The Design of Speed Up Solutions:We Are Not the UsersTeam Frijid PinkKeerthik Omanakuttan, Julie Baca, Karl Schults, and Rose Zeller

Remembering “We are not the user” in every phase of design• Diagnosing the problem

• Identifying who it affects• Determining what users want to

accomplish• Proposing a solution• Our current implementation• Design evolution

PROBLEM: Users’ tasks are made unnecessarily difficult by

unresponsive computers

SOLUTION: Allow the user to speed up the computer

Wally, Google Software Engineer

Wants the solution we want

Sarah, Brandeis Philosophy Student

Wants a fast solution

Vanessa, Corporate Office Worker

Wants an informative solution

Frank, High School Teacher

Wants a safe solution

Scenario: Your computer’s gotten slower!

Goal: Speed up your computer.

Scenario: A program that you are using freezes.

Goal: Resume using the program.

“Power users” can use existing tools, but just about everyone else can’t.

WALLY HAS A SOLUTION

OBJECTIVE: Design for Sarah, Vanessa, and Frank

CATCH: We’re just like Wally

CURRENT PROTOTYPE

DESIGN EVOLUTION:From a product for us to a product

for Frank

INITIAL STORYBOARD

Misguided attempt to cater to both Wally and Frank

• Frank wants different information than Wally

• Frank has different conceptual models than Wally

• Frank understands different language than Wally

DESIGN LESSONS

DISC CLEAN UPORIGINAL DESIGN

Users were overwhelmed by too much information

My FilesFiles needed for the computer to

run

“I should not touch these”

Frank’s Conceptual Model of Files:

“I made these”

DISC CLEAN UP

Frank’s conceptual model is different from Wally’s

DISC CLEAN UPREDESIGN - FIRST PROTOTYPE

DISC CLEAN UPREDESIGN - FIRST PROTOTYPE

Frank wants to know if he should clean, but the details are not as

important to him

DISC CLEAN UPREDESIGN - CURRENT PROTOTYPE

LEARN MOREORIGINAL DESIGN

User’s were confused by “Wally-speak”

LEARN MOREREDESIGN

Simpler language and presentation as FAQs help Frank understand

WE ARE NOT THE USERS

QUESTIONS