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Helping Hand
Helping Hand gives users a simple way to connect with virtually any creative expert whether it is asking them directly or posing a question and an expert reaching out to them.
The Project
The goal of the app is to enable anyone, anywhere to instantly chat with an expert in virtually any field. This project is for the CareerFoundry UX Design Immersion Course.
My Role
I worked on this project in collaboration with my advisor and mentor that I received feedback and guidance from. I performed User Research focused on User Centered Design from start to finish while conducting Usability Testing.
Role: UX/UI Designer & Researcher.
Methods Utilized
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User Interviews
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Usability Testing
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A/B Testing
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Affinity Mapping
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Card Sorting
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Surveys
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User Personas
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Low-High Wireframing
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Prototyping
Understand and research
The Problem:
Our users need a way to gain expert advice and feedback in a 1-on-1 setting, a simple means of connecting with an expert, and connected with an expert in a timely and efficient manner.
We know this to be true when we see users connecting with experts in an efficient manner with opportune response times while getting the 1-on-1 setting to have a tailored experience.
Competitive Analysis:
For the completive analysis I found a few competitors that are well versed in the current market. I analyzed their strengths and weaknesses and created a SWOT profiles and found out what was working for them and what did not.
Learning with Experts
Learning with Experts offers users the chance to take courses with personal expert feedback while learning in a global class community.
SWOT Profile
Strengths
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Offers 2 levels, Peer & Expert, for most courses
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Certifications are offered after completing Expert course
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Lifetime access to video, notes, classroom
Opportunities
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Give users more payment options
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Provide an app version for a better more mobile version of the service
Weakness
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Expert level can be pretty expensive
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Can only get certificate in Experts level
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Can only get certificate in Experts level
Threats
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​Sites like Masterclass or Skillshare
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More affordable options with the same outcome
Master Class
MasterClass offers access to tutorials and pre-recorded lectures from experts in many fields. Giving users the ability to virtually learn from anywhere in the world by industry experts.
SWOT Profile
Strengths
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Access to lessons taught be celebrities
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Has a trailer features to see what the lesson is all about
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A feature to see a sample of a class
Weakness
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No free lessons for users to try the class format
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No 1-on-1 content to get feedback from the instructors
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No certifications for users when they complete a class
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​Option for monthly payments
Opportunities
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Has an option for downloadable content but only for Plus and Premium members. We could offer this but across all members
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A way for users to be able to get feedback by scheduling a time to chat with the instructor
Threats
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​Coursera, edX, Udacity, Learning with Experts, and Ted-Ed
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Competitors that allow users to hone their current skill and get certifications for new ones
Takeaways:
Some takeaways from the competitive analysis I have found was many users enjoyed the personal touch from getting personalized feedback. Many of the competitors also charged a lot of money as well, which many people cant afford the one time payment or subscription.
Core Points:
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Simple way to connect to experts
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Easy way to schedule 1-on-1
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Affordable
User Research:
From the Understand phase I was able to get knowledge into the current market and it competitors. This allowed me to have a more clear mind when it can to my Observe phase and what questions to ask when conducting interviews.
For user research I adopted 2 of the the primary methods for conducting user research- user interview and user surveys. The motivation for doing so was to collect both qualitative and quantitative data to identify users' current solutions, needs, and behaviors.
Survey:
Results from the survey gave me more clarity on users' preferred methods of connecting with experts. There were 18 participants who filled out the survey. From the survey results 33% would do it through work and 38% would use online websites.
Insight:
Results from the survey gave me more clarity on users' thoughts and feelings regarding connecting with experts. There were 18 participants who filled out the survey. Of them, 83% of them have reached out to experts. Some felt nervous or anxious when reaching out to experts for advice. Others felt confident and excited when reaching out since they were speaking with an expert.
About 44% of the participants also haven't reached out to an expert in a few months. In regards to how users would reach out to an expert, 33% would do it through work and 38% would use online websites.
The survey provided a glimpse into the process users would take to reaching out to an expert.
Interviews:
I interviewed 3 users that are in our target demographic. All participants have reached out to an expert for work more than personal matters. When reaching out to the expert each participant used the phone.
Each user spoke directly to the expert and didn't need to speak to a teleprompter or bot. They each said it was a good or decent experience. Some things they would have changed however, was face to face interaction. They would like to see the expert and vice versa.
All participants were likely to use an app or web application that allowed them to connect more efficiently with experts. They would like the option to see the experience the expert had and be able to pose a question. In other instances they would like to pose a question and be contacted by an expert who believes they can help.
