Goal
In a multi-disciplinary team, develop a physical product from concept ideation. Conduct user research, concept testing and market feasibility to bring product to market.
Problem statement
As a team we were tasked with the challenge to design and produce a tangible product suitable for use by working adults, to be used to build healthy living habits, so as to improve quality of life, health maintenance and outcomes. The target demographic was 25 to 35 year old working adults living in their own homes without children.
Role
UX research, web design, project management
Initial Research
The team began by conducting primary and secondary research. To ensure quality research, I developed and interview protocol to be used by all members and iterated on this after the first round of research. I also conducted secondary research on issues faced by the target demographic by reading medical journals, business studies, and attending research presentations. Through this research, the team found a large portion of the target demographic was struggling with issues related to social well-being and mental health. This became the individual problem statement for the team.
iterative research
I led user research, which was conducted in a variety of ways. Users were given paper prototypes to place on their desks at work to gather feedback in a real world setting. These prototypes were updated after two weeks and feedback was again collected. This allowed the team to gather feedback from users who were unaware of the goals of the project. Users were also presented with all of the visual components of the nameplate and asked to arrange them as they saw fit. This allowed the team to gain insight on the form factor and design. Finally, a conjoint analysis was conducted to provide feedback on the number of interests, frequency of updates and whether users wanted icons, images or both to be displayed. These processes together informed the iteration of team’s digital prototypes.
CONCEPT TESTING
In an effort to converge on narrow our ideas, I designed and conducted concept testing of five ideas and two competitors. In concept testing the team asked users in the target demographic to rate and answer questions about their favorite concepts. In addition to learning user’s preferences, we gathered valuable feedback about how our product ideas were being communicated.
MID AND HIGH FIDELITY PROTOTYPING
In conjunction with the continued user testing, the team designed a 3D prototype that could be presented to users. After gathering feedback, another design was 3D printed to test form factors and a screen was added to mimic the look of the final product. This prototype was again presented to multiple users for feedback and a final design was decided. The housing for the nameplate was redesigned and 3D printed.
COSTING AND MARKETING
With a final design in hand, the team began a costing exercise to determine production costs and thus price. Once complete, the team set out to market the product via an online website and physical tradeshow.