Comment by Kirsten
The Project / The Client
This project was part of the master course ‘HCD and UX Principles’ which provided the students with hands-on experience in a real-world project environment. The college collaborated with a non-profit organization called ‘ProRetina’, the largest and oldest non-profit patient association for people with retinal diseases. The goal of this course was to redesign a part of the organization’s existing website in order to make it more accessible and user-friendly, as it is often the first point of contact for people with visual disabilities. For this purpose, principles from human-centered design and user experience should be applied.
1. Understand
Research
Before we started to redesign the website, we had to conduct an extensive research on the topics: Web Accessibility, Usability, Retinal Diseases and much more, to get an overview of the topic.
In-Depth Interviews / User Research
Before we started to redesign the website, we had to conduct an extensive research on the topics: Web Accessibility, Usability, Retinal Diseases and much more, to get an overview of the topic.
2. Define
Insight-Sorting
Following the UX research and in-depth interviews, we used the technique of insight sorting to categorize and group user insights based on patterns and themes. This helped us to better unterstand the needs and pain points of users.
Problem Definition
It became evident that the web navigation required immediate attention. The web navigation is a critical component of a website as it facilitates users in quickly and easily accessing the content they seek. This is especially crucial for ProRetina, given that their website serves as one of the primary sources of information for individuals with visual impairments who require rapid and seamless access to information. An effective web navigation system can enhance the user experience, boost engagement on the site, and promote easy access to vital information.
3. Rapid Prototyping
We conducted rapid prototyping to generate three new web navigation ideas: 1) Hexagon Pattern, 2) Interactive Fonts, and 3) Card Design. However, due to time constraints, we were unable to develop all of them to a level where users could test them using screen readers. Thus, we identified other websites that had similar web navigation designs to our three ideas.
4. Usability Testing
During our initial user testing for the ProRetina website, we presented three web navigation ideas to users and asked them to test the interactive options (Rapid Prototyping). This enabled us to eliminate two navigation ideas that were unsuitable for screen reader usage. The Card Design received the most positive feedback, leading us to proceed with this concept. In a subsequent round of usability testing, we utilized the AB Testing method by showing users two prototypes with minor differences. Based on user feedback, we employed the ‘Start, Stop, Continue Retrospective’ method to iterate on our prototype until arriving at the final design.
3. Deliver
Success!
The Client was thoroughly impressed with the outcome of our new navigation concept, and expressed their admiration for our team’s hard work and dedication. They were particularly impressed with the innovative ideas we brought to the table and they were eager to implement many of them into the new website. In fact, they offered both (my study colleague and me) a job, citing our exceptional UX/UI design skills and innovative thinking. Overall, the client was thrilled with the final result and grateful for our team’s contributions to the project.