Despite its popularity UX is a relatively new field. Many people have their own terms and ways of expressing UX concepts. It is easy for industry jargons to create confusion as the world of UX expands, and people of varied backgrounds begin to work together. The goal of this project is to create a unified lexicon, for anyone within or dealing with, the UX community.
Research
A variety of research methods were applied throughout the
project in order to obtain information.
In person and remote user interviews
Secondary research
Prototype testing
Competitive analysis
Upon analyzing the research it was clear that users
exhibited two main outlooks. These two viewpoints shaped
the way they saw and interacted with the glossary.
Novice Practitioner
The novice user enjoys this resource for the ease of use. For them, this is a tool that allows them to customize their learning journey and gain more confidence and using insdustry terminology.
Senior Practitioner
The senior user enjoys this resource as a way to quickly check their understanding of terms. They also like to share or bookmark terms for later use or sharing with colleagues.
Click the images to enlarge.
First Iteration
It was decided that a layout similar to other online glossaries was
optimal. In order to accommodate various learning styles an alphabet
picker, a search bar, as well as a list of all terms were all included.
Based on the user testing, it seemed that the product was off to
a good start. The main observation was in regard to the letter picker.
Roughly 50% of the test participants liked the idea of having a
letter picker. However, none of the participants seemed to choose
this as the primary method of searching.
Second Iteration
Our second iteration explored expanded search options and gamified learning, but some design elements needed clarity for users.
In the second iteration, the design was opened up and and featured
a variety of experimental features. In this version the letter
picker was replaced by a secondary search bar. There was a central
search bar as part of the home screen and a second in the right
corner as a universal search bar that would appear on each page.
The word of the day feature was changed in this iteration.
The intention of this feature is to provide users with a selection
of vocabulary words that changes each day. Since it is understood
that the UX experience of the target audiences varied, three
different words each more complex than the last were added. In order
to differentiate the three levels varying stroke weights on the
boxes were used to identify difficulty. Thin being the easiest
and the thick being hardest. While this feature was enjoyed by
the users during testing sessions, they didn't understand the
outlining and what it signified.
Based on pre-existing learning tools for students, a game was added
to help practitioners learn vocabulary in a fun way. The game
presents a word and the user has to pick the correct definition.
It was believed that this would be a fun way to learn as well as a
way for users to test their current knowledge.
Click the image to enlarge.
Click the image to enlarge.
Third Iteration
This iteration addressed some concerns but needs visual structure improvement and a solution for overlapping term categories.
User feedback led to the central search bar becoming a permanent feature on the Home Screen, enhancing the user experience.
Many people
liked that it was front and center. With the addition of the word
"search" inside the text box, people felt more sure that it was
indeed a search bar. Given its likeness to Google's homepage,
users could figure out where to search for terms and felt
comfortable since the interaction was similar to one that
they had completed many times before.
The confusion of the "Word of the Day" feature, presented in
previous iterations, was stripped down to one word and placed in
a large box with the definition. This was preferred by users.
Categorization of the terms was the next added feature of the product.
They were grouped by the conceptual category (tools, UX
methodologies, processes, etc.) they fit in rather than
alphabetically. The main problem with this was that many terms in
UX belong in more than one category and there was a lot of
overlapping of terms.
Visual structure was a main problem with this iteration. All the
elements that made up the page were varied in size and inconsistent.
Test participants reported that they were unsure of where their
eye should go.
Photo by Samantha Borges on Unsplash.
Fourth Iteration
User testing led to simplifying the "Word of the Day" and adding an archive feature, while removing a disliked mascot and game format.
Color and a website mascot character were added for the penultimate
iteration of the project. While the color wasn't a huge issue,
test participants disliked the mascot. It was said to be creepy
and they didn't feel that it went well with the purpose of the
website. Based on that feedback these elements were discarded.
While users liked the idea of having a way to quiz themselves, they didn't
like that it was formatted as a game.
In order to avoid the visual hierarchy problem presented in the
previous iteration, it was decided to return to the idea of having
three "Word of the Day" boxes at the bottom of the screen. This
time it was kept simple and didn't have any defining marks to
distinguish the difficulty of the term.
It was then decided to create a way for archiving terms for later
reference. This feature went over tremendously well with our test
participants.
Click the images to enlarge.
Fifth Iteration
User testing led to a final website with glossary, flashcards, term archive, search, and categorized entries with definitions, visuals, and resources
At this point, our team had split up and I was making my own prototype.
After taking everything that had been learned from testing the
website, it was decided what the main features of the site would
include: a glossary of all terms listed alphabetically, a flash card
feature to replace the vocabulary game, and an archive of
the user's saved terms.
The central search bar from previous designs was kept as the test
participants found it useful. In addition, as a way to provide a
starting point for new UX practitioners, some quick links to
categories of words were kept. Some people found that having a
jumping off point in their education journey to be helpful.
This is what a user would find upon clicking on a link to a term.
Included were a definition, a visual example of the concept
where applicable, a list of related terms, and resources that
are tied into the concept/term.
The Glossary Tab
This is the "Glossary" tab. Users can click the link to the
page of any word. The letter picker remained as a feature in the
event that someone knew exactly what word they were looking for.
People just starting out or those who want to see a list of words
laid out, are able to scroll through them and find what they are
looking for.
Photo by WebFactory Ltd on Unsplash.
The Archive Tab
This is what a user would find under the "My Archive" tab. This is
the section where all of their "starred" words get saved. From here
it functions similarly to the "Glossary" section. Words are organized
alphabetically and there is a letter picker. From this page, users
can click on any word in their list which is linked to the word's
definition page. Users can also remove a word from their archive
by clicking the star to the left of the word.
The Flashcard Tab
Instead of continuing with the game idea previously proposed, a
flash card feature was chosen instead. This tool allows users to
make decks of cards they would like to review. All the decks are
saved and can be used for a variety of purposes. Once a user selects
which deck they would like to review, the first card comes up.
From here, a user can save that word to their archive, go directly
to the term's information page, create a new deck, or flag the word
for review later. At the end of reviewing the deck, the user will
see a list of all words that were flagged for review.
Photo by WebFactory Ltd on Unsplash.
Constructing A Deck
This shows how decks are constructed. If a user has a list of
words in mind, they can simply click the check box by all the words
they want in the deck and click “done”. The new deck will be made.
This shows how the users decks will be displayed.
Photo by WebFactory Ltd on Unsplash.
Next Steps
Due to the time constraints of the course, user tests of the most
recent prototype were not completed.