After the interviews I was able to understand how users would connect with an expert in their day-to-day lives and what would be their preferred means of communication.
Affinity Mapping:
After conducting the interviews, I then create sticky notes for the information. This allowed me to classify the information into 3 categories: Feelings, Needs, and Points of Friction. From this I translated it into a digital format.
I was able to create an affinity map for 4 key categories for our users: Functionality, Ways to Connect, Knowledge and Experience, and Features. This allowed me to create clusters to gain more insight and come up with more possible solutions.
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I decided to form the clusters this way to gain more knowledge of the information users would like to see when connecting with experts. This also allowed me to see what point of friction to avoid, features to add, and aspects of functionality to implement. From this I was able to create my user personas.
User Personas:
Compiling all the data from the User Research I have created 2 User Personas, Marissa and Jonathan. Having Personas to refer back to allowed me to always keep the user at the center of the design process.
Marissa is Game Designer that is new to her area. She doesn't know anyone but would like to connect to an expert to get feedback and tips.
Jonathan is a Photojournalist that wants to explore the city more while knowing how to take better compelling photos and ask experts thoughts on his photos.
User Journeys:
Applying the mental model allowed me to see how users will go about using our product or another source as a solution. From this created the User Journey for Marisa and Jonathan.
User Flows:
I then created the User Flows for my Personas. I illustrated the ideal flow to complete each task for the users. The task I decided to map out was: Scheduling a meeting time with an expert and Submit a ticket for feedback.
Site Map:
Helping Hand has had a few Site Map iterations to make the navigation as simple and intuitive as possible for users. Through testing and reiterating the final Site Map has mapped.
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design and Ideation
Low Fidelity Wireframes:
I created the paper wireframes to understand the overall structure of the application and the users may take to accomplish their goals. I created the paper wireframes first and translated them to digital Low fidelity wireframes. Here I was able to glean how to make the navigation as simple as possible to reduce the number of clicks need to achieve the users' goals.
Paper Wireframes
Digital Wireframes
Mid Fidelity Wireframes:
I then created my interactive Mid-Fidelity prototype that allows users to get a sense of the navigation with the application. From this, I was able to see what aspects still needed to be worked on before creating my High-Fidelity prototype.
From this I was able to create my prototype. This was the design i used through the testing phase for my Usability testing.
Prototyping and Testing
Usability Testing:
To test the navigation of the app and it functionality I decided to to run test with 5 participants. Each participant was give the same 3 tasks to see where there was point of frication and what areas of the application needed improvement.
After compiling the results I uncovered the Ticket system needs a lot of work. Participants were frustrated trying to find it and felt that it took way too long to get to it. Adding the Ticketing system to the navigation bar will cut down on the number of clicks tremendously. Other areas of improvement were minor. Ranging from small details to add to the payment screen, adding more expert portfolio work, to possibly having a free consultation on the phone with experts. I also decided to add the Home button to the navigation bar and move the profile to the top right of the screen. This will continue to allow the user to have access to their profile and add access to the Home page on every screen.
Another issue participants seem to have was going directly to the scheduling before actually connecting to the expert. This could be rectified by having the scheduling button a bit transparent or shaded in a way that would highlight the message button more.
Ideation:
After another round of testing the navigation become simple and intuitive for user when completing their tasks. From this I was able to refine the design for Helping Hand and create a calming design while providing an easy way to connect with an expert.
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Product Success
Helping Hand successfully allows user to connect with an experts in a timely manner. Helping hand not only allows users to connect with an expert through the chat but also allows uses to submit a ticket to the desired category and receive feedback from an expert. The design is simple an sophisticated whilst providing a relaxing experience.
What I learned
This was truly a great experience start to finish. I learned agile frameworks and how to apply the design think process while apply user-center design. Working through the project help improve my skills as a research through the Observe process and improve my eye for design patterns.
Future Plans
For the future of Helping Hand, I am looking to acquire more experts and categories. With that, I want to continue to make the app more accessible to more people. After such, I hope to acquire sponsors that support the cause of connecting people with experts to exchange knowledge and learn no matter where they are.
I hope to also add a Classroom feature. This feature will allow experts to run classes once or a few times a month to show a specific skill. Users can pay for the classroom session on time or each class.
Another feature I would like to implement is a pro version of the app. This will allow user to access certain aspects of the app the the casual user. Free 1-on-1 session, ability to attend any Classroom session, etc.
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