Popdot
A 4-month UX and UI internship at a sex-tech start-up
A 4-month UX and UI internship at a sex-tech start-up
Design an app which compliments an AI powered vibrator. This could help vibrator users to control, monitor or learn about their sexual pleasure, depending on research findings.
We used the design thinking approach to design and create the app
4 months
1 Senior designer + 4 UX/UI interns
During this section 5 potential users were interviewed for 20 mins. They were asked a series of questions to better understand their thoughts, feelings and habits around using a vibrator.
The interviews are not only used to answer the above questions but also to derive insights which we did not explicitly look for.
Before I worked for Popdot, I would usually use affinity mapping to group notes from the interviews into categories and derive findings. Below you can see how we did that at Popdot.
At Popdot we went a few steps further and turned those findings into insights which were then turned into stories and then into HMWs.
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I used to create personas to describe an average customer. But generalizing your research too much makes personas obsolete. Personas should help drive design decisions and thus should include information which is usable.
At Popdot we kept personas relevant by using Extreme Behaviour cards. These cards showed different spectrums which users could fall upon. By focusing on spectrums of behaviour rather than 1 specific behaviour we can create inclusive designs which don’t leave out the ends of the bell curves.
Eg. Below is an example of a spectrum card we used. The chosen behaviour was “Engaging with data” because it helped us answer one of our HMW challenges.
HMW make the data more understandable for our users? As you see in the interview notes, while majority of the interviewees did not engage in data, some did. By having a spectrum for our personas we did not leave the data driven users out.
This is probably the most creative part of the whole UX process - the most “art over science” part. I used to spend very little time ideating, instead I would fall in love with my 1st or 2nd idea and as long as it solved the design challenge, I went down that path. Not questioning if I really flexed my imaginative muscles.
At Popdot we used a number of ideating exercises. Finding the worst idea ever, Crazy 8s etc. We time boxed discussions, used an impact vs effort graph and casted votes - all of this to narrow down on the solutions we should focus on.
Eg: Here are some solutions on an impact/effort graph for: "HMW make the data more understandable for our users?"
Eg: Here are some crazy 8s we created and then voted on
Creating prototypes for projects vs for a company - a completely different ballgame. First introduction into importance of articulating design decisions. Before this I only had myself to answer, and I knew why the button should be fixed or why the font should be 14x. I thought, if my UI is solving the user’s problems why would I need to defend it?
Asking these questions not only helps us create valuable designs it also helps us articulate the designs to stakeholders.
For previous projects I asked the questions to the interviewee and took down notes
At Popdot we divided the work so there was 1 person solely responsible for taking notes. This is when I learnt the importance of good note taking. Note taking may sound simple enough but it is not easy to take notes which can then be used to action design changes. Even when user tests are recorded, most people do not have time to go back and rewatch 1.5 hours worth of footage. These notes will be the basis on which you redirect your designs and they need to be clear and insightful.
Before Popdot I tested and iterated on the designs by myself. This gave me full autonomy over design decisions.
The time after user testing is really exciting. We have just gotten a lot of feedback on all the assumptions we have made and now we can improve upon them! But this adrenaline can make us lose focus. We may want to start changing everything. At Popdot we carefully synthesized the usability test findings. We grouped the findings into topics, turned them into insights and problem statements. This gave us direction and helped us stay focused.
