Research Portfolio

Hello !

My name is Jenn Wong.

I’m a design researcher and UX designer, let tell you a bit about how I ended up on your monitor.

A bit about myself...

Hello!

I’m an explorer originally from the San Francisco Bay, California. I started my studies in Architecture at USC in Los Angeles. But after several years of exploring architecture, advertising, film, news, and interactive technology, I decided continue learning about designing in a different context focusing on human centered design , research and technology.

This is only the beginning to my endless journey, and I’m looking forward to continuing my journey as a design research in user experience & service design (depends what you want to call it). At the end of the day, despite the title, I want to be involved in working with end users to understand their needs and wants to develop the correct service and/or experience.

On top of all that I do for work and study, I have also found a new passion and excitement for life through sports, food and traveling. The social interactions among these activities is incredibly diverse and personal, making them unique ways to better understand the people I am around.

I love what I do, to connect with users from all different types of lifestyles and learn a bit about their experiences and culture.

One

Understanding the Context

ABN AMRO Youth Banking During this research project, we focused on a specific tool called Context Mapping. This method helps researchers and designers to identify the specific context of use and the key moments and insights that will help connect the product/ service to the end consumers need. Through the process, participants are encouraged to explore their context through the process of making and illustrations.

Session with Teens (12-15) on spendings and savings

Work book packets were given to each participant in order to help them become familiarized with the topics that would come up in the session. They also help to provide deeper insights on their daily lives and context of use.

Industry: Banking

https://www.abnamro.nl/nl/ prive/kinderen/index.html Role: Research material strategy and design, analysis and visual communication design

Teen making a time line of their life events

Teens were encouraged to join a whatsapp conversation indicating things that they liked. They often sent images to the whatsapp group to share their daily lifestyle.

Strict parent strategy

HE

T

Dreamer Average Indifferent towards money Go with the flow Lives day to day

Free Controlling the parents No responsibility Manupulating parent I get everything anyway

L

Frederique

COVERERS

THE

FRE

EW

HEE

Zella

Marl een

LIN

Amel

POILE

Rosa

THE FREE SELF DIS

Financially growing up

THE S

Young Parents in control Not free Parents teach

GD

REA

R

ne

T-ALL S

Shiri

Youngsters control their parents

Example of one of the life timelines that was created by the participants in the session.

Financially grown-up

Responsible Discover by himself ‘Trial and error’

D GE

tle Gen

Re do ua

n

ME

Who’s in control

Financially young

D

DE

I GU

RS

NE

R EA

Persona Grid Identifying the 4 different personas developed through the research

Representation of the personas through the use of a wallet to help the company connect with the teens’ lifestyles.

Our presentation to the client was done in an interactive workshop in which the client had to work with the personas and additional materials given to them. Together with our team, they learned to generate ideas through a brainstorm session using key insights from our research.

Two

working with users and participants

Experience

E

Reflect

R

My Guardian

R

C

Ambient Assisted Living This project focuses on the design and use of prototyping and testing materials in order to help users create and share stories among participants about a difficult topic. Formal and informal caregivers of dementia patients work together to help us build an understanding on their problems, concerns and needs for the My Guardian phone application.

E

C

Critique

In order to gain insights on the informal and formal caregivers’ experiences, we need to elicit insights through Experience through recreation with a set of paper materials.

By sharing these experiences, group members can Critique and Reflect on the experiences. The illustration above shows two possible scenarios participants use to talk about their experiences.

Caregiver Session

Environment Elements (House, Park, Grocery Store, Call Center, Care Center):):

Actors (Patient, Formal Caregiver, Informal Caregiver):

Industry: Healthcare

http://myguardian-project.eu/

Role: Research material strategy and design, analysis and visual communication design

Session Materials

Other elements (Alarms, other items):

Online Program Paper Prototype (Home, Alarm):

Scenario results after the Session

(Prospective) Teacher SOCIAL EXPERIENCE

Service Science FACTORY and Maastricht Univerity

How can I motivate and engage my students to learn?

Communication Overview Content |

Blogs, Infographics, Quotes, Videos

VERY IMPORTANT

AVAILABLE TIME LOW

HIGH

LIFE-LONG LEARNER -

I find it difficult to get students to be interested in the subject. To them it’s just another step towards their degree. They aren’t engaged in the learning experience.

MOOC communication strategy

+

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NOT IMPORTANT

VERY IMPORTANT

MOTIVATION TO FINISH WEAK

STRONG

GOOGLE search on key terms that she recalls SEO

Channels

Content will also be used on website

In this porject, we focused on researching and developing a communication strategy for Maastricht University’s first PBL MOOC course. This required determining the user group through interviews which would result in personas and customer journey maps. After determining the different personas, different communication methods were developed and matched with personas to develop a full strategy.

NOT IMPORTANT

Scans the internet for various methods of teaching via blogs, YouTube, Wikipedia, social media, etc.

