Blog 2

    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 homeowners. Because I have seen them around in the neighborhood for so long, it was not very difficult to ask for an interview. The valuable information that was collected from the interview was then analyzed from both an in class group activity where we highlighted similarities from our interviews, and I sifted through the transcript looking for useful information.

This is where the interview took place.

    What surprised me the most during this process was the fact that the individual interviewees had very similar suggestions. For example, our interviewees all suggested having the ability to make reservations for driveways. This was a happy discovery. One thing that I was not expecting during the process was the hesitancy that the person I was interviewing had about the idea at first. Towards the end of the interview, it seemed that they had warmed up to the idea. People from my personal life felt a similar way to my interviewee. They seemed apprehensive. But overall, they thought the pros outweighed the cons. Being that my interviewee was both a home owner and owned a vehicle, I was able to get a good perspective from both sides of the potential app. One thing that I found very useful was the concern for safety. Much in the same way that Uber has safety concerns. This was not something that I had previously taken into account, and it makes sense that people need to feel comfortable and at ease when it comes to an app that may put someone in contact with a stranger. As the interview went along, many new ideas were brought up along with improvements to existing ideas. These ideas, such as an extra charge for a driveway with access to an electric vehicle charger, will be mulled over by our group. Overall, no drastic changes to the original idea were made.

Our teams grouping of commonalities among our interviews.

An experience map showcasing the daily life with struggles, goals, and solutions 

based on a persona that was created from our shared research.

    Something that I found to be challenging based on the interview that I performed was trying to be an active listener. I found myself trying to make a conscious effort to take in what they were telling me rather than just think of the next thing to say in my mind while they were speaking to me. This in itself is a valuable skill to have. But from this interview and past experiences, it is a difficult skill to develop. Another skill that I found myself thinking would be important to have is the ability to brainstorm good-quality questions. This is also something that I found to be a challenge. It is easy to come up with simple questions. The problem with that is that you get a simple answer, most of the time. But a deep question that requires the other person to reflect and give a thoughtful answer allows the person asking the questions to get an insightful look into the other person's point of view. Being able to hone and bring these skills together is invaluable for life and my future career because if you do not actually take in and listen to what people have to say, you cannot meet their expectations. A project at work may suffer. You may not take input from others during a team meeting. Ideas could become half-baked. Not asking the right questions in this kind of environment could leave holes in your ideas, and quality can suffer. This experience has made me reflect more on how everyday technology could be both good and bad. Good in the way that it allows you to have more convenience like using apps to keep track of your health and time. Bad in the ways that unfriendly interfaces potentially make a difficult situation even more frustrating. Personally, I have been made aware of how important all of the skills that I have mentioned are and how lacking I am in these skills. Thankfully, I have taken the first steps to address this issue and develop a more well-rounded skill set.