Product Design
Client: Prime Digital Academy
Prime Digital Academy offers bootcamp career training for people transitioning into Full Stack Engineering and User Experience Design. I conducted heuristic analysis of Prime’s new-student welcome gift. I created a new prototype gift, conducted user research on the prototype, and recommended further changes to the concept.
METHODS
Heuristic Analysis
AEIOU Framework Observation
Product Prototyping
Usability Interviews
DELIVERABLES
Heuristics Reports
Participant Observations
Design Concepts
Design Proposal Presentation
Prime Digital Academy
Client
Located in Downtown Minneapolis in the historic Grain Exchange Building, Prime Digital Academy Minneapolis has helped 600+ students launch their rewarding tech careers with the help of its Full Stack Engineering and User Experience Design programs. The buzzing flagship campus hosts weekly industry guests speakers, local tech user groups and is also a meeting spot for Alumni who have lifetime access to the welcoming learning space.
Challenge
Prime Digital Academy was providing a tee shirt and water bottle to new full-stack development students as a welcome gift when they arrive on campus. The water bottle had been discontinued and staff relayed feedback that they had received from students who found the bottle unusable and impersonal. I partnered with Prime to assess the perceived issues with the current water bottle and to conceive, design and test a new product for production.
Outcome
Prime Digital Academy’s previous gift, the water bottle, is not suitable as a gift. Research revealed that a beautifully branded Prime pop socket with an internally installed key fob allowing students to conveniently swipe open the locked doors at Prime would be the best gift.
Product Research
Heuristics
We conducted user testing of the water bottle, specifically examining the functions of washing, filling and drinking. Observations were analyzed using 10 Heuristics for User Interface Design (Nielsen) and findings were given a severity rating using Severity Ratings for Usability Problems (Neilsen). They key finding was that a high possibility of spills existed since the lid design has gaps around the straw and does not seal. This single fundamental flaw makes the bottle unsuitable for the client’s users: people working constantly at computers.
Users
I conducted an AEIOU Framework observation of Prime students: in conversations at lunch, in the classroom and in passing. I noticed that most students had a water bottle. There were many different types and styles; everyone seems to have chosen a water bottle that works for them. They don’t need a gift water bottle, and even if they did, there are too many options and it’s too personal a decision for a one-size-fits-all gift. Prime should find a new gift.
Product Concepts
Three Directions
I observed three main pain points which seemed to provide direction for gift idea:
1) The classroom was sterile and they just looked uncomfortable. How could we make them feel more at home?
2) They worked most of the day in groups with laptops placed on the lap (bad ergonomics for typing). Is there a product that we could select to help make that scenario more healthy and comfortable?
3) Every time a student crosses the lobby on the way to the other wing of academic space, it requires a key fob swipe to unlock the door. Students frequently arrived at the door with their hands full and struggled to use the key fob. Could a helpful gift help solve this problem?
Key stakeholders at Prime voted and the Helpful Key Fob Pop Socket Connector was selected to move forward to prototype and testing.
Prototype
Prime key fobs are almost the right size to be installed under the cap of a typical pop socket. The concept is a device allowing a Prime key fob to be installed in or on a standard pop socket so that users can swipe through the locked doors with their phone rather than having to carry their keys. The connector prototype was built with the following criteria:
Unite the key fob and pop socket without adding excessive height to the pop socket when folded down.
Create a secure union but also be robust enough to routinely disengage without hassle or without wearing out the mechanism.
Designed to retrofit a standard pop socket and the existing Prime key fob.
Testing
Goals
Three Full-Stack Prime students participated in short 10 minute interviews.
Explore specific scenarios which may cause a pain point in relation to fob use/availability.
Gain an understanding about how Full Stack students physically interact with their fob, both at Prime and when away.
Gather feedback about how Full Stack students feel about pop sockets.
Gather feedback about how Full Stack students feel about the connector device’s usability.
Methodology
Interviews
Scenarios
Task Analysis
Think Aloud
Findings
They have big hands
Two of the three students interviewed said “It’s a great idea, but I wouldn’t use it because I have big hands.”
The perception is that use of a pop socket is something for people with small hands who struggle to hold their phone.
One subject likes and uses a pop socket, but he prefers to keep his fob on a belt clip, zip line device. This was a helpful insight. In fact, two out of three interviewees used this same Belt Zip and said that while they really liked the pop-socket concept, they felt the belt zip was even better.
“Digging in my pocket for my phone is just as troublesome as digging for my keys. The belt zip is more accessible because the fob isn’t in my pocket at all.”
“I’m worried if I connect my key fob to the pop socket that it might fall off when I take my phone out of my pocket and be lost.”
The interviews also revealed positive feedback.
“This would be really convenient if I arrived at the door with my phone in my hand, which happens a lot.”
“It would be a great to have the fob built into the pop socket (so it could never fall off) as a backup for when you forget or lose your key fob.”
Conclusion
Simplify the design for use in addition to the key chain fob
rather than as a replacement.
Commission a Prime branded pop socket with a key fob wafer connected to the under side of the pop socket cap.
The key fob pop socket would serve as primary unlocking device for when students arrive at the door with phone in hand, a frequent occurrence.
The key fob pop socket would serve as a back-up device for when students forget or lose their key chain fob, another common occurrence.