Discover

01. The Problem of Adoption
02. Issues Beyond Usability

Define
Design
Test & Launch
Reflections

Diving Deeper and Beyond Usability Issues

Research Approach
Diving deeper into the issue of adoption, I partnered with one other designer and conducted unmodified usability testing with 22 participants, 5 user interviews, 2 stakeholder interviews.

Usability Testing Finding

This usability testing was designed to evaluate whether current design allows users to complet key tasks effortlessly. At the end of test, we asked users to give verbal and written feedback about their experience using the app. The metrics used in the testing are task completion rate, lostness level (on a scale of 0-1), time spent per task, number of clicks, and attention heat maps.

Below are the key data from the usability testing report

• 15 out of 22 participants completed the test

• 6 out of 15 participants completed the task with an average of 249 seconds.

• On average, the successful participants completed the task after 7.5 page views, but the most efficient flow is supposed to be 3-4 pages.

• Even for successful completion, the average task page views are over the expectation by 250%.

How did users feel about our app?

“The App could be useful but I can’t find the things I wanted” (P04, P01,P06)
“I am not sure if I am at the right spot” (P05)
“ There is a lot of information to take in at once!” (P10, P01)

Overall, interviews and usability testing feedback resonated the quantitative metrics from usability testing (task completion rate-11%, time, and lostness-0.9), in which users felt lost and overwhelmed with disorganized and overloaded information on the app.

Discover

Define

03. Redesign Direction

Design
Test & Launch
Reflections

Translating Findings to Design Directions

We concluded the main frictions of the S61C product are the inefficiency of use and the mismatch between the system navigation and expected task flow.

So the priority of this redesign is focused on navigation. The product should

• Provide organized information that’s easy to digest for users

• Allow immediate access to key features user values

• Encourage discoverability of useful features

Discover
Define

Design

04. Organize Information
05. Redesign Navigation

Test & Launch
Reflections

Redesigning Information Architecture

Organizing content in a way that matches users’ mental models is the first design priority. I partnered with one other designer and conducted 12 Card Sorting sessions with the following research goals in mind

• Users are overwhelmed by the hamburger menu with a long list of unsorted options, for this painpoint we need to identify a sensible grouping of content

• Users are confused by the labeling of menu options, for this painpoint, we need to come up with a menu naming scheme that provides a sense of familiarity

• Users are discouraged by the convoluted paths to key content, for this painpoint, we need to define information hierarchy and prioritize top tasks

Card Sorting Sessions

Approach: the card sorting sessions are conducted over Zoom and using Google Slides so that participants can drag, sort and group menu items easily within one slide.
Participants: we conducted 2 rounds of Card Sorting, with 7 student pilots in the first round and 5 student pilots in the second round.

Card Sorting Insights

1st round of Card Sorting sessions focused on eliminating redundant menu options and identifying sensible grouping of content and labeling for each category

We found that ...

• From the 15 initial menu options that are currently provided under the hamburger menu, the groupings of content have similar themes across all 7 participants.

• The first found of card sorting resulted in 6 preliminary content groups
  

2nd round of Card Sorting sessions focused on identifying top tasks and defining the information hierarchy

We found that there are 4 most used features out of the 6 identified groups.

• Users prefer the top features are displayed on screen all the time so that “[they] can switch between tabs without going back to the main menu”

• The insight suggested a design change from a hamburger menu to 4-tab navigation, which is typical for mobile apps to provide ease of access

Discover
Define

Design

04. Organize Information
05. Redesign Navigation

Test & Launch
Reflections

Prototyping a 4-tab Navigation Design

Based on card sorting insights, we first mapped the new suggested site map in wireframes, then prototyped new screens with the 4-tab navigation design.

The redesigned IA and navigation received positive feedback from internal stakeholders and were approved to move forward.

Discover
Define
Design

Test & Launch

06. Design Evaluation
07. Public Launch

Reflections

Engineering Design Solution

Towards the end of my internship, worked closely with the engineering team and launched the beta version of the app on TestFlight within 2 weeks.

Design Evaluation

Usability Testing

Partnered with PM on app beta testing. This round of testing focused on evaluating the usability testing, and internal and external testers were invited to the study.

The finding revealed technical limitations in implementing some of the features designed. I worked closely with engineers on design iterations and implementation

Public Launch

About four months after the end of my internship, the product became live to the public. My design was adopted and used by student pilots and flight instructors for their training needs

Discover
Define
Design
Test & Launch

Reflections

Final Thoughts

Internship highlight

Towards the end of my internship, I had the opportunity to present my work to the entire product team, and I received positive feedback on the final redesign and validated our assumption of my design: immediate access, discoverable, and information is digestible.

Skills advancement

• This is my first end-to-end product design project, and it was rewarding to see my design being adopted and launched to the public

• This project allowed me to practice skills ranging from foundational research, IA testing, IA design, wireframing, prototyping and UI design.

Cross-functional team collaboration

• As an UXer on a start-up team, I wore the hat of a communicator, a translator and an educator. I learned to communicate research plan with stakeholders early on, translate research data to make a case for my design, and educate non-designers about the value of research-driven and user-centered design

Things I Learned About Myself

• This internship allowed me to experience UX design with sprinkles of research and UI design. In this product design cycle, I found myself getting most excited about designing research plans, talking to users, and transforming a messy set of data into organized bullet points that guide tangible design decisions.

• I am good at UI design work, and it’s therapeutic for me, but I found problem scoping, conducting research, data analysis, and communicating design concepts more intriguing and challenging.