Project Overview

Do you struggle to remember all the important things you need to get done or the dates of important events? Do you find yourself always seeking balance in life? Our lives are busy and sometimes we try to schedule our day or prioritize tasks. But few of us actually follow through and see the benefits and rewards of planning in our lives.

Two other UX Designers and myself set out to find a solution. The team was tasked with designing a native planner application for iOS and Android. We started by looking at the problem from many different angles. We explored the option of creating an app for adults. If we created a great multi-functional product, we could get people to plan and prioritize their life events. We researched the competition and discovered that countless apps and systems already exist. Despite all the product options for planning, no one is actually using them. To solve the main problem of adults not planning we would need to focus on the source of the issue.

What if we had learned how to plan and prioritize our lives before life got too busy to keep track of. What if we taught children to plan from a young age?

The goal was to design an app that will teach children to plan and prioritize their day. As well as introduce parent and child communication about planning. Designing for elementary age children, they and their parents could learn together. Teaching children to plan and prioritize tasks, the app will benefit the individual more in the long run.

Pre-Research Assumptions

• Children’s attitudes improve when they are aware of big events or disruptions to routine
• Children will participate in planning/scheduling if it is fun and they can earn rewards
• Parents realize the benefits of following a routine
• Most children have access to tablets, cell phones or other mobile devices
• Children don’t know how to prioritize daily tasks
• Children aren’t always aware of what they have to do each day

Formatting Interview Questions and Surveys

We decided to interview parents with children aged three to twelve. Keeping that in mind, we made sure the questions would be applicable for children anywhere in that range. As a group we interviewed two parents one with a child who is three years old and one who’s son was eleven.

On my own I conducted a few more interviews with parents in my community. I asked questions to discover how well they plan their day and if they involve their children in planning. I wanted to make sure I fully understood their needs and what main problems the app needed to solve. These are a few of the questions I asked during the research portion of the project.

Research Questions

• How much time do you spend with your child reviewing or planning their day?

• Do you use a system for planning for child’s day?

• How much time does your child spend on homework, exercise, chores and free time? And how do you regulate those?

• When an unexpected event disrupts the normal day to day schedule, how does that effect your child?

Along with interviews we created a survey. With similar questions to our interviews keeping things consistent. But this approach would reach a wider variety of individuals. We posted our survey on social media as well as a few direct contact emails and messages.

Research Findings

• Not many apps currently exist to help children plan or prioritize
• Children are happier if they know when to expect important or schedule disrupting events
• Parents encourage a healthy balance of school, exercise, family time and personal time
• Parents don’t spend time with their child planning the day
• Parents think planning and prioritizing are important skills to teach children

Persona and User Story Mapping

We decided on two personas, one from a parents point of view with a younger child and one from the point of view of an older child. We created a user story map that allowed both personas to achieve their goals. I used these personas to help us stay on track and build empathy within our team. This was the point where we defined the scope of the project. We discussed possibilities for later releases of the app but we decided on a few vital functions to ensure success.

User Story Map Narratives

• Set up account and add users
• Manage user routine
• View daily plan and update progress
• Set reminders
• Set goals
• Check goal progress
• Create Rewards
• Customize Interface
• Create focus timers
• Start focus timers

Sketching, Wireframes, and LowFi Prototype

Each designer individually sketched the user flow and all the screens involved. We then came together to show our sketches and collaborate on the final structure and design. We all had ideas to make the app fun and engaging for younger users. After sketching a final draft of the app, we split off on our own. I designed the iOS system and my teammate Alex used material design. We each sketched screens that were similar but adhered to the specific guidelines of each design system.

After a couple days of sketching, we converted our pen and paper designs to digital wireframes using sketch. We presented as a group what we had so far and talked about our plan for the final project to get feedback. The group we presented to gave us feedback and asked questions that helped us round out the app.

We had designed the home page to have balloons that would contain the events the user had to do that day. I didn’t have an option for any other views of the home screen. I also didn’t think about how the user would view a day with a large number of events. We decided to introduce a theme view switch. The user could pick how they wanted to see the events. When the theme switch was off, the user would see a list view of events that day. This would appeal to more mature users or users with a large number of daily events.