Social Media Anything I find, I will share with my colleages, since they often talk about the same problem.

Personas Persona 2: Experienced Teacher Persona 3: Curriculum Coordinator

The blog can provide insightful information to the user so that she finds on the UM PBL MOOC site a good source of teaching information.

Teaser Videos

The teaser videos make the option of taking a MOOC (specifically the PBL one) more interesting, so she continues to search for more.

I’ve tried some new solutions I found online, but they don’t really work for my students.

She looks for more disucssion forums to join and also searches for more in depth reading material.

SIGN UP UM/MOOC website

Through Social Media, such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, the user can find useful information to share with her colleagues.

Blog When talking to colleagues, she finds out that they don’t have any solutions to offer, but are interested in what she has shared with them.

Persona 1: (Prospective) Teacher

SEO will help bring the PBL MOOC site, social media pages, etc. to the user when they use search engines like GOOGLE.

NovoEd website

Finds the teaser videos appealing so she decides to look futher about MOOCs and the PBL MOOC. Website

The website will show her all the necessary information about the MOOC and feature the MOOC’s benefits and some case studies.

I really love learning so I think a MOOC is really well suited to help me gain good teaching skills.

Industry: Education

http://www.ssf-maastricht.nl/ http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/ Role: User research, analysis, strategy development and graphic design

Landing Page

The customer journey (right) shows a basic journy the user takes (blue is actions, orange is quotes) and points of action (yellow) in the different communication channels menioned in the communication overview (above).

Her interest fuels her to find out more about the PBL MOOC and it’s innovative appraoch to using PBL online to teach her PBL. Maybe this is something she can apply in her classroom as well.

Info. Video

The Sign Up!

The landing page gives the user the NEED TO KNOW information about the MOOC in order to help her make a decision about taking a MOOC.

The videos will provide convincing information to supplement her interest in the PBL MOOC. This will help tip her towards sign up.

Three

Turning the research into design results

SIGMA Bike Computer Cycling for Fitness and Fun During our usability study of the Sigma Bike Computer, we researched the current trends, developments, and needs of beginning cyclists. With this information, we were able to make a well grounded design that would help inspire beginning cyclists to continue training.

Cyclists Needs Session

Industry: Cycling + Fitness

Infographic illustrating the needs and expectations of cyclists for training.

http://www.sigmasport.com/ Role: Management and planning, research material strategy and design, analysis, and user testing

Usability Test - before the rider goes out for training

Oragne:Output power < target output Yellow: Output power = target output and consistent Green: Output power > target output, still safe

Categorization of ideas based on requirements of the new product.

Initial detailing of final concept. The bike computer now gives the cyclists easier to understand metrics through color and distance. Cyclists can easily gage their performance while cycling and still have the analytics to review after training.

Final design - display and motivational interaction

Scenario of a good training cycle.

Concept user testing : both interaction and product embodiment.

Final design - analytical information on bike computer, only shows up when selected by cyclist.

Four

Putting it all together: Design Research

ADAM Engaging and Empowering Citizens to be Active in Environmental Quality This is a brief overview of my graduation project for an environmental protection agency of the Rotterdam Region in the Netherlands. Thought the project I have researched on the interest and needs of citizens in terms of learning more about environment and air quality. After months of research, the result suggested an interactive kids game in which kids would be able to learn, explore and act environmental concerns.

Industry: Environment and Air Quality & Learning through Social Gaming Role: Project Owner

Adam A real world game for kids to learn about environment and air quality.

Adam is a real life game with online challenges and game play that empowers children to learn, act, and inform about air quality and environment.

Research structure

Six main points of importance identified from user study Research on the topics, industry developments, stakeholders, etc.

Define.

Design goal and interaction vision formulated to create ideas and concepts.

Design.

Loop

Develop.

After selecting a concept, define and refine the concept and deatils.

Iteration.

Iteration cycle allows your to develop the concept with user feedback.

Validate.

Validation allows the design to be evaluated against the set criteria and look for future recommendataions and actions.

Family User Group Personal exposure while biking

A lack of green space

Inability to improve without damage to economy

Communication

insights

Contribution Emissions & Green Space

Lack of understanding on health effects

Increasing interest through finding a personal realtion to the topic

Finding and indentifying problems that trigger interest and personal link to the citizens

The Future

Knowing your community becomes more important when children are present, making it a higher priority.

Children help bring other young families with children together.

The rewards and feedback will encourage and motivate the parents and children.

Parents will get rewarded by knowing the impact they have on the envrionment, their childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future and information on further steps to take in creating a better future.

Connecting with others in the same area who share topic interests

Citizens with children have a great investment in the health of the city in the future.

Additionally, children can learn early on the importance of environment and air quality with the hope that they will be more active in bettering the environment later in life.

Rewards & Feedback

Children will get fun rewards in games and activities whild learning.

GPS

Recommuncations & Actions

Nearby parks and play areas become more important so that children have the possibility to be outdoors.

