ARIANA KOBLITZ design researcher

WORK SAMPLESjan 2016

Hi! Ariana here, a design researcher.

my resume informs on pedigree and past glories - ask me for the juicy details. Heads up: this takes you out of this deck and to the internet.

The end-user is at the core of everything I do. I believe experience extends beyond digital, and in user research that creates an impact beyond the incremental improvement.

context

experiencebusiness

understand the need for your product

incorporate the consumer into business decisions

research is a practice, not any one methodology

recognize user behaviors (and encourage new ones)

click to go down the rabbit hole for more details on the different methodologies I believe are integral to the design process this slide is part of this presentation (see behind-the-scenes)

O N T R A C KIn a saturated market of task management and classroom aids, we needed a tangible reason to draw attention to our new voice. “Student” is a catch-all phrase - we sought those most at risk.

case study: value proposition design, initial app UX

Of the 57% 1of first-generation students that graduate, only 11%2 are first-generation, low-income*

Low-income students (those who qualify for federal aid) have a much, much higher drop-out rate. Graduation rates shown here for public sector 4-year universities paint a stark picture:

The habits that ensure passing grades are habits many first-generation college students simply never learned. Personal development is a long road and personal counseling has a proven track record. We wanted to find a way to scale this type of effect to reach all the students in need.

THE PROBLEM: THE DRIVING MISSION BEHIND THE RESEARCH:

*source: 1: http://www.cic.edu/Research-and-Data/Making-the-Case/Pages/First-Generation-Students-Graduation-Rates.aspx 2: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504448.pdf

Before forming a value proposition, we sought to understand how students were using tech tools to date, or creating their own work-arounds, and how these did or did not help in their course load. Students met with us and described their current process of balancing school, work, and oftentimes primary care of family members.

context

experiencebusiness

RESEARCH OUTPUT:RESEARCH ACTIVITY:

RESEARCH GOAL:

interviewing college students about their day to day experiences.

journey map of student experience

This overview, creating a comprehensive overview of the flow of data, allowed us to discover the gaps in services other interested parties (were attempting to) provide schools and students.

The tool, ultimately for the students, is also of interest to universities looking to improve their retention and graduation rates, the federal programs that offer aid money. Decisions students were making were not based on or well reflected by readily available information - we needed to figure out why students were missing important data points.

context

experiencebusiness

Sitting with users and asking them to write out their week, their studying habits, helped us identify gaps in their scheduling. Instead of only talking, a physical research activity highlighted how students respond to time spent at school and at non-academic pressures.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY:

for a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness, detour here

+ + =students bridged gap in

informationdirected

suggestionsplanned actions

• tie daily work to longer-term goals • visualize changes to facilitate decision making • set platform to tie intangibles (study habits) to tangibles

(grades)

RESEARCH ACTIVITY:context

experiencebusiness

Translating research findings into a user behavior flow helped make the connection between qualitative research and design elements more tangible. Design principles emerged out of the research.

We rolled out a first prototype at two Brooklyn community college english courses, inviting students to sign up and track their assignment grades.

RESEARCH RESULT:

click to watch on Vimeo

C H O R E D Ohelps families communicate household chores

case study: value proposition design, emerging trends research, initial app UX

With familial roles changing in the 21st centure, it is no longer a given who will enforce, teach, and manage household chores.

Many are working on solutions at the office to help bridge gaps in communication style. But what about at home? Family members have different ways of managing their time and tasks.

