Project Access
My team and I decided as our final project for our INFO 200 class at the University of Washington Seattle, we would focus on the accessibility of our campus and incorporate that data into an application. Our goal was to create a functioning high fidelity application to present to our class.
Overview
Timeframe: 3 months
Role: Team Leader, UX researcher, UI Designer, Interviewer
Tools: Figma, Google Surveys
Team Members: Danny Truong, Monica Hong, Joseph Shifman, Darius Strobeck
The Problem
My team and I had the task to design an information resource for any users of our choice. Once the design is finalize, we can progress to the user research phase and present what we create in our class' final project fair.
We decided to focus on the user group of University of Washington student who suffer from any movement impairing disabilities. We wanted to create some type of informative resource that can be easily accessible for anyone on our campus.
Brainstorm Session
After brainstorming different ideas ranging from computer websites to accessibility maps, we decided that the best use of our resource should be displayed through a phone application. We chose to create an application because…
- It’s easy to use
- Almost everyone has a phone
- It’s easy to update
- It’s a reliable method of distributing real time data
User Persona
Before implementing any sort of iterations, we wanted to come up with a persona to have a focus when designing our ideas. Our persona is named Jackson Tillvue. He is a 19 year old University of Washington student who was paralyzed from the waist down at the age of five. He has struggled to be independent while navigating the campus. He is outgoing and has a passion for nature.
User Research
To understand more about our users, we decided to interview a few students on campus and send surveys for people to answer as well.
Interviews
We interviewed a University of Washington student who recently got injured during a football game.
The main things we were able to get from this interview was...
- It was hard to adjust to the idea of not being able to walk
- He struggled every day trying to get to classes due to the far distance in buildings.
- Lots of complaints about the traffic
- "It was hard to control the wheelchair"
Participatory Design
To confirm that the Puzzle Pieces of Diversity works, my team and I decided to test it out. We sent out a survey to ask people around the world to submit a sketch of an object that best represents their culture/identity. We received many entries and tried to recreate as many as we can during a short time period. With the heuristics from the Puzzle Pieces of Diversity in the back of our minds, we created our objects to the best of our abilities. Throughout the process, we made sure to constantly contact the original drawer throughout the creating process so confirm whether we are on the right track. After a few days, we were able to create a good variety of them in our custom world.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Accessibility and usability were our main priorities when creating our screens. We wanted an application that is easy to maneuver around, while still able to distribute the resources that we want to our users. Many ideas were mentioned, and many were implemented. However, I made the final decision to remove a few things out to ensure the simplicity and usability of the application.
High-Fidelity Prototype
I was able to create this prototype for people through Figma to allow others to understand how this app would work. This prototype is still in its early stages, so don't expect a lot of functionality with it.
Reflection
Overall, this project was very different from the others that I have participated in. This project gave me the most outside experience for how a UX researcher should behave when coming up with a solution to satisfy a user group. Being able to communicate with a variety of people made the experience more enjoyable. Because I am an outgoing person, I enjoyed being able to talk to people and understand them better on a personal level. Additionally, this project has helped me improve on my abilities to collaborate with many people. It is always challenging to work with many individuals with different mindsets. However, different ideas can always lead to better solutions. Having a fixed mindset is not a great trait to have while being a designer. Thus, an advantage that I have is that I am open-minded and willing to listen to everyone's idea to create an amazing and creative solution.
