My Roles
Research, Visual Design, Asset Creation, Analyze Data
Problem Space
During the spring of 2009 (my last semester at Auburn), I was part of a design research class. The class was tasked by Microsoft to research Generation Y and their Mobile Ecosystem. Our team’s hope was to develop insights into how Gen-Y navigated their day and what devices they used during that time. Those insights were then presented to a design research team at the Microsoft campus.
Microsoft Generation Y Research
Microsoft wanted to explore Generation Y and their mobile ecosystem. We were tasked with design research and building design implications.
Process
This project had a rapid turn around and two major research phases. In the first, the team separated and shadowed 12 participants as they moved through their day. The second phase had two parts. First, we asked the participants to fill out a “my day” packet. This packet included a map, a highlighter, stickers, and a diary. This allowed the participants to show us how they used technology throughout a day, where they went, and how they got there. The second part was a co-design event. We talked to all our participants about their “my day,” worked in small groups to talk about connections, and then designed an ideal day. Outside of research and analysis, I crafted the “my day” packet by creating the map and stickers.
Insights
After each research phase, we had synthesis. Our first round was about crunching the massive amount of data we had. Each team member presented their participants and we cross-analyzed for patterns. Our observations included how they managed data to how they viewed connections through this data (less personal to more). This allowed us to craft the personas (our representations shown above) to filter down the participants to manageable groups. Through a scenario, we made it apparent that the personas existed in the same ecosystem . These personas all worked to see their options and make decisions that led to more meaningful destinations in their day.