Duration: 6 weeks (9.9.21-10.18.21)
Type: Individual design, class-wide problem discovery
Role: Design, research
Tools: Figma
This was the first project I completed in my Major Studio 1A class in the Parsons MPS Communication Design program, with guidance from our professor Clara Bunker.
The challenge was to redesign Tutor Orial, a fictional website for connecting students with tutors.
As a class we marked up the existing flow, to identify problems.
The existing flow had users create an account before knowing what they were getting into, the form asked for unnecessary information, the navigation was poor, the prompts were vague, and the order of events didn’t make sense.
After conducting initial annotations as a class, I individually conducted a heuristic evaluation in order to identify the top problems to focus on.
Next, we performed adjacent industry audits, looking to other services that involve booking experiences and collecting personal information before joining. I primarily looked to Airbnb and OpenTable for booking experiences, and Stitch Fix and Function of Beauty for collecting personal information. See the image on the right for more details!
Next, I brainstormed potential flows for Tutor Orial and created sketches for wireframes.
One prototype had the user enter personal information, select a tutor, then create an account.
The other prototype had the user create an account, enter personal information, then select a tutor.
I created low fidelity prototypes of these two flows in Figma in order to conduct user testing.
I had 4 users test both prototypes. I took notes and recordings, and received some mixed feedback on specific features and the overall experience. For example, some users liked how quick and simple the process was, and some thought it felt impersonal and transactional.
I selected and combined some elements from each flow that users resonated with in order to create a revised flow. Because users were split between preferring the tutor view and the calendar view, I decided to include options for both views in my revised flow.
I wanted the branding to be friendly, calming, and trustworthy, so I chose rounded shapes and soothing shades of green.
I also wanted the website to appeal to parents looking for tutors for their kids as well as older students looking on their own, so I wanted to keep the branding pretty simple and universally appealing.
If I had more time, I would like to do more research, develop stronger branding, and add more interaction to my prototype.
Looking back, I realize that I might have fixated too much on the aspect of collecting personal information before finding a tutor, and I wish I had considered cutting out that step completely.
Through this project I learned how to use Figma, that people like simplicity and having options, and not to box yourself in early on.
Interact with the high-fidelity prototype below:
Thank you for reading, and please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!