We went into the presentation specifically seeking feedback about user logins. If we required each user to use a passcode, was it too much? The group suggested a few scenarios that encouraged us to create a log in code for each user. But we also created a switch in settings for the admin to turn that function off.

At this point, our group split. Individually we finished the project with user testing and high fidelity designs.

Low Fidelity User Testing

I added and changed a few things after the group feedback session. I created an interactive prototype to test users with. I tested five children ages three to eight, and four parents. I designed a few specific tests I wanted the users to complete, such as…

For the child

-See what you have to do today

-Check something off your list

-Change your user theme

For the parents

-Create an account and add two child users

-Create an event and add to the users schedule

-Review events marked complete by the user

-Add another user

Problems Found and Solutions

The first two children I tested were a six year old and an eight year old. They were really excited about the idea and wanted to use it for their daily chores. They didn’t know what happened after they popped the balloon, because it only took them back to the home page. I added a feedback screen after popping a balloon to show that they had earned points towards their goal.

I tested on a three year old, to include her because I tested her older siblings. I wasn’t really expecting helpful feedback from her. I showed her the onboarding screens to start and explained in simple terms what the app would do. She navigated through the app using all the correct buttons.

It was incredible to see a user who can’t read and didn’t fully understand the concept, rely only on the visual hierarchy to navigate.

High Fidelity Prototyping

After implementing the changes from user testing. I created a style guide and color scheme. Focusing on bright colors and a fun typeface. I chose a few of the suggested colors from Apple’s HIG and the typeface San Francisco and Mouse Memoirs. The main app color is purple with red, orange, yellow and green balloons or task colors. These guidelines helped me keep the app simple and consistent but also fun for the younger users. I also created a logo, stayed with white for a background and decided on Super Schedule for the name.

High Fidelity User Testing and Problems Found

After getting the color, logo and typefaces integrated into the wireframes. I finished the high fidelity prototype and conducted another round of user testing. I tested again on some parents and children in the target age group. I found some issues with the process of creating a reward. One screen has a choice between time or point based and users didn’t understand the difference.

I also found that the admin screen to review completed events didn’t have an option to approve or deny all events.

How I Fixed The Problems

I added copy to the reward screen that explains point based and time based rewards. I also added a checkbox to the admin review screen so they can deny or approve all events. I then finished the final prototype of the app. I also created some animations in Principle to show how the balloons and timers would look.

Challenges

At the beginning of the project we weren’t sure how appeal to a wide variety of ages. Younger children wouldn’t be able to read and older children would want a more grown up version.

It was hard for me to make sure the admin version was useful and clear for the parents. But I wanted to keep the same navigation and design elements as the child version.

Testing was difficult with young children. Sometimes they thought it was only a game to pop balloons. They didn’t understand that it was to help them get things done in real life. If I tested this again, I would customize the events for the test users. If they saw familiar events and pictures they might be able to understand it better.

Thanks for reading!

Follow me and stay tuned for more of my adventures in UX Design.

The Super Schedule — Student Planner was originally published in Lexi Crandall on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I enjoy all the outdoor activities Utah has to offer and I am always on the lookout for my next adventure. I love good books, candy bars, traveling, photography, and all the beautiful things.

I am transitioning into the UX Design career field from a background in Hospitality and Healthcare. I graduated from culinary school and have a small catering and wedding cake business. I have also worked in a medical office as a receptionist and office manager.

I have always been interested in helping people and creating great experiences for them. I love solving usability problems of all kinds. I am passionate about good design and love exploring my creative side and learning new things.

In January of this year I started a UX Design bootcamp here at DevMountain in Salt Lake City. It has been one wild ride. The main thing I learned, is that I have so much more to learn! But this has been a great start and has taught me so much.

With one week left of the bootcamp, the time is coming to leave the nest find my place in the industry! Couldn’t be more excited!

