User research & testing:

small appliance with

digital interface

description

Conduct user research during the development phase of a new physical product from an industry-leading small appliance company. Our team at the User Experience Center (UXC) at Bentley University was hired to conduct research and make UX recommendations on a number of aspects of a new product with a digital interface. Areas of interest included the machine’s cleaning/maintenance process, instructional materials, and product differentiation on packaging and labeling. I was part of a small team working on this product, which included a UX manager and one other researcher, for a duration of 5 months. The product was released to market in late 2018.

challenge

Develop and run user research studies to test key aspects of the product. This particular study tested user understanding of the cleaning/ maintenance process for the machine based on the interface and user guides/ instructional materials. The goal was to understand if users were able to understand and complete the cleaning procedure correctly. Our client was also interested in understanding whether or not users understood the urgency of messaging and implications of not completing the process as prompted by the machine. The elements we tested were unfinished prototypes that were continually changing - sometimes just days before testing began. Our challenge was to adapt quickly to prototype changes, and present unfinished prototypes in ways that still allowed us to gauge the experience and made sense to users unfamiliar with this new type of product.

METHOD

Develop a testing protocol using the combination of digital and physical prototypes available to us from our client to gauge user understanding. Synthesize and analyze findings into a report and develop key design recommendations for improvement.

process overview

study design —> in-person usability testing —> data analysis / synthesis —> design recommendations & final report

working with physical prototypes

user stories & personA

User research helped inform scenarios and user stories, leading to the development of a primary persona.  

Brainstorming & EARLY SKETCHES

Initial sketches involved taking key themes and data from user research and user stories, and brainstorming around main identified pain points.

Key themes that emerged from early user research centered around three main areas:

1. tracking impact as a way to drive and maintain behavior

2. supporting nutritional and recipe knowledge

3. providing social support

All 3 areas were explored in early sketches, but for the purpose of this prototype the focus was put on the first 2 areas to better address a small set of well-defined and high priority pain points. This constraint allowed for a more focused overall design, with the option to expand and add social support elements in the future.

Design ITERATIONS

impact screen

recipe swapper screen

LET’S EAT SCREEN

key design principles and best practices* incorporated within the interface include the use of:

* source: (tidwell, 2011). for FURTHER EXPLANATIONS OF THE DESIGN PRINCIPLES USED SEE FULL PROJECT SLIDE-DECK HERE.

FINAL WIREFRAMES & INTERACTIVE PROTOTYPE