Project 6: Teech (UX/UI)
Weeks 8 & 9 — Designing an App for Freelance Teachers (English version)
INTRODUCTION
The last two weeks of the Bootcamp have arrived and we have to face the last individual project. Like the previous one, we had to come on Monday with some problems and see which ones were going to be validated. This time there was no theme in particular, but they recommended us to choose a problem that we liked and that we controlled. As a freelance French teacher, I had noticed the following problem with my colleagues:
Freelance teachers have their students on different channels, so they do not have good visibility of their work and their earnings.
UX PROCESS
Duration: 5 days
Empathize
In order to start the project, I had to validate my problem thanks to the research process. I used the Lean Survey Canvas to prepare my survey and interviews. I also did a Competitive Analysis. In the end, from the 40 answers of the survey and the 15 interviews, I was able to get the following information:
Define
On the second day, I started to collect all the research information thanks to the Affinity Diagram and I formulated the Lean UX Canvas to better define the problem and understand the business outcomes and the Users benefits.
Next, I put myself in the shoes of my user and in order to do it I did the User Persona and then the User Journey. I put myself in the shoes of Steve, a freelance English teacher established in Madrid. Steve teaches in academies, online, but also gives private lessons. He likes his job very much, but feels that he does not have all the control that he would like to have and worries a lot because his salary is very variable.
Next, I did the User Scenario to see how my tool could affect my user’s day. In this case we can see how, thanks to the tool, our user has better control of his schedule, his students and his earnings.
Ideate
On Wednesday, we started the ideation phase. Performing a brainstorming as well as a Mind map has helped me a lot to imagine a possible solution to my problem. From there, I did a Crazy Eights to bring my ideas to life.
SOLUTION
Thanks to all this process, I had a much clearer idea of my solution. Create an app for freelance teachers that allows them to have their class schedule at hand (with the possibility of making modifications at any time, as well as having control of the groups of work), a portfolio of students ordered according to the different places where teachers teach classes to have better visibility of the students and have all their contacts in the same place and, last but not least, a functionality that allows them to see the status of their earnings without having to count at the end of month, and that allows them to set a monthly goal to have control over their salary.
Prototype and Test
First, I did a Card sorting to organize the information and be able to make the Sitemap of my application. Next, I drew the Low-fi, tested it, and then drew the Mid-fi. It was also necessary to draw the User Flow to see what the user’s journey through the web would be. In this case, it has been a bit difficult for me to find the ideal User Flow that allows me to show my MVP in the best possible way.
UI PROCESS
Duration: 5 days
Last week was dedicated to the UI part of the project. Making a moodboard was essential to be able to define the attributes of the brand, and then choosing the colors and the typography of the app. It has not been an easy task to find pictures about freelance teachers, but in the end I achieved my goal. Thanks to the survey, users defined the brand as professional, functional and personalized.
From the moodboard, two colors have stood out: blue and orange, but I had to find the perfect tone. From there, I started doing tests on one of my screens to see the result and test it with users, and I also checked that my colors were accessible. In the end, I decided to use the SF Compact Rounded font because it is clean and easy to read and especially the round side corresponded to an organization app where there are few texts.
Next, I started to think about the name and logo of my brand and made the Style tiles, the Style Guide and the UI Kit. Finally, thanks to all those tools, I was able to draw the High-Fi Prototype that we can see below.
After logging in, our user arrives at the initial screen where he finds his agenda and can find a recap of the week. He can also enter any class and make modifications. Today, our user wants to add a new student so he goes to the students section, selects the channel that corresponds to the new student, in this case “private classes” and clicks the “+” button to add him. He has to fill in an information section about the student and establish the schedules. Finally, the user goes to the earnings section to review his monthly salary as well as control his goal for the month.
NEXT STEPS AND MONETIZATION
As next steps, it would be necessary to develop in depth the part of student monitoring to further optimize the work of the autonomous teacher as well as designing the tablet or web version of the application. If we talk about monetization, a single payment model or a subscription to the app could be proposed.
LESSONS
This last project at Ironhack has once again been very enriching. Being the sixth project and the second individual one, I noticed that I had a better control of the tools and deadlines. I have organized myself well despite the accumulated fatigue of the nine weeks and managed to dedicate more time to the High-fi prototype and the keynote presentation. I could also count on my colleagues’ support at all times and I did many tests with them in order to improve the project. I really thank all of them.
To finish, I can affirm that I found during the Bootcamp what I was looking for: to get out of my comfort zone, learn by doing and practicing, and meet talented people. I have loved the world of UX/UI and I only wish one thing: that this does not stop.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope to come back soon with new projects,
Estelle.
P.S. I’m waiting for your questions and I’m open to work. If you’re interested, drop me a line: e.martini26@gmail.com.
Puedes encontrar este artículo en español aquí:
https://e-martini26.medium.com/proyecto-6-teech-ux-ui-fcf2f85bbdcf
