#introdiary

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8 Principles of Information Architecture

Principle of Objects a. The different types of content for each day is shown on one page. The user can click on those to edit the entries. The different types of content in the app is also separated by the tabbed navigation at the bottom. For the stats page, the data is separated by category, and same as the search feature.

Principle of Choices a. Each tab in the navigation is focused on its own thing and will therefore have features that only support the tasks that it is meant to do.

Principle of Disclosure a. Users can edit entries once they tap on the entry – it will take them to a new screen. On the stats page, users can find more information in the different categories by tapping on said category.

Principle of exemplars a. Appropriate icons will be used to be intuitive and indicative of what happens when the user taps on it.

Principle of front doors a. The tabbed navigation will be fixed at the bottom everywhere in the app, so when the user gets lost, they can look at the navigation to orient themselves. There will also be back buttons and exit buttons to allow the users to get out.

Principle of multiple classification a. The users can manually find events by looking through the days. There is also a search feature that would allow users to enter in anything. There are also separate buttons for the user to look through all of their notes/pictures/events/doodles.

Principle of focused navigation a. The tabbed navigation holds the main tasks users can do. In the search screen, the content is split up into different categories, and same as the settings page.

Principle of growth a. If users add more entries, the app will accommodate to this and simply add more pages when necessary.

Looking up the principles of IA help me set up a framework to design an IA that is effective for the app. This also allowed me to, in a way, test the IA and improve what I had. This also gave some depth to decisions, as I understood why one way would be more effective than another.

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Recruiting Participants + Number of Participants

Before starting my project, I already had a rough idea of what kind of apps I would like to design. I tried to think of my interests, and what I like to do and use, and I thought that designing a planner/journal would be a challenge I’d like to take on.

I wanted to get the most use out of my experience, and I wanted to gather a group of people I could rely on to do my surveys/test my prototypes/give me their opinions. I already had sent consent forms to participants, and they were willing to spend time with me for the duration of my project. Because I am working on my own, looking after a lot of participants would just not be feasible for me, especially with the time frame and the amount of work I have to do. In saying this, I didn’t want to have results that would lead my project down to a negative path.

According to a usability expert, Jakob Nielsen, he recommends to have 5 participants in tests, and having multiple shorter tests in the duration of a project. This is because at 5, it is estimated that 80% of usability problems are accounted for. Ideally, he does say to have 3 tests, and 5 users each which totals to 15 users (demonstrated in the graph below, at 15, 100% of the usability problems are found. However because of the time and work I will have to do, I decided to opt with 5 users, and do 2 usability tests with those users.

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Ethics Approval

In order to get the most (use-centredness) out of this project, I decided to fill out the ethics forms for me to gain permission to interact with participants. With the ethics forms, I am able to test and ask participants about their diary usage, their process to help me develop my own app.

Some of the documentation:

Overall aim and purpose: Obtain user experience knowledge. Gather user requirements, and understand user task and goals to design an application. The focus of this research project is to use the Agile Methodology to design an application that would allow manual users of diaries to use a digital version. The aim is to create an application that would support the users’ needs by understanding requirements and specifications. Participants are invited to be actively involved throughout this project and are invited to share their experience and knowledge to improve the application. This will be done by using surveys and observation through tasks. The Agile Methodology is best for projects that have a limited amount of time to complete the project but is heavy on user-centred design as it calls for iterations of prototypes to better improve the application.

Background of Research: Time is important, and diaries can help a person manage their time in an efficient way. Diaries are full of notes and writings by its owner. Writing is good for the mind, as it can be therapeutic. It can help people stay organised, and help them keep their goals on track. According to Sample (2009), keeping a diary will help the brain to regulate emotions, and can help people get over distress. According to Baikie & Wilhelm (2005), people who keep diaries can express their feelings in a more calming way. Planners help people stay organised, and it can also help people have a creative outlet when organising their planners. It also provides people a way to look back in their lives to see what activities they did and the events they’ve been through. People also seem to like that it leads them away from digital screens (Bell, 2017; Grothaus, 2017; Kellaway, 2014), and I want to be able to explore ways to allow something physical be digital using users’ needs and requirements. I am aware that there are existing planner applications, however I am not trying to reinvent the wheel. However, there are many applications that aren’t seamless to users, and there are many reasons as to why this has a negative effect on the users. One of the reasons is that it may not be designed with the users tasks and goals in mind. If applications were designed with an effective consideration to users, then they would be able to use the applications seamlessly. To do this, I will be using the Agile Methodology as a framework to design an application, while keeping the users’ in the centre of designing. According to Sun & Schmidt (2018), this methodology allowed the projects to be completed in high satisfaction, and lower work ambiguity.

