

q&a

image credit Icon credit: Vector Studio (User), Ale Estrada (Cards), Diego Naive (chart), David (Repair) from The Noun Project

appendix

methodology: concept map