Community Importance

Political

Citizens

Green Spaces

Odors and smog in the wind from industry

Communication structure of the system

Uninterested and uninformed

Creating awareness among citizens to learn and know about the problems

Impact Children have a great learning impact on adults. Children can help spread infromation and interest to parents.

Lack of government initiative

DCMR & Information

Route to citizen activism

Chosen user group after research

Creating and finding solutions together for problems in the area / raising awareness

Effects on Health Children are the most susceptible to health issues caused by emission problems. Emissions can reduce the lung capacity for children permanently.

Working together as a community towards developing solutions and implementation Becoming an active citizen

The children are given an ‘Astrocom’ to link their online game world to their physical world.

9:50 AM

Planet terraprime

50

Blanka level: 5 planeten: 1 kolonien: 2

ADAM Kinderen Milieu Exploratie Spel Informatie over Milieu & Lucht Kwaliteit

Children

Game System

Planet terraprime

While going to school, children will collect points and missions for their online game.

50

Blanka level: 5 planeten: 1 kolonien: 2

Planet terraprime

50

Blanka level: 5 planeten: 1 kolonien: 2

Parents

Children

Children

+ Missions

+ Points

School

A storyboard of the designed game system is shown to the left. The design is meant to be primarily used by children to help raise awareness and take action concerning topics of environment and air quality.

+ Missions Planet terraprime

The points allow children to explore, develop and build their own planetary system.

50

Blanka level: 5 planeten: 1 kolonien: 2

Missions are either carried out in the digital or physical game worlds.

Children

+ Missions Most social Missions encourage the children, parents and peers to do activities in the physical realm.

Children also work with Parents and Peers on Missions to learn and act on environment and air quality

Peers

+ Points + Missions

Children

Parents

Children

50

Blanka level: 5 planeten: 1 kolonien: 2

Children

During the missions, children will perform tasks that help them learn and take action on environmental issues.

Children

While playing, the children are encouraged to engage parents and involve them in the game. The game will aim to facilitate the information exchane between children and parents.

Planet terraprime

This game focuses on the transportation method for children and their parents. By changing the way they go to work and school, changing modes of transportation and routes to and from, kids can gain points to use on their online game.

Planet terraprime

9:50 AM

50

Blanka level: 5 planeten: 1 kolonien: 2

9:50 AM

ADAM Kinderen Milieu Exploratie Spel Informatie over Milieu & Lucht Kwaliteit

ADAM Kinderen Milieu Exploratie Spel

Parents

As parents go to work, the also help the child gain Points and Missions.

Informatie over Milieu & Lucht Kwaliteit

The application on the parents phone acts similar to the ‘Astrocom’

+ Points + Missions

Parents

Work

Kids and parents collect tasks for kids to play online and offline either alone, with peers or with their parents.Through the involvement of their parents in the physical activities, the children are able to share the knowledge they have learned from the game.

In their online world, kids can pick a character to build up the planet system of ADAM. By exploring the world, kids can use their points to develop the planet and learn to face the environmental and air quality problems that are recreated and presented in the safe online world to help save and grow their colonies.

The tasks (aka missions) that the kids have collected will be played either online or in person in order to gain more points or unlock secret objects hidden around their world. Through these tasks, kids learn about the causes and effects of different air and environmental pollutants, as well as reasons to resolve them.

Planet terraprime

50

Missies

Missie: Er is niet genoeg eten in jouw stad. De lokale boerderijen zijn niet in staat genoeg eten te produceren. Om je burgers te voeden, moeten er vijf boerderijen gebouwd worden. Dit kan door een klein zaadje te planten met een familielid of buurman/buurvrouw.

Planet terraprime

Doel: 50

TRAIN

als digitaal. De fysieke missies moet je in het echt doen, zoals lopen of fietsen

Blanka

naar school. Tijdens de

planeten: 1

je helpen met behulp van je

verbeterd en je je burgers kan voeden. Maak een foto van de uiteindelijke plat en upload deze foto voor 50 punten!

level: 5

fysieke missies zal je cadet

Laat een paar planten groeien, zodat de kwaliteit van de lucht

BUS

De missies zijn zowel fysiek

Zie anderen -->>

kolonien: 2

Astrocom.

+

De digitale missies moet je in het spel doen.

Uploaden -->>

50

Planet terraprime

50

Blanka level: 5 planeten: 1 kolonien: 2

Volgende! --->

Opening sequence and explaination

Gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world map design

About the Tasks Tasks are both digital and physical. Children can be asked to play an online game or go out and perform a physical activity such as help out in a garden as an activity. The tasks each have different difficultly levels to allow children to pick the level of challenge they want to persue.

Target Children can pick up knowledge while performing these tasks and re-enforce good behavior.

Character design for the game

A post-it picture of my studio space just for good measure. Can never have enough post-its pictures.

Thank you for your time!