Lauren C. Scheck, UX Designer
Finished Prototype:
Video Presentation:
WHAT IS EXPERT?
Have you ever had a tax question or wanted to get a second opinion from a doctor, and just wanted to talk to someone?
Expert is an app that connects people to an expert (think Lawyer, Doctor, etc). Through Expert, the user can easily book a call or video chat with an expert and get advice on their specific situation. Expert is a resource for users to get the advice they need, when they need it!
UX METHODS USED:
Competitive Analysis, User Interviews, User Personas, User Journeys, User Flows, Site Map, Card Sorting, Wireframes, Prototypes, Usability Testing
TOOLS:
OptimalSort, LucidChart, Balsamiq, Sketch, Invision
RESEARCH
Competitive Analysis
To kick off the research phase, I did aCompetitive Analysis of similar services to Expert (shown below). I wanted to see their strengths and weaknesses and what opportunities Expert would have to be distinguished from the competition!
There were opportunities for Expert to have an advantage above similar products by being reliable and consistent, and by having good visibility on social media and Google.
User Stories
The next step was finding out more about the needs and goals of potential Expert users. I wrote User Stories which helped me get into the mindset of someone using the Expert app (shown below).
User Interviews
I wanted to find out more about the daily habits of potential users as well as how Expert could bring value to their everyday lives.
Through one of my interviews, I learned that users want to be able to access an expert who is available when they need them!
For example, one interviewee thought it would be really useful if she could speak to a Pediatrician if one of her kids had a minor medical issue after Doctor's office hours. This was a great insight and helped me design Expert with that in mind.
User Personas
From the information I gathered through my interviews, I created User Personas (shown below). Jennifer served as my primary persona for Expert.
User Flows
User Flows helped me break down every action a user would have to complete in a sequence to accomplish a task. User flows helped get me ready to take my research and start designing Expert!
DESIGN
Site Map
I created a sitemap of the Expert app to conceptualize the navigation.
To make sure my Site Map made sense to others and find areas that needed improvement, I conducted a Card Sort with five participants. As a follow up question to my card sort, I asked participants if a Help section of the app would be helpful and they all agreed that adding a help section was a good idea. My revised sitemap shows a Help section and I moved billing information to the Settings section.
Wireframes
At last, time to create some designs for the Expert app! I did several versions of wireframes beginning with basic sketches by hand. Shown below are my mid-fidelity wireframes (created using Balsamiq).
Low-Fidelity Prototype
I used sketch to create screens with a higher level of detail. I liked them together into a clickable prototype using Invision. Once I had my clickable prototype, it was time to begin usability testing!
USABILITY TESTING
Usability Test Script and Test Plan
Before beginning any tests, I created a Usability Test Script and Usability Test Plan. My main objectives were to identify any usability issues with the process of creating an account, searching for an expert, and using the calendar feature to schedule a call.
View Usability Test Script here:
Usability Testing and Compiled Results
I conducted six Usability Test sessions with 6 participants.
The rainbow spreadsheet helped me to compile all of the findings from my sessions. With this method I could easily see the frequency of usability errors in order to rank them by severity (also addressed in my Usability Report).
I learned a lot through the Usability Testing process and identified some usability issues including:
1. Users did not recognize the calendar icon to book a call (improved this by removing the icon and replacing it with text).
2. User found the home screen content boring and confusing (I added more variety to the home screen in my next iterations).
3. Users were not sure what happens after they booked a call (I clarified this in further iterations as well.
View entire Usability Test Plan and Test Report here:
REFINING THE VISUAL DESIGN
Visual Design Changes
Through this phase I applied visual design principles in order to make Expert both a well designed product both an aesthetically pleasing and usable product.
Accessible Design
I applied what I've learned about designing for accessibility to improve Expert and make it more usable for a wider audience.
Design Language
The Design Language for Expert (shown below) serves as a guide to ensure brand consistency as Expert is developed for multiple platforms and for future updates.
FINISHED PROTOTYPE
I really enjoyed the process of designing for Expert. Starting from my initial User Research through creating and testing the clickable prototype through Usability Tests, I'm confident that Expert is on the right track to be a helpful product for my user personas (Jennifer, Simon, and Madison).
Finished Prototype:
Video Presentation:
