Reflection
Uploaded on Feb 2, 2025 by Giuliano Verdone.
Design Topics Explored:
It’s now time to finalize the process of evaluating against requirements. This report includes a general reflection on previous steps of the case study, and an analysis of User-Centered Design (UCD).
Table of Contents
UCD and UX Process Analysis
The UX process followed a structured methodology, including research, journey mapping, wireframing, prototyping, usability testing, and adhering to other User-Centered Design principles.
Identifying User Needs
The process began with data collection through Google Forms, leading to the creation of user personas. Given the scope and size of the project, three distinct personas were developed:
Alex Carter (Busy Professional): Needed a streamlined appointment booking system and real-time notifications.
Sarah Thompson (Family Caregiver): Required a shared medication reminder system to ensure her family members adhered to their schedules.
Mark Davis (Health-Conscious Senior): Sought accessibility features such as larger text, simple navigation, and voice-over support.
With their frustrations, behaviors, and expectations all identified, the app design was beginning to be shaped around meeting their specific needs. This also made for clear requirements, which meant that there was no need to re-gather information from users to continue with user-centered design.
Journey Mapping
Journey maps were created to analyze how each persona interacted with the app at different touchpoints. It followed the 8-step process that was provided to students in SOEN 357 lectures, and worked well for laying the groundwork for prototyping.
Wireframing and Prototype Design
Wireframes served as the foundation for structuring the app’s interface (which later evolved into high-fidelity, clickable prototypes). Key screens developed included a homepage, login/logout, dashboard, and more. Additionally, these screens integrated a consistent colour scheme, typography, and adhered to the WAI-ARIA design pattern.
Usability Testing
The usability testing phase assessed how intuitively users could interact with the app. Anonymous participants evaluated the product and their user experience throughout, while simultaneously completing tests that would reveal any issues. Despite minor concerns, the overall feedback was positive and addressed key questions, which confirms that the interface was intuitive and aligned with user expectations.
Overcoming Challenges in UCD
User-Centered Design (UCD) was very similar to Interaction Design. Both were explored during lectures, but the main idea of both was to put an emphasis for involving users and taking a user-centered approach to design. This would ensure that user needs drive every stage of the design process. However, it presents specific challenges that must be addressed systematically.
First, users required a feature-rich interface without overwhelming complexity. To address this, prototypes focused on minimalism in UI design and intuitive navigation.
Second, designers may unintentionally introduce biases based on their underlying assumptions. This is why it was important to collect data and perform usability testing: both consisted of involving diverse user groups to ensure inclusivity and balance in design decisions.
Finally, on a larger scale, user expectations change over time. This requires continuous updates. Despite being out of the scope of this project, it should still be noted that one way to address this would be to implement Agile methodologies. This would allow for iterative improvements based on real-time user insights.
Conclusion
The UX process successfully translated user research into a functional and user-friendly app design. The iterative approach of journey mapping, wireframing, and usability testing resulted in a final prototype that met user needs and addressed common usability challenges. All of the design solutions would not have been possible without the data collection methods and processes explored during lectures, as well as the open-source UI libraries that are avaiable online.