Benefits of Research: There are few disadvantages of using physical planners, such as having to remember to bring a physical book around, needing to buy new planners when the pages run out, having no back up and the divide from the digital integration (making calls, etc). Hopefully designing an application that suits their needs would allow the participants to think about using a different way to use planners, to save money, time and the environment. Any new knowledge of converting users’ needs to digital screen will be of benefit for the researcher. Understanding how to take written word, or actions through observation of tasks and translating that into something users interact with would be useful for the researcher, in terms of UX/UI.

Framework of Research: This study is an exploratory research project that seeks to apply methods of Agile Methodology to create a user-centred application. This method process focuses on the research, design, prototype and evaluation stages of designing software, in an iterative process. This method also requires a strong understanding of the users’ needs and requirements, while iterating through designing, prototyping and evaluating to improve a system. In practice, this project invites participants (who primarily uses print planners) to take part in one-on-one in-lab observation for tasks, and surveys, which aims to gather their thoughts and feelings about not only planners, but the application I’ve designed. The one on one in-lab observation allows the participants to freely explore the application without being influenced by other participants. The in-lab aspect allows me to observe their facial expressions and body language as cues for how they think and feel about the application.

Data Gathering and Analysing: Data will be gathered through 3 different surveys: Pre-evaluation, which aims to find out why the participants use print planners, and what they would like to be improved, and 2 Post Task surveys, which aims to find out what they think of the prototype of the application after doing a series of tasks.  There will also be one-on-one in-lab sessions that would allow the researcher to observe the user while they go through the tasks. These will be timed (as a way to gather metrics for the success of the iteration/prototype). The researcher will also take notes as to what they have observed. According to Preece, Sharp & Rogers, another useful way to gather users’ thoughts is to use the ‘Think-Aloud Technique’ (pp. 217-218), which allows the researcher to hear what the participants are thinking. The data will be analysed by going through the notes and surveys, and finding patterns to create specifications/improve iterations. According to Preece, Sharp & Rogers (p. 280), this is one way to translate the users’ needs to an output.

Partnership, Participation and Protection: Creating an environment that is respectful is important for both the researcher and the participants. The nature of this project involves methods which interact with participants. The researcher recognises that there are different opinions and backgrounds which may affect the interaction between the participant and the researcher. Care will be taken when interacting with the participants. This would include (and not limited to) the duration and time of the testing sessions. At any point of the test sessions, if the participant wishes to opt out, they will be free to do so. The information gathered through research will be documented on my private latptop (anonymously – if they wish to do so), and will be interpreted to create an application that would suit the users’ needs. The participants set the standards and the requirements for the project, this includes sharing information and data and also participate in experiments. Participants are the main stakeholders for this experiment, however, they are not funders or beneficiaries. Raw data, transcripts and drafts will not be released to the public without their consent. This UX/UI Agile Methodology project is a form of participatory research. This means that the participants play an active during the research phase and the prototype (testing stage) of the project. The Agile Methodology allows the outcome to not only be an iterative process but to also have an outcome that is user-centred. The participants inform and influence the outcome of the project by sharing their views, feelings and ideas. They are treated as the experts of their own experience.  Participants do not hold any other formal role in the research, and they will not be actively contributing to the research analysis. The outputs of the data collection phase will be interpreted and by the primary researcher. Before the session, I will actively let the participant know what they are expected to do, and if they wish to opt out, they are free to do so. If they wish for their information to be anonymous, I would respect their wishes. Participants will be of the same age group, so there will not be any power imbalances.

