Blog One

  Evaluating the UI with Heuristic Evaluations: Once the medium-fidelity design was completed, we reviewed Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics to refresh our memories of what they consisted of. With the heuristics fresh in our minds, we were then able to think about how we could improve upon our project based on this design format. From that point, I would say that we used Nielsen's heuristics as a tool to help push us in the right direction. For example, we would compare a heuristic like visibility and then refer back to our project to make sure that it was easy to follow visually, and also to make sure that, from an intuitive standpoint, it was easy to follow from page to page. As we went through each heuristic, we discovered that some were more challenging than others. For me personally, I would say that the most challenging heuristic that we had to work on for our project was user control and freedoms. I felt this was the most challenging because of how far along our medium-f...

  Bringing our idea to life: At this point in time, I would have to say that our app has come a long way. It is still far from being finished, but the edges are starting to round out. Our very first prototype was very basic with hardly any features. Before our prototype, we had a well-thought-out plan with well-thought-out features, but our first prototype was lacking everything except the main functionality. The main functionality was not even fully there. Our paper mock-up was simple and just showed what it would look like to interact with the app. The user would open a map and pick a driveway to choose from and a time. That is basically it. It is one-sided because this feature only allows for people searching for parking spots and not for the users who wish to loan out their driveways. Based on all of the features that we had thought of, we had settled on this basic user feature because we felt like it was the most important feature. We imagined what it would be like for someone...

  From ideas to solution: The problem that my team and I are solving is the lack of parking near work, school, sporting events, and any highly populated area in general. Not only is parking limited, but the price to park somewhere is shocking. This is true even if the length of time doesn't run over a few hours. This problem applies to anyone in the workforce, students who commute to school, and people driving in to watch a major sporting event or concert. Our concept addresses this problem by allowing users to "rent" other people's driveway space. This would increase the number of available parking spaces in any area, and the price would be one that would be less than the options that currently exist. We brainstormed and refined ideas in groups, utilizing Figma. During these figjams, we practiced taking an empathetic approach by creating a person and imagining what might better help them. We also discussed features that we could implement to further enhance our app d...

     A problem that commuters or anyone who drives, for that matter, have at some point experienced the problem of finding a parking spot. This is especially true for me, as I often experience this problem when going to appointments or just finding parking around school without having to pay an arm and a leg. I assumed that most people would share a similar sentiment. The UX research method that I began with was observation. I park far from school in order to save money on parking. The walk is long, so I have to allot extra time to make it to class on time. As I walk to class, I notice many empty driveways that are much closer to campus than where I park. On my return walk after class, these parking spots are still empty. From this point, I encountered a problem, and the next step I took was to conduct an interview. I was able to interview a neighbor with whom I am cordial. I thought this would fit my criteria because of their age, they had a vehicle, and they are also ho...

  The project that my team and I will be working on will be a variation of a meal preparation app. More specifically, a step-by-step sushi-making guide. The larger idea of meal preparation was our first decision, but for scale, we decided to go with sushi. We chose this as a way to develop the skill of cooking. Focusing on one aspect of cooking could act as a confidence boost and may increase your overall cooking ability, or may help you discover your passion for a new hobby. This is personally meaningful to me because cooking and preparing food can help save you time and money in the future. The cost of going out to eat is usually expensive, especially when it comes to something like sushi. So, this is almost like an investment that will pay off over time. By the end of this journey, I am hoping to hone my skills in determining what is important by way of what people need or find useful. Also, how to improve my product based on testing and feedback.

TED Believing you could improve I think that HCI will help me become a better version of myself, in that it will give me the skills to help determine issues that people face when interacting with computers and how to solve these issues. Also, this would work as a preventative measure as well if I were to design something in the future. It would also help give me a different perspective when it comes to interacting with the world around me because I would be made aware of how things could be better, rather than just taking things at face value and accepting that just how things are. Like I said earlier, there is always room for improvement.

  One of the biggest impacts that HCI has had on my life would probably be the advent of YouTube. During my time in high school, when it was time to do homework, all I really had to rely on was my textbook and my lackluster notes. So when I would get stuck on a problem, usually a math problem, I would spend a lot of time frustrated trying to figure it out on my own. Now, with YouTube or other educational video-based format webpages, I can better understand concepts in the way that I learn best, by watching similar examples being completed. YouTube videos aren't just good for homework, but also good for diagnosing and fixing mechanical issues with my car. Of which there are a lot. Something that is along the same line is the smartphone and how it made learning more portable and thus more convenient. Another big help is the safety features on newer vehicles. Particularly, the adaptive cruise control. This is actually a big help for my dad because he doesn't have the best eyesight...