Collaborative Design Practice / Task 1 / Create an empathy map and define the problem statement
23.4.2024 - 14.5.2024 (Week 1 - Week 4)
Takuto Hozumi / 0354047 / Bachelor Of Design (Hons) In Creative Media
Collaborative Design Practice
Task 1 / Create an empathy map and define the problem statement
INSTRUCTION
W1 Module Briefing
We were briefed on what we would be working on in this module.
For this project, we design students will be responsible for visually
designing an app planned by business school students, and creating the
accompanying introducing video and other materials. The project will then be
handed over to the engineering students who will be responsible for coding.
Our projects will be done in groups and all ideas will be competed at the
end.
In this module, we must evaluate group members throughout the entire period.
We will grade the following 6 conditions on a 5-point scale for each
members, on a weekly basis on the designated form.
- Attends meetings regularly and arrives on time
- Contributes meaningfully to discussions
- Completes assignments on time
- Prepares work in a quality manner
- Demonstrates a cooperative and supportive attitude
- Contributes significantly to the success of the project
1. Timeline
This module follows a different timeline than usual. Production time is
compressed and all assignments, including the final project, will be
completed by week 12.
Fig.1: Timeline
2. Project Theme
Fig.2: Given Project Proposal
Fig.3: Given Pitch Video
Quantocube: This app is a web service that allows you to find home
improvement. Users are classified 2 types: homeowners who want to find
services and contractors who want to provide services. The main function
is to register the location of one's home and contact available home
improvement contractors.
3. Group Formation
In Week 1, group formation took place first. All classmates are distributed
into 3 groups, and adjustments are made to ensure an even mix of students
from different majors within each group.
My group members, as finally determined, are as follows;
- Derin 0354969 (Leader) | Digital Animation
- Takuto Hozumi 0354047 | UI/UX
- Adifa Putri Harisyam 0358362 | Entertainment Design
- Leem Sejin 0362419 | Digital Animation
- Glen Owen 0354952 | Entertainment Design
- Konomi Hoshikawa 0356929 | UI/UX
Then the group named as "Hungry Step Family".
Originator said, hunger can drive you to places you wouldn't go without a
gun, so perhaps the name is to symbolize motivation for the project.
4. Process Work
With these themes, we began our research including the following 5 items in
order;
- Interviews with application planners
- Questionnaire to potential users
- Creation and analysis of empathy maps
- Persona setting and analysis
- Establishment of problem statement
4-1. Interview
Fig.4: References for Screen design concept
Fig.5: Font and color
They specifically recommended using the two fonts above, but I personally could not accept this and will suggest an alternative at the next meeting.
These fonts have poor readability and are not suitable for the interface. They also contain typefaces that are too thin and these will likely look pixelated when viewed on screen.
Also, I personally thought that the color scheme was not very good with the same colors, so I will make suggestions for improvement in this area as well. Specifically when deciding on the art direction in Task 2.
Fig.6: Additional Features
We have examined the usefulness of these features and will discuss them later in the section on persona setting and analysis which I was responsible for in Task 1.
4-2. Questionnaire
Fig.7: Questionnaire
Questionnaire (Google Form): https://forms.gle/zr2uiYv9DfY6XEcT8
The questionnaire consists of two sections: a demographic study and a survey of user preferences. These results were utilized for empathy mapping and persona setting.
Potential clients are in the 36-54 age range, indicating that many of them are married with good incomes compared to the average. They also tended to place more importance on the comments and ratings of other users, and price was found to be an important factor in their choice of service even they have big money.
4-3. Empathy Maps
Fig.8: Empathy Map (Contractor 1)
Fig.9: Empathy Map (Contractor 2)
To summarize briefly, clients understand the usefulness of this application, but some question whether it will be profitable in terms of impact.
Fig.10: Empathy Map (Homeowner 1)
Fig.11: Empathy Map (Homeowner 2)
Customers expect to receive reliable service.
4-4. Persona
Fig.12: Persona 1 (Homeowner)
The first persona, "Adam Yao" is a Malaysian Chinese, male, 35 years old, determined based on the average of potential users indicated from our Survey result. We defined him as a middle-high class Malaysian because he already has a house in his age. And from the demographic average of this kind of person, details such as job, salary and marital status were also determined.
The Needs paragraph shows what he wants based on these settings.
The important factor is this person is in hectic lifestyle, no time for pick a good home improvement service even he has a huge saving.
Also values trust in good service, which is why he needs this app that matches with quick and quality service. So possibilities for credibility of the App in finding high-quality contractors includes implementing user review feature or 5-star rating.
Fig.13: Persona 2 (Contractor)
On the contractor's side, "Pablo" is set up as an average blue-collar worker belonging to the house improvement industry in Malaysia.
He is frustrated with customer communication and scheduling. He also wants to increase his income and strongly desires the opportunity to find new clients.
Because of these needs, concluded that it's beneficial enough to implement a feedback function as well as a review function and a booking function.
4-5. Problem Statement
Based on the results of the above research, we have summarized them in the following paragraphs as our problem statement.
In Malaysia, navigating the home improvement market presents significant challenges due to the limited availability of online platforms. Additionally, communication barriers between homeowners and contractors contribute to risks and inefficiencies in the process. Our objective is to address these issues by designing a user-friendly platform, QuantoCube, that prioritizes transparency, accessibility, and trust. QuantoCube aims to bridge the gap between homeowners and contractors, simplifying the home improvement process and enhancing collaboration in Malaysia's construction industry.
The slides and materials used in the Week 3 presentation are uploaded in Final Outcome below.
FINAL OUTCOME
Week 3 Presentation SlidesProject Document
Questionnaire (Google Form): https://forms.gle/zr2uiYv9DfY6XEcT8
REFLECTIONS
Experiences
The first problem with this assignment was that the flow of the module was very clear, but it took me a very long time to figure out the specific main idea and app structure from the given proposal. The research methodology was based on the material given to us through MyTimes, but several group members, including myself, probably finished week 1 without grasping the main idea I guess. We then had an offline meeting and I feel that clear objectives were shared. Also I still have a hard time with group assignments where I can't complete them at my own pace and for me difficult to speak up in large number of people, so I feel that is another area that needs improvement.
Observation
This task did not require us to plan the app from scratch because we already had a determined proposal. Therefore, this kind of research and analysis is only a reinforcement of the already determined plan. It seems to me that many of the shortcomings of the app pointed out by the research cannot be understood until we actually operate the app, such as monetization. However, there are many areas that can be resolved through design, and we were required to build a smooth user flow and present appropriate fonts and colors as the UI. The art direction will be determined at Task 2, at which time I will prepare and propose a specific design draft document.
Findings
Through this task, I reaffirmed the importance of user analysis, including the creation of empathy maps. Like persona setting, is a framework similar to empathy maps in that it delves into the image of a single user and is used to gain a deeper understanding of the user. However, even both have pros, in UX strategy, user needs are important, and I believe empathy maps are more useful. In my personal research, I found that how to analyze user needs and commit to them is the key to user acquisition. Rather than personas, which deal broadly with user information including attribute information, empathy maps, which delve deeper into the user's inner world, are easier to relate directly to UX improvement.
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