Communication in a family is complex: • relationship between members • roles & responsibilities are changing • differences in personal habits & behaviors are more stark

THE PROBLEM: THE DRIVING MISSION BEHIND THE RESEARCH:

not all chores are at the same level of difficulty or commitment

who spins the wheel?

not all chores will be done at the same time / will happen in the same time intervals

User journey supports the team in figuring out what moments derail chore-completion. Understanding where chores fit in with other types of tasks helped me gauge interest

Chores present a great case study for the relationship between • physical objects and the tech that represents them • tangible proof and flexible perception of time • individual responsibility and collective accountability

Conducted in-person ethnographic at households and online ethnographies to understand the landscape of products and services that compete for attention. Pitfalls in finishing a chore happen for various reasons and tech can’t necessarily account for all of them.

context

experiencebusiness

RESEARCH GOAL:

RESEARCH OUTPUT:

RESEARCH ACTIVITY:

for a bit of behind-the-scenes goodness, detour here

Synthesize deep dive interviews and ethnographic explorations of households into an initial app prototype.

RESEARCH OUTPUT:

family members can check in by room and see who is taking care of what, and when it’s overdue

easily see who is up next with the same chore, who is perhaps free to swap, etc

family tips and tricks live on this way

chores are set and immediately associated

with rooms and easily added to the rotation

• show only what is crucial • make chores individual but inter-connected • allow for max. chore customization • this is a resource rather than a reminder

Created an MVP of a chore app, to test initial hypotheses.

RESEARCH RESULT: DESIGN PRINCIPLES GUIDING UX DESIGN:

C R AV Efinds new dishes near you to discover

case study: advise on future strategic direction, assess breakpoints in the app flow

tested UX elements that are unique to Crave

Crave differentiates itself from other online food ordering services by highlighting the ease of discovering dishes without adding unnecessarily to your post-work decision fatigue— this was an assumption that needed additional testing as well.

Crave had a robust community of beta testers, but data analytics on app usage was unclear about what was causing the drop offs and uncompleted food orders.

THE PROBLEM: THE DRIVING MISSION BEHIND THE RESEARCH:

research tested expectations the Crave design team had about UX elements / intended user behaviors

I encouraged users to share stories about similar experiences they had had with apps related to Crave. This put Crave’s break points into context with other, similar mobile processes, in order to determine what was unique to Crave.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY:context

experiencebusinessConducted consumer surveys as well as in-depth interviews that explored the users’ experiences ordering food via Crave.

User interviews and UX walk throughs were analyzed to uncover biggest pain points, and identify specific design elements responsible.

By providing examples of different types of edits would best address each bucket, the development team could brainstorm on their own more easily.

note: screen specifics are blurred due to NDA agreement

RESEARCH OUTPUT:

I presented 3 possible directions for food search, as well as ways each trend direction offers differing opportunities in relationships with restaurant and delivery options.

RESEARCH OUTPUT:context

experiencebusiness

Examples of what a staged implementation of a trend direction looks like helps clarify the usefulness of choosing one direction and really diving deep

RESEARCH RESULT:

context

experiencebusiness

akoblitz.comariansky@gmail.com

I’m in New York City, let’s play!

B E H I N D - T H E - S C E N E S

Hear | Create | Deliver: translating the tools and methods to social innovation, among other non-design industries now putting a language to an emerging practice. As published by

a human-centered design process, as taught in the Stanford design program since 1969, more recently celebrated and disseminated across all disciplines at the

Business Model Canvas looking at business from a core customer point of view, as explored in

designed by Alan Smith written by A. Osterwalder & Y. Pigneur

observations

interpretations

solutions

directions

Abstract

Concrete

Analysis Synthesis

Steve Blank / Eric Wies / Sarah Miesling’s work on the “Lean” approach incorporates metrics to validate iterations

on a related note: the “Nudge Theory” by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunnstein covers 12 types of design interventions surrounding measuring success in behavior change

Needfinding, as taught by Dev Patniak of “Wired to Care” and Jump Associates. The art of appreciating the challenge of listening to humans, and synthesizing our “insights”.

idea

productdata

measure

buildlearn

behold, the design process, in all its multi-faceted glory:

ok right… this is all bookmarked for later, let’s get back to how this fits into strategy

all right, let’s get back to what this thing ultimately looked like

all right, now let’s take a look at how this service actually worked