Rose Keimig

challenge

Prime Digital Academy asked us to design a new welcome gift for incoming students that conveyed a sense of welcoming and community.

solution

I prototyped and performed usability testing on a bento-style lunchbox. Based on testing results, I recommended adding a heating/cooling feature to increase user value.

methods

• Heuristic Analysis

• Low & High Fidelity Prototypes

• Usability Testing

• Card Sorting

Tools

• Sketch

• Craft Supplies

• Paper, Pens, Scissors, Tape

THe challenge

In an effort to promote an atmosphere of community and care, Prime Academy asked me to research and design a new welcome gift for its incoming full-stack students. The goal was to create an object that was both meaningful and useful for students during their time at Prime and beyond.

research

In the initial research phase, I conducted participant observations in classrooms and common areas around Prime’s campus. I noticed that many students brought their own lunches to campus, and the fridges were filled with a hodgepodge of food storage containers. Knowing that organization and efficiency are core values for developers, I produced sketches for design concepts that included a personalized bento-style lunch box.

prototype testing

Based on the positive input from my team, I moved forward with the lunch box, or Dev Box, and created a low-fidelity prototype. I then evaluated the prototype with three current full-stack students. Using card sorting, I gathered information about users’ meal-planning and mealtime values. I then presented them with the prototype and asked them to interact with it. I also asked each participant to choose value cards that they felt applied to the prototype.

User Values

All three users I interviewed stated that their primary goals while at Prime were to find ways to simplify their lives and save time and money. In the words of one user:

For all users, scarcity of time and money dictated many of their decisions when it came to planning and eating meals. Users also noted that socializing took on greater importance at Prime, especially during mealtime. According to one user who, outside of Prime, preferred eating alone:

convenient but confusing

After users’ values were established, they were presented with the Dev Box prototype. On first sight, all three users were confused about its intended use. After examining it, its function became clear, but users were not convinced that it would serve their ultimate goal of saving time and money. For two users, the extra compartments were more cumbersome than convenient, and all three worried about the packability of Dev Box. Another user worried about the security of the box, explaining that he had once had a storage container come open in his bag with disastrous results.

And just as the prototype was confusing to the users, the results were also confusing to the researcher. Card sorting data suggested that the Dev Box aligned with nearly all of the users’ values, yet participants’ self-reported likelihood of use (desirability) averaged a four on a ten-point scale. The aforementioned cosmetic and usability issues likely contributed to the low rating, but it also seemed that the Dev Box may not make life much easier for students than a simple Tupperware container or plastic bag.

next steps

Aware that there was potential in the Dev Box, I returned to the drawing board to explore ways of addressing the concerns that arose during prototype evaluation. For the next iteration, I proposed design changes to the box that would increase ease of use, security, and packability. For example, I suggested investigating which shapes and sizes fit best into full-stack users’ bags and lives, and how different types of closures, materials, and organizational features would best meet users’ expectations for security and ease of use.

However, these changes still did not quite address the nagging issue of desirability. Returning to my initial participant observations, I noticed that one common pain point in the Prime community room was the time spent waiting for the microwaves to open and the fridge door to unlock. Aha! Perhaps the Dev Box could be enhanced with a warming/cooling feature in order to provide students with more of their scarcest resource: time. Based on this, I introduced design concepts for a built-in USB that could be powered by a computer and would increase the functionality of the Dev Box and enhance user experience and sociality.

Bonus findings

One user who said that he probably would not use the Dev Box himself commented that he would probably pass the Dev Box on to his partner if he received it as a welcome gift. This got me thinking about the huge impact of outside support networks on Prime students’ in-class success. For a future project, it may be interesting to explore avenues through which Prime could strengthen, enhance, and recognize these hugely influential, though mostly invisible, sources of support for Prime students.