Stay connected and up to date.
REmind is designed to help people create, view, and organize their lives as simply and as quickly as possible. But what if you could also track when everyone will arrive at a meeting, or see if a contact was near? Features like location tracking let you know when everyone will arrive.
Role
UX/UI Designer and Researcher
Goals
Increase user productivity
Timeframe
12/2020 - 2/2021
How might we help people manage tasks with less stress?
I needed to discover why users had such a difficult time keeping organized. I kept these questions in mind when sending surveys and conducting interviews:
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What are pain points users have with organizational tools?
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What are ideal ways for users to log tasks?
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How can we reduce stress and increase productivity?
24
6
Try Me.
Motion test with revised design.
Surveys Collected
User Interviews
The painful truth of trying to be organized
The most surprising finding for me was that many (4 of 6) resort to using the old fashioned pen and paper to remember things in addition to their digital tools. Most found that they also lost track or forgot about tasks which were written down.
3 of 6
Too many steps to create tasks and events
Difficult to add tasks when doing something else
4 of 6
3 of 6
Stressful viewing all of tasks one has to complete
Difficult to see upcoming tasks quickly and conveniently
5 of 6
"...I have too many things on a list I couldn't possibly do in one day."
“Don’t have a reliable calendar system that I ever check..."
"...I can't sleep the night before because I am so worried...I don't want to miss it or screw it up."
Further Understanding with an Affinity Map
Surprising was the number of ways people had used workarounds to keep their lives and tasks organized.
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Some users created a sort of "Frankenstein" tool to contain all the features they needed which worked for them. Many people used different tools, including written notes, to make up for features lacking. There definitely needs to be a more comprehensive task organizer for people to use.
Two Personas
Why Two Personas?
Although they shared some characteristics, there were definitely some key differences:
Single Guy Joe
- Mainly creates tasks for self
- Wants to be proactive​
Busy Mom Anna
- Needs to be aware of others needs/tasks
- Needs to have less stress
Defining Basic User Needs
Increase Productivity
As a busy user I would like to see an overview of my tasks, so that I can create a productive schedule
Keeping Focus
As a busy user I would like to quickly enter tasks, so that I can focus on my current work and not lose any momentum
Completing Tasks
As a busy user I would like to keep my schedule current, so that I can work on their completion
Prioritize Tasks
As a busy user I would like to prioritize my tasks, so that I can complete them in order of importance
Prototypes and User Testing
Testing Results
There were no major issues discovered. Minor issues such as overlooking CTA buttons could be easily resolved by enlarging or moving to a more prominent position.
3 of 6
Had difficulty finding a couple of action items. Particularly "edit" and "add task".
6 of 6
Were able to complete all the tasks assigned.
6 of 6
Were able to tell the purpose of the prototype.
Inspiration from Nature
Stress had been expressed as a major pain point in the user interviews. To address this I chose to draw from nature. Soothing colors and flowing shapes were abundant elements. I could envision the overall look and feel of the project to feature smooth, calming elements.
Hex Colors
#ffc507
#d28a00
#A67924
#A26923
#8c5f27
#a6a6a6
#515050
HiFi Prototype
A visual way to keep organized
See immediately what is next. The largest bubbles are more immediate events/tasks. The outside rings lighten to re-emphasize this.
“Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text, and it takes twice as long to process and recognize words.”
An environment created for doing
Colors, shapes, and simplicity create an inviting and relaxing environment. It is easier to use a tool consistently when you want to use it.
Keep ahead of tasks
Receive messages regarding tasks/events from others in your circle. Know what they need done immediately, rather than finding out when you next talk to them.
Try Me.
What users thought..
Thought:
Two users mentioned that they didn't care for the color palette.
Thought:
Three users thought the messaging center was a good idea but wish it had more features.
Solution:
Employ a customizable color palette.
Solution:
Do more testing to find what users really wanted to do with this feature. What would be important in developing this feature?
Learnings
Ideas and research need to be updated after new findings.
With each new set of findings from research, and testing, it is vital to understand ways in which the project can be enhanced with these. Research and testing is great for validating assumptions, but incorporating these finding into the project makes for a richer user experience.
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You don't know as much as you think you do.
There were some assumptions I had when starting this project, which were incorrect or not inline with actual user experiences. The importance on visuals (such as the circular event indicators) was not in the forefront of my design until I spoke to users. They wanted something which could be identified instantly. Something more visual. Up until that point I was going with the standard text reminders/indicators.
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