About Me was originally published in Lexi Crandall on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Project Overview

Have you ever felt under-appreciated at work? When was the last time someone thanked you or rewarded you for great work? Our design team took on the challenge of designing a responsive web solution that would inspire expressions of gratitude in the workplace. According to recent studies many people are feeling unappreciated and taken for granted at work. Organizations as a whole are missing opportunities to create healthier, more fulfilling workplaces. This solution will create opportunities for employees to thank and show appreciation to each other. After the company adopts it, gratitude among employees will increase. A project group of three UX Designers tackled this social issue. The team consisted of Brett, Brandon and myself. All three designers participated in every step of the project.

Pre-Research Assumptions

• People are looking for an easy way to reward and recognize team members.

• Employers are trying to increase morale in the workplace.

• Gratitude is equal to rewards and recognition.

• Increasing rewards and recognition will increase workplace morale.

• People are not expressing gratitude at work in any way.

• Individuals in the workplace feel disconnected from each other.

Formatting Interview Questions and Surveys

While conducting interviews I tried to get the employees to give us a clear view of their company’s culture. As well as how often employees received gratitude from each other. To figure out a solution to the problem we needed to understand what is happening in the workplace.

• How do people at work show gratitude to each other?

• When was the last time you saw an act of gratitude at work?

• What makes someone feel appreciated at work?

• Do you see any relation between gifts/rewards/gratitude and productivity?

• What systems currently exist to give or receive rewards?

• Does your company recognize you for birthdays, work anniversaries and exceptional work?

Research Findings

• Many companies don’t have a reward or recognition system in place
• Many employees don’t feel appreciated or valued by management
• Employees do feel disconnected from each other
• Interviewees said they rarely interact with coworkers outside of their own teams
• They perform better when they feel appreciated and recognized for good work
• It is hard to establish a universal definition of what an expression of gratitude really is
• Many people who took our survey expressed they are more satisfied with financial incentives than gifts

The assumption that people at work are not expressing gratitude was proven to be wrong. Just under 70% of people we surveyed said it was common to receive gratitude from coworkers. Also, 77% said they have made a concrete gesture of gratitude within the last two weeks.

So we discovered that people are expressing gratitude at work. But they don’t have a way to reward and recognize each other that is endorsed by the company.

Persona and User Story Mapping

Using the data we discovered in the research stage we created two personas. The first persona was an average employee looking to feel connected with coworkers. He feels that his employer doesn’t do enough to increase team morale. He is frustrated because he doesn’t have a lot of interaction with coworkers and wants an easier way. He doesn’t feel fulfilled at his current place of work. His goals are to advance in his career and get to know coworkers better.

The second persona is a human resources manager who’s main goal is to boost morale among coworkers. She wants to be able to monitor employee interactions. As well as give exceptional employees the recognition they deserve. She likes open communication and being a positive influence in the lives of others. She realizes that happy employees equal more productive employees. Happy employees create positive workplaces, and positive workplaces create better lives.

Using these two personas we created a user story map. We focused on keeping tasks easy and helpful for both point of views. We had a lot of ideas for second and third sprints, but we finally came up with a great first sprint. These main goals and tasks were essential for the success of the product and solved the main problem. The main goal for the HR side is to create a positive work environment. The goal for the employee is to be a part of the work gratitude program to increase his job satisfaction. From these two personas we were able to create a user story map, the following are the narratives we used.

User Story Map Narratives

• Create Teams
• Create an HR profile
• Add User Profiles
• View reward history
• Set up weekly email reminders to send rewards
• Send rewards to coworkers
• Express job satisfaction and issues
• View recent rewards

This responsive web site would be used and funded by the company. We decided on creating a system where each employee would have a profile created by HR. Employees would get a weekly email that encourages them to nominate a coworker. Nominations would be for doing great work or going out of their way to help someone. HR would screen the nominations for issues such as inappropriate language, harassment and misuse.

After HR approval the nominated employee would get an email to choose a gift card from a few popular stores. We decided on a gift card because they are versatile and most people we surveyed prefer financial compensation over gifts. The nomination would then be posted to the dashboard (unless nominee marked no) so that other employees would be able to see the great things they did. We decided that most of the information would be displayed on a dashboard page. There would be options to view nomination history and send nominations. We decided that the nominations and awards would be called nods. We wanted this to create a fun way to ‘nod your hat’ to someone at work.

