HeightTrack: UX LEARNING EXERCISE
HeightTrack is a hypothetical tool pediatricians can use for tracking the height of their patients over time.
During this learning exercise, my colleague and I worked with a Senior UX Designer from our organization on a project which brought us through several steps of the UX process; Brainstorming, sketching, wireframing, prototyping, user stories, and user interviews.
Phase One: Wireframes
Together we created a hypothetical tool for pediatricians to use for tracking the height of their patients over time. While we worked together on the concept, we worked independently on the sketches, first initial wireframe drafts, and interviews.
I setup a round of user interviews to test my designs for the first set of wireframes (pictured below). I created scripts to guide me so that each interview would be consistent in format, and had a scribe in attendance to help compile feedback which was later implemented.
After we went our separate ways to test our wireframes, we came together to reflect on the differences of our designs and interview findings. This was a great learning opportunity, because while we both took the concept in very different directions, both versions were proven to be successful through the eyes of our users.
Phase Two: Prototypes
The second phase of this exercise threw us a twist. My colleague and I were asked to trade off our design files and implement real user interface elements instead of placeholders. Using her original designs (not pictured), I implemented various Bootstrap style icons and visual elements to make the design seem more realistic, then conducted a second round of user interviews.
Phase Three: User Stories
During this phase we worked on building out user stories and acceptance criteria. I used the "As a [type of user], I want to [perform a task], So that I can [achieve a goal]" to map out my user stories, and also mapped out the pages where each feature would be utilized.
Conclusion
While this exercise focused on research and wireframing, I came away with a deeper understanding of how important each phase of product development is. Often times a large focus is put on the end result, overlooking the value that user research can bring to the table. Including users every step of the way provided another layer of insight, helped push our ideas along, and ensured each version was something our users would find value in.