Privacy and Minimisation of Risk: All data and everything discussed during the research project will be handled as to respect and protect participant’s privacy. Due to the nature of the research, participants will be asked to give consent for samples of photographs and videos to be used in an artistic display. This will mean that the confidentiality of participants’ identities cannot be protected. Participants will be invited to review photos, videos and transcripts of the video data before it is used in the output of the research. All data will be stored securely on the primary researcher’s PC. Physical artefacts will be stored securely AUT premises or in the researcher’s private office.  Information about the participant’s personal details or matters concerning the research project will not be discussed or handled by others than the primary researcher and the applicant, or others directly involved in the research project.  Due to the nature of this research it is very unlikely that it will produce significant discomfort for the participants. It is expected that this study will be a joyful project for everyone involved, and that it will spark interesting discussions and produce exciting new ideas around the topic. Some people may feel uncomfortable sharing certain aspects of their user experience, and may choose not to do so. In addition, as stated explicitly in the consent forms, participants have the right to withdraw from the study at any time prior to completion of data collection, and have their personal data destroyed.  

References: Baikie, K. A., & Wilhelm, K. (2005). Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing. Access Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 11(5), 338-346. doi:10.1192/apt.11.5.338 Bell, A. (2017). 5 AWESOME REASONS TO USE A PLANNER Retrieved June 13 2018,  from https://www.positivelysplendid.com/planner-tips/ Grothaus, M. (2017). What Happened When I Ditched My Smartphone For A Paper Planner. Retrieved June 10 2018, from https://www.fastcompany.com/40400970/what-happened-when-i-ditched-my-smartphone-for-a-paper-planner Kellaway, L. (2014). Digital diaries are no match for our paper past. Retrieved June 10 2018,  from https://www.ft.com/content/13441b2e-2ee1-11e4-a054-00144feabdc0 Preece, J., Sharp, H., & Rogers, Y. (2015). Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction, 3rd Edition. United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Sample, I. (2009). Keeping a diary makes you happier. Retrieved June 13 2018,  from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/feb/15/psychology-usa Sun, W., & Schmidt, C. (2018). Practitioners’ Agile-Methodology Use and Job Perceptions. IEEE Software IEEE Softw. Software, IEEE, 35(2), 52-61. doi:10.1109/MS.2018.1661333

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Semester 2 Project (2018) – Proposal

Introduction

As there are many applications to assist in users’ everyday tasks, there are applications that are designed to be able to assist users in a seamless way. However, there are many applications that aren’t seamless to users, and there are many reasons as to why this has a negative effect on the users. One of the reasons is that it may not be designed with the users tasks and goals in mind. If applications were designed with an effective consideration to users, then they would be able to use the applications seamlessly.

What, why, for whom

Question / statement

To be an effective UI designer, it is important to understand the users and their goals and how they would interact with the interface to complete their goals. There are many ways to achieve user-centred design for a product. This assignment will give me the experience of designing a product with a strong focus on the users and their goals.

To be more specific, I will try to design a journal/planner application that will be led by the users’ needs. All the specifics such as format/aesthetic/features etc will be determined by the users. To do this, I plan on doing a survey or questionnaire to help me gather information about a certain psychographic.

Objectives By the end of the brief, I will understand how to consider and include the user throughout the whole design phase for a user-centred design piece. Through research and practice, I will learn how to respond to the needs of a target audience to make an application that is understandable and usable, using an agile method for designing an application.

Background/Research Time is important, and diaries can help a person manage their time in an efficient way. Diaries are full of notes and writings by its owner. Writing is good for the mind, as it can be therapeutic. It can help people stay organised, and help them keep their goals on track. According to Sample (2009), keeping a diary will help the brain to regulate emotions, and can help people get over distress. According to Baikie & Wilhelm (2005), people who keep diaries can express their feelings in a more calming way.

(Physical) Planners help people stay organised, and it can also help people have a creative outlet when organising their planners. It also provides people a way to look back in their lives to see what activities they did and the events they’ve been through. People also seem to like that it leads them away from digital screens.

Types of diaries

Print vs Electronic

Users/demographics Besides targeting people who already like to use physical planners, I will also aim to target this application to the millennial/gen z generation. This is because this generation is used to technology and the patterns that arise from using digital screens.

Hypothesised Solution Hopefully, after designing at least 2 prototypes (with testing and evaluations), I would have a better understanding of how to integrate the users’ needs into a digital space. I don’t think that I would create something completely revolutionary, but something that would make the participants consider using the application that I’ve designed.