Sketching, Wireframes, and LowFi Prototype

We focused on sketching the dashboard first because thats where users would see current company wide nods, send nods and accept nods. After each designer sketched some ideas we all came together and took the best parts of each and collaborated on the final wireframe sketch. The dashboard would contain a graph at the top displaying stats of recent and total nods as well as goals for nods. There would also be a very prominent button that allowed people to nominate a coworker from the dashboard. The last feature we decided to add to the dashboard was a small list of recent nominations to inspire and spread the word of good deeds in the workplace.

Low Fidelity User Testing

The first round of testing was done with simple low fidelity wireframes. This was a pivotal point in our project, we decided to change many ideas after this stage. It was an essential step to come up with our flow and establish the main functionality. We set up specific flows for users to test. Which included tasks such as (1) send a nod to a coworker (2) accept a nod and select a reward and (3) review current company wide nods. While testing these specific tasks we also explained how the users would receive a weekly email reminder to nominate a team member.

Problems and Solutions

The biggest issue we found during testing was that users felt strange using features that were constantly monitored by HR. They felt they wouldn’t want someone to have to approve a gift they were sending. This could discourage them from participating in the program. User testing brought up issues of favoritism and how that might affect the approval. We also discovered how much of a burden the process could be on HR, especially at a large corporation.

The email reminder system brought up the question of how organic the nods would be. Because sending a weekly email may cause pressure to nominate. We want users to participate, but not feel forced or required to nominate someone every week. After a few long discussions about the good and bad of both sides, we decided to cut the HR approval process. Along with that decision we also cut the weekly email, the word ‘nomination’, and the option to be anonymous. We also shortened the steps of sending a gift card.

With our new system the users could send a gift card and note to a coworker through the site. The receiver will choose which gift card they want and also have the option to flag or deny it and have it reviewed by HR. If the individual accepts the gift, the note that went along with the gift card would be posted to the dashboard. From the dashboard there would options to flag posts so there would still be some form of monitoring. The emailing would also be eliminated, everything would be done through the site.

High Fidelity Prototyping

We wanted to keep the solution professional and simple with bold happy colors. We also didn’t want the design of the site to be too busy or distracting because we wanted the content to be the real focus. Our team worked on screens using sketch libraries and style guides to ensure consistency.

High Fidelity User Testing and Problems Found

Through high fidelity user testing we discovered a few issues with buttons and copy. A few of our buttons were unclear of where they led and didn’t look like a common button. The copy wasn’t as clear as it could have been. The test users were also unsure of who would be using the app and how it would be funded. There wasn’t any corporate branding in the prototype and that created confusion among test users. Another issue we found was that the dashboard chart displaying team nods was unclear. Users didn’t know if the number displayed was nods sent by the team or received by the team.

How we Fixed The Problems

We added the space to insert company logos. This would help the users understand that their company is funding the rewards. This would also solve the problem users had of thinking anyone could use the site, it would only used by their coworkers.

The buttons were all converted into a more uniform design and given clearer more direct text. For example there was a button that had a check mark to represent the end of the accepting reward section. That check mark button was the end of accepting the reward. Some users thought it would take them to a different page to finish or didn’t realize it was button at all. We changed that button to have the word ‘finished’ and added a button shape that was the same as the rest of our design.

At this stage we also added the concept of nominators receiving rewards too. Every time a user nominated someone they would get a point, after they get five points they also get a reward. This would encourage use and help everyone who is participating.

Challenges

One of the big challenges we faced was how the definition of gratitude changes from person to person. It was difficult to come up with a solution that appealed to different types of people and companies. It was also very difficult to cut out the HR review but still make it something that the company could support. We struggled with the idea of encouraging use but not using too much force or becoming an nuisance.

Conclusion

When a company uses our product it will create a more fulfilling work environment. Encouraging coworker interactions and expressions of gratitude. When employees use our site they will be more aware of the good things happening around them. It will be a positive force in any workplace through it’s universal appeal, mobile access and ease of use. Give a Nod rewards great work and good deeds. It also creates a sense of community, teamwork and introduces healthy competition.

UX Design Case Study — Give A Nod was originally published in Lexi Crandall on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.