Digital Services
USER CENTERED DESIGN PROJECT WITH STUDENTS FROM THE USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN COURSE
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TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE INGOLSTADT
WINTER SEMESTER 2020
User Centered Design
Teaching
User Interview Training
Workshop Facilitation
Persona Development Coaching
Customer Journey Mapping
Prototyping Coaching
Usability Testing
Product Design Mentoring
​Introduction
As part of their degree programme, every student has to take part in a cooperation project with a company in which they work on a specified topic. I represented my former employer MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group as a cooperation partner to work on the topics we were given. In the second projects, a user-centred design approach was chosen for the development of Digital Service Conceptes. This means that students should develop digital service concepts for customers. The following provides an overview of the my teaching part as a lecturer, the given tasks for the students and the results of the study projects.
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User centered design approach
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User Centered Design (UCD) is a design philosophy that focuses on the needs, desires and constraints of the end user at all stages of the design process and development cycle. Products developed using the UCD method are optimized for the end user, and the focus is on how the end user needs or wants to use a product, rather than forcing the end user to change their behavior in order to use the product.​​​
Project step by step
DEFINE
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With the results and a concrete target image of the customers in mind, the students' task in this step was to concretize the customer image in the form of personas. In addition, a customer journey map was created to visualize all customer touchpoints and pain points in relation to MediaMarkt and Saturn.
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Teaching part: Building target group personas, developing customer journeys
​1. Understanding the context of use and defining usage requirements
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EMPATHIZE
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The aim of the project was to develop digital services for MediaMarkt and Saturn customers. In order to understand the needs of different customers, the students were tasked with developing user groups and asking representatives of these groups about their needs, wishes and limitations in special interviews.
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Teaching part: TraininTraining students in user interviews and the “value proposition” canvas
​2. Develop concepts and test conepts
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IDEATE
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Based on the knowledge of the customer and the defined touch and paint points, the next step was to develop ideas in a creative workshop, evaluate them and transform them into concrete concepts.
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Teaching part: Introduction to creative methods for generating ideas, showing how to evaluate and select ideas and translate them into concrete approaches
PROTOTYPE
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Elaboration of the concept approaches into first prototypes, which are made available to the customer for testing purposes.
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Teaching part: Guidance for the development of prototypes
3. Implement concepts
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TEST
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The developed prototypes were made available to potential customers (test users) in a „usability speed dating“ format. Hypotheses created in advance were tested in predefined steps and the results were noted. Subsequently, in a further loop, the prototypes were revised with regard to user feedback.
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Teaching part: Training in setting up hypotheses and the construction of usability testing and support during the user tests
4. Finalize concepts
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DESIGN
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Conversion of the revised prototypes into a final design for presentation.
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Teaching part: Providing assistance in the design phase regarding design rules, using a styleguide and so on
At the beginning of the project, various target groups were defined, analysed and concrete personas were created from them, visualizing all their wishes, needs and limitations.
Target groups
In order to evaluate where the specific group of shoppers have contact points with MediaMarkt or Saturn, a customer journey map was developed.
Customer Journey Mapping
Usability testing
With test users, the students had the opportunity to have their prototypes tested and to note down feedback in order to subsequently improve their product on the basis of this. Due to Corona, the concepts were presented online to the test users and the testers gave their feedback virtually.
Final results​
Comparision platform
Sustainability label & Sustainability parcour
Sustainability app
A comparison platform that is implemented as a website and can be accessed both via PC and mobile devices. It complements the MediaMarkt online shop and links to it at appropriate points.
The website gives the customer the option to maximise the quality of his search considerably and to adapt it to his individual requirements. In addition to saving an enormous amount of time, this concept also allows models with powerful no-name processors to be displayed, as the search is based solely on technical data and is not restricted by brand names. By dividing the list of results into „top selection“ and „other items“, the user is shown the most suitable products. The first part shows the top selection at a glance, which represents the four most relevant results that best meet the priorities.
The idea works similarly to the energy efficiency classes that are attached to products. This kind of pictorial communication of energy values is known and familiar to everyone. But instead of communicating the energy consumption, the sustainability within the manufacturing process is communicated. Thus, in connection with the energy efficiency classes, the customer has a proof of the operation of the product and with this idea, an information about the sustainability in the production. Thus, the efficiency classes in combination with the sustainability label form a closed process, from the beginning of production to the actual use.
Publicising the sustainability label through a course for the customer to present this idea in an interactive and playful way. The parkour is structured and built as follows: There is a small area with information boards inside the shop, which arouses the customer’s interest. Here, the customer is informed about sustainability and taught about the sustainability seals.
An app for the user’s smartphone, as well as for tablets, which are to be placed on the shelves in the store. In the app, it is possible to search for products and compare them with regard to their sustainability. This comparison is made possible by a specially developed categorisation system. Accordingly, the products are divided into classes from one to five, with one being the best and five the worst. In addition, the categories are colour-coded similarly to the already established energy efficiency classes, so that it is even quicker to see what the numbers express. The app also allows products to be scanned in-store via barcode, making it quick and easy for customers to access the information we provide.