Some metrics could possibly be: • Faster task times (compared to when they first start using the app I’ve designed) • Increased satisfaction in using the application • Less errors made while going through the tasks

How

Design & Research Methods In terms of designing, this will come from the psychographic group, and using the kind of feel and aesthetic they desire, with more of a skew to simplicity and minimalistic design. I will use Sketch for the prototypes, and quite possibly Marvel for testing with the participants, solely because there is an online element where people can try it online (compared to principle – I am also not very familiar with principle).

For research methods, I will carry my own tests by using the Marvel online prototype tool, and also using google docs to carry on my surveys. This way, I don’t need to print anything out, and google is able to also analyse the data, which is going to definitely save me some time. I will also be using the internet for research, this way, I won’t try to make assumptions about my target audience.

With the testing methods, I will start of by doing a heuristic test, by making my own heuristics (based on Nielsen’s heuristics), to try to weed out most of the problems. After this, I will begin testing on users.

Key Phases & Outcomes Main Phases: • Research • Design • Test • Evaluate

This goes along with the agile methodology, as this project is done over a really short amount of time. I will hopefully get all the research done at the start, with accuracy, so I know my product specifications and goals very well, and I can spend most of my time going through iterations and testing with participants.

I looked at other methodologies to see what the pros and cons are, in order to help me set up a framework and to plan for the next 12 weeks.

I chose to follow the development life cycle of Agile, as this project will be done over 12 weeks (a short amount of time, especially for one person). I believe that the simple and iterative model will allow my app to develop into a user-centred app.

Outcomes: 1. A working prototype with at least 20 screens 2. A video of the application in action 3. A book (a4?) showing process and documentation 4. Poster

Planning I have laid out what I plan to do during the semester to try to get everything that I plan to do, done.

References: Baikie, K. A., & Wilhelm, K. (2005). Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing. Access Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 11(5), 338-346. doi:10.1192/apt.11.5.338 Bell, A. (2017). 5 AWESOME REASONS TO USE A PLANNER Retrieved June 13 2018,  from https://www.positivelysplendid.com/planner-tips/ Connolly, M. (n.d.). Paper Planner Or Digital Diary? How To Choose. Retrieved June 10 2018,  from https://www.getorganizedwizard.com/blog/2012/10/paper-planner-or-digital-diary-how-to-choose/ Davis, K. (2007). 15 different types of journals to keep. Retrieved June 10 2018,  from https://www.darktea.co.uk/blog/15-different-types-of-journals-to-keep Grothaus, M. (2017). What Happened When I Ditched My Smartphone For A Paper Planner. Retrieved June 10 2018,  from https://www.fastcompany.com/40400970/what-happened-when-i-ditched-my-smartphone-for-a-paper-planner Kellaway, L. (2014). Digital diaries are no match for our paper past. Retrieved June 10 2018,  from https://www.ft.com/content/13441b2e-2ee1-11e4-a054-00144feabdc0 Livingsta. (2016). Use Diary Systems - Explain the Purpose, Types and Information Obtained - NVQ Level 3 - Business and Administration. Retrieved June 10 2018,  from https://toughnickel.com/business/Diary-Management-NVQ-Level-3-Diploma-in-Business-and-Administration Miller, A. N., Kinnally, W., Montano, E., & Robinson, L. (2017). A Comparison of Three Approaches to Electronic Media Diaries. Communication Research Reports, 34(2), 171-179. doi:10.1080/08824096.2016.1224172 penzu. (n.d.). Diaries. Retrieved June 10 2018,  from https://penzu.com/diary-types Preece, J., Sharp, H., & Rogers, Y. (2015). Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction, 3rd Edition. United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Sample, I. (2009). Keeping a diary makes you happier. Retrieved June 13 2018,  from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/feb/15/psychology-usa Sun, W., & Schmidt, C. (2018). Practitioners’ Agile-Methodology Use and Job Perceptions. IEEE Software IEEE Softw. Software, IEEE, 35(2), 52-61. doi:10.1109/MS.2018.1661333 Wylde, K. (2016). 11 Types Of Diaries You Should Keep In Your 20s. Retrieved June 10 2018,  from https://www.bustle.com/articles/170145-11-types-of-diaries-you-should-keep-in-your-20s