Problem Statement
Test Wise is a project tracking and testing platform by KDIT Solutions. With a growing client base and increasingly complex tasks, they needed a solution for better task tracking and analysis. To meet this need, they aimed to build a task tracking module within Test Wise to help clients:
- View and track tasks efficiently
- Analyze and communicate task details effectively
The president of KDIT Solutions stressed the importance of a proper design process, leading them to outsource the project to me and two other designers from the Springboard UX design bootcamp. This ensured the project followed a structured design approach. Note: Test Wise is a pseudonym used for intellectual property protection.
My Role
In this one-month project, I collaborated with two designers to help KDIT Solutions enhance their application, Test Wise. My primary contributions included:
- UX Research: Leveraged my experience with similar tools to identify opportunities for differentiation and make informed design decisions.
- Design Solutions: Assisted in developing alternate high-fidelity screen designs.
- Tools Used: Utilized Figma for creating wireframes and personas, which supported our final design outcomes.
Meeting the Client
For this project, I collaborated with two designers to address the challenges faced by KDIT Solutions. During our initial meeting with Pranjal, the president, he shared his experiences and the difficulties encountered in creating the requirement dashboard module. He expressed a desire to restart the process, ensuring adherence to a structured design approach.
Design Process
Research
Competitive Analysis
Persona
Ideate
Wireframes
Design
High Fidelity Screens
To tackle the project, our team decided to start with research, including competitive analysis and persona development. We then moved on to ideation, creating wireframes, and finally concluded with high-fidelity frames and a small prototype.
Before starting the ideation process, our team met with Pranjal to discuss the key aspects of the requirements dashboard for Test Wise:
- Functionality within the application
- Agile Workflow standards
- Differentiation to set our dashboard apart
Prior to our second meeting, our team conducted more research on KDIT Solutions to identify necessary features. During the second meeting, we took additional time to ask detailed questions about the module and its use within Test Wise. I recognized that the module was similar to a tool I had used at my job, allowing me to offer valuable insights.
Pranjal acknowledged my experience and emphasized the importance of:
- Simplicity
- User Customization
We then scheduled a follow-up meeting to present our research analysis.
Competitive Analysis
After meeting with Pranjal to understand how the module would work within Test Wise, I led the competitive analysis. We focused on key project management tools like Airtable, Jira, Azure DevOps, and Asana to identify strengths and weaknesses and pinpoint areas where our module could offer unique value.
Using my software development background and experience with task management tools, I explained how these platforms support Agile workflows and enterprise needs. This analysis aligned our solution with Pranjal’s vision and set the stage for our next presentation, showcasing how our approach could fill gaps and stand out in the market.
Persona
To ensure our design choices resonated with current clients of Test Wise and aligned with Pranjal’s expectations, our team developed a persona. I led this effort, leveraging my experience with similar tools and insights from our initial meetings with Pranjal.
- Align design decisions with real client needs and goals.
- Create a shared understanding among the team for informed decision-making.
- Present research analysis to show how solutions would stand out and meet client objectives.
Our persona focused on a start-up owner, Alex, who struggles with tracking team tasks as his business scales. This approach helped us understand pain points and user needs, guiding our design to address these effectively.
After presenting our research analysis, Pranjal found our findings promising. He confirmed that the persona effectively captured his clients' goals and pain points. Key feedback from our competitive analysis included:
- Agreement on Jira and Azure's complex UI and steep learning curve, which he wanted to avoid in the module.
- Appreciation for Asana's simplicity and customizable features.
- Emphasis on the critical importance of issue tracking for the module, aligning with our persona's goals.
Informed by this feedback, we began the ideation phase and worked on low-fidelity wireframes that balanced user customization and essential task-tracking capabilities.
Low-fidelity Wireframes
Again, After meeting with Pranjal, our team gained a clear understanding of the user needs, module goals, and his expectations. We then used insights from our competitive analysis to craft low-fidelity wireframes. These wireframes serve to visualize key functionalities, ensuring our design aligns with user requirements and simplifies task tracking.
The features presented include:
- Kanban boards
- Customizable Dashboard
- Table of tasks and their statuses
- Task Detail pages
- Ability to add new tasks
As we transitioned to creating high-fidelity screens, our primary focus was to ensure clarity in task tracking for users. We revisited our persona to align our design decisions with the needs and expectations of our clients.
After presenting our wireframe ideations to Pranjal, he affirmed that we were on the right track but advised us to follow a format akin to the Requirements and Test app for Jira. This feedback was crucial; it highlighted the need for a design that not only meets industry standards but also facilitates a straightforward user experience. By integrating this insight, we aimed to enhance the usability of our tool, ensuring clients could effortlessly track their team's progress.
With this foundation, we confidently moved forward in developing our high-fidelity screens, focusing on creating a solution that effectively addresses user needs while aligning with Pranjal's vision.
High Fidelity Prototype
During the design phase, our team developed three distinct solutions to ensure a comprehensive approach. We drew on insights from our discussions with Pranjal and our understanding of the persona, which guided our design choices. Each solution integrated innovative features while adhering to industry standards , such as:
- A table list view for task tracking, inspired by the Requirements and Task app.
- A customizable dashboard for users to tailor their experience.
- A clear and intuitive UI to enhance usability.
After presenting our designs to Pranjal, one solution stood out for its exceptional execution , prompting us to adopt it as our primary approach. Key features of this chosen solution included:
- An accordion feature for navigating sub-tasks easily.
- Live chat functionality for seamless team communication.
- Options for both project board and list views .
- A task details page for in-depth task information.
- A customizable dashboard with the ability to add widgets.
This structured approach ensured that our final solution met user needs while aligning with Pranjal's vision and expectations.
Crossing the finish line
As our team concluded the project and presented our final screens and prototype to Pranjal, he responded very positively to our solutions. He shared that he plans to use our designs as the foundation for building the module, allowing his team to expand upon it and eventually begin development. Overall, our team felt proud to have worked with our first real-world client and made a significant impact on their company.
My main takeaway from this project is a strong sense of pride in both what I accomplished and how I worked with my team. I was able to showcase my UX research skills while also demonstrating effective communication, leadership, and collaboration, especially when contributing to my team's UI designs. The most important key takeaways from this project include these valuable experiences.
- Our client was pleased with our solution, particularly the dynamic display of tasks for specific requirements and the use of horizontal scroll to view all tasks.
- Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we were unable to conduct any testing. In the future, it's best to allocate time for testing.
- Despite the time difference and having a client in Canada, our group effectively communicated and ensured our client was updated weekly.
- This experience was incredibly valuable, as I learned how to effectively work with real-world clients, apply my technical knowledge to UX research, and collaborate with a diverse group of designers.
