| Design Process From November forward we heavily employed scenario-based design to help us think through our design ideas. We found this method useful both internally and externally, as a way of communicating our ideas to others. We also used an informant design process (although participatory design would have been ideal for this product, we felt that to commit to that would not be practical, considering time and scheduling constraints). We worked with more than thirty teens, as well as four key informants. We felt it was necessary to involve young people in the design process and that they be able to decide their level of commitment and collaboration. As mentioned previously, the most valued research was the information we learned from working with teenagers. We learned straight from the teens that their most pressing issues were (in no particular order):
From both our work with the teens and our advisors at Stanford, we decided to focus on the issue of homework to convey an example of how Stick With It! would tackle a particular topic. We learned that while our framework and template could work for multiple topics, it was crucial that the content must be customized for each topic. Once we narrowed in on homework, we created an online survey delivered through Zoomerang.com that we distributed to a diverse group of approximately 50 teenagers. Nearly 30 of them responded and we learned about the following:
Based on the teens’ responses to the survey, we set to the task of creating the Stick With It! composite teen user. And there was born 16-year old Anaka, screen name: Starbaby. We created a very detailed description of Starbaby, her personality, hobbies, typical behavior, and the desires that would lead her to try out Stick With It! Once we had a good idea of who Starbaby was and why she would need Stick With It!, we set about designing her personal Stick With It! Page as a way of showcasing the site functionality. In this process, we carefully discussed navigational considerations and possibilities. Initially we worked on all pieces of the process together, but as we started move to the online design it became clear we needed to split responsibilities. Amy created and designed the overall look and feel of the interface design. Ellen was responsible for creating the content. We continued to consult with each other on all significant decisions. To see several iterations of Stick With It! please view our presentation. Once we had completed Starbaby’s Stick With It! Experience, we realized that it was also important to give example scenarios of different users addressing varying topics and having differing levels of expertise and interaction with Stick With It! We created more concise user scenarios of Carlos, trying to make the varsity basketball team, Melody who is trying to quit smoking, and Paul who wants to cut down on his social drinking. As mentioned previously, the process will change for return users – it is likely that they will not use the education piece as much and focus more on the intervention and reflection features. It is important that Stick With It! adapts to your personal growth. Throughout our process, we relied heavily on creative brainstorms, sketching, and concept maps as well as running our ideas by both teens and professionals whenever possible. We also worked on two related projects that greatly helped us focus our ideas and produce relevant content-- a decision making curriculum called Youth Aware that we created in our “Curriculum Construction” class and an Executive Summary we prepared for the BASES Social E-Challenge. Finally, it was very important to both of us that we maintain a balanced life in the midst of the time intensive Master’s Project so we made it a habit to meet off campus, often over coffee, sushi, or drinks… |
