Project: Best Energy Mobile Application
Background
This project was completed for my software psychology graduate class. I was the sole designer and researcher. A mock mobile application was created to monitor the energy consumption levels for a manager of a Fortune 500 store. The app was created for Best Buy (hence the name Best Energy and the color blue as the theme). Users were collected through a convenience sample consisting of college students.
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Ideation
All the specific requirements and ideas of the mobile application were generated onto post it notes. A moderated in-person open card sort was conducted to categorize the tasks.
Card Sort
After the data was imported in an Excel sheet, a script in R was used to perform a cluster analysis to create a dendrogram. The dendrogram and qualitative feedback from the moderated card sort was used to generate the information architecture of the mobile application. The boxes in the dendrogram below portray the various categories in the mobile application.
Excel data sheet
Dendrogram
Creation and Testing
Low fidelity paper prototypes was created as an easy and quick way to test the mobile application. Data from the dendrogram and cluster analysis was used to structure the prototype. After constructing the prototype, rapid prototyping was incorporated while the participants conducted a think-aloud protocol as they carried out the tasks. This revealed deeper insights and helped form recommendations.
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For each session, participants had to complete 7 tasks:
1. Log into the system and find the current weather.
2. Find the amount of energy (kw/hr) used in the state of Florida.
3. Compare your overall usage in April and in July.
4. What is the second worst store for time to cool and compare it to the number one store for time to cool.
5. How would you send new alerts to a finished section?
6. Turn on alerts on the application.
7. Find the report for 9/14/2017 and then look at the goals for that date.
8. Log out of the application.
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Rapid Prototyping
1. Prototype
2. Review
3. Refine
Paper Prototypes
Results
Some of the major problems and recommendations that were found during the paper prototypes were:​
1. Users didn't know some of the buttons and graphs were clickable.
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Made the buttons more salient by adding in darker colors and contrasts
2. Some of the information were too squished in making it hard to read.
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Moved time to heat and average temperature to a new line to allow for more space
3. Users were confused on how to change to a specific day in the REPORTS section.
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Changed calendar format to one single calendar button to find a specific date easier and faster
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After addressing the issues in the paper prototypes. I created a higher fidelity prototype using Balsamiq and had new users do the same 7 tasks. Iterations were changed for the final design.
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Some problems and recommendations that were found during the Balsamiq prototypes were:​
1. Users were able to find new alerts but wanted to know how to look up old alerts.
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Added in a search option in the ALERTS section
2. Language was confusing and not intuitive.
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Changed READINGS to USAGE at the bottom of the screen
3. Users were confused on how the map worked and wondered how they would use the map if they didn't remember where the states were at.
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Added in search by state by alphabetical order, so they can search instead of clicking on the map
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Balsamiq Finished Product
Final Notes
The next step is continue to conduct usability tests with higher fidelity prototypes.
Other research methodologies that could be implemented are field studies/contextual inquiries with real world managers. This will give deeper insights in how managers would interact with the mobile application at their stores and discover other implementations they might want in this mobile application.
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