week 8
TRANSCRIPT
The User JourneyINTERACTION DESIGN | MAR. 15, 2016
WEEK 8
A Look Back
Two weeks ago, you generated ideas for features that your product could include, based on:
IDEATION
‣ Subject matter research‣ User research‣ Your own experience
You then iterated on your products by choosing one direction and building on top of it, using feedback gathered from your team, classmates, and instructor.
ITERATION
You’ll take your new and improved product idea and create a story of how it can be used by the people you’re designing for. Designers call these stories, user journeys.
THIS WEEK
User Journeys
It’s a method of storytelling that:
‣ demonstrates the primary features of your product
‣ highlights the typical users of your product
‣ helps us understand how your product can fit into people’s lives
WHAT’S A USER JOURNEY?
Before you start creating a user journey, you need a story to tell. Your story should include:
HOW DO WE DO THIS?
1. The people, or actors using your product, and;
2. The product features that will be demonstrated
Like any good story, you will need actors. Your actors should be based on the research you’ve conducted.
Part of this exercise is to determine who your target audiences will be.
THE ACTORS
As you continue sketching, you’ll uncover the primary features of your product.
Is it a digital map? A game mechanic? Or a something that lets users talk to each other? These are examples of features that can be shown in your user journey.
THE FEATURES
With an actor in place and some features you want to highlight, you can start crafting a believable, human story of this person using your product.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Telling Your Story
Designers have several methods to document a convincing user journey. They range in fidelity from low-fi documents like storyboards, to hi-fi productions like videos or short films.
METHODS
Storyboards are a great, quick way to tell a story, frame by frame. It lets designers illustrate how their actor(s) will behave and provides space for commentary.
STORYBOARDING
Videos are high-fidelity productions. They often include expertise that’s outside of a typical interaction designer’s toolkit. But when done right, they are incredibly powerful storytelling tools that can sell an idea.
VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaOFuW011G8
The best part about this user journey is that it feels human. It’s not about the interface or technology, but rather the story of how people can easily find places to stay all over the world.
EXAMPLE: AIRBNB
Workshop & Homework
In your teams, sketch out a storyboard that highlights what your product does, who’s using it, and why it’s important for helping your users.
Bring your rough storyboards to class next week. Each team will quickly walk us through their work-in-progress stories.