UX
Portfolio
Kristina Danielyan
Lighting Interface An app to control the lighting of the upcoming living room portion of the futureHAUS
The futureHAUS A collaborative, multi-year student-faculty project to construct a functional prototype of the ideal House of the Future.
My Challenge My assignment was to put together an app that would control the lighting of the futureHAUS’ living room. This would be a dynamic program that would change the space’s ambience based on the time of day and the functions activated in the space, but would be manually reconfigurable.
Main Lighting | Philips RGB Strips Donated by Philips: iW Graze MX Powercore
Task Lighting | TechLighting Tilt Head
TechLighting Tilt Head with SORAA LED Flexible minimalist head; rotates 360°, pivots 90°. Low-voltage, MR16 lamp of up to 50 watts.
Tech Details: - RGB color LEDs flooding glass ceiling - White tunable light from 2800K to 6000K
Intended Hardware: Wall-mounted iPad
Allow control of 4 variables: Red Green Blue Intensity
Wireframing Home Page
Modes 8:02
8:02
Foyer
Living Room | Lighting
MODES
Modes (selected) 8:02
Modes
Lighting
Lighting
Modes
CHILDREN
MOVIE
READ
CHILDREN
MOVIE
FOCUS
WORKOUT
REFRESH
FOCUS
WORKOUT
DEFAULT
PARTY
ROMANTIC
DEFAULT
PARTY
READ
CUSTOM
Custom Page
Ambient
0 255 179
255 45 85
Custom
255 255 255
AMBIENT
8:02
Ambient
0 255 179
0 236 169
0 255 179
SPOT
Spot
8:02
8:02
Custom
Lighting
ROMANTIC
Spot
Custom
0 236 169
255 45 85
Design Details 8:02
8:02
Lighting
CHILDREN
The lighting app is centered around a stylized floor plan of the living room, which allows the user to orient themselves and to reference their lighting choices to their living space.
Modes
MOVIE
FOCUS
WORKOUT
DEFAULT
PARTY
Custom
READ
Ambient
0 255 179
0 236 169
ROMANTIC
This grid features the preprogrammed modes available to the user. They correspond to a variety of situations, tasks and moods.
The user can pinch the selector to make it a circle to choos a specific color, or pinch out to select a spectrum that gets cycled through. Intensity is adjusted using the slider below.
App Compatability | Design Language
Open Sans Bold Open Sans Light
8:02 AM
8:02 AM
Kitchen
Appliances
Cooktop
Appliances
VENTILATION: ON
OFF
BACK RIGHT OFF
LOW
MEDIUM
HIGH
MEDIUM
HIGH
MEDIUM
HIGH
Line weight 1
FRONT LEFT
OFF
LOW
FRONT RIGHT
OFF
LOW
BACK RIGHT
Base background
OFF
LOW
Open Sans Bold Open Sans Light Line weight 2
MEDIUM
HIGH
Line weight 1
The lighting app has been designed to Line weight 2 be integratedIconvisually and functionally Style | No fill, single weight, curved, simple Base background with the interfaces used to control the kitchen. Much of the same form, line and color language has been carried over to create a unified and beautiful experience. Icon Style | No fill, single weight, curved, simple Selected tile
Selected tile
Deselected tile
Deselected tile background Base
Icon Style | No fill, single weight, curved, simple
10-week module course on design research
Wallet App Research to prelude the development of a digital wallet
Case Study Research for the Development of a Digital Wallet
Interviews The research process revolved around first-person, in-depth interviews that were based off moderation techniques that emphesize neutrality and effective probing.
Planning Lextant’s approach to planning focuses on ideal user experiences, which can be broken down to the basic components of: emotions, benefits, features and attributes. In this project, we narrowed down our research to focus on benefits and features, leading to an ideal solution.
know from past concept evaluations that a major barrier to using a digital wallet app is a reluctance to depart from tangible items. Based on past concept evaluations, you know that you need to talk to people who typically carry some consistent set of items with them. You have about 3 months before product development must begin. Put together a research plan using the planning sheet, then work backwards from your deadlines to help you figure out your timeline.
Methodology
RESEARCH GOALS:
(Fill in the central goal(s) or main purpose of the study, please refer to page 68 for a definition of research goals)
What do we need to do to our app to increase the amount of people using it? Find out what people want rather than convince them to buy your product.
DRAFT RESEARCH KEY QUESTIONS:
(Fill in questions the research must answer in order for the project to be considered a success, please refer to page 68 for a definition of research questions)
- Aside from financial transactions, what is your most common use for your wallet? - What current features of your wallet would you RATHER have in digital form? - What feature of your wallet CAN'T be in digital form? - Are there items in your wallet you wish were digital? - What features would you like to have that aren't possible in a material wallet?
FINAL RESEARCH KEY QUESTIONS:
Patterns The interviews are broken up into individual data points. Using affinity clustering, the information is reorganised into relationship-based categories, giving us fact-based insights to inform the wallet app’s development.
Insights Insights are then grouped into themes, which are then redistributed to higher-level buckets. This breaks the research down concisely into several key concepts.
(Please wait to fill out —we’ll discuss the draft research key questions as a group, then decide on final research key questions.)
- Do people want a completely digital wallet? Can the app be a backup? - What is the wallet used for? - What pain points currently exist with typical wallets? WORKSHEET DESIGN RESEARCH PLANNING - How do consumers feel about replacing tangible items with a digital format? PROJECT: Digital Walet - What hesitations do users have about going digital? - What would a user's ideal wallet be like?
METHODOLOGY
46
WHY?
WHO?
HOW?
WHAT?
WHERE
need ideas
individual
talk
evaluate
in context
have ideas
group
observe
generate
artificial
purchase
details...
use
People tend to take
The use of a wallet
There is currently no
The use of the wallet
evolve
everyday objects for
is fairly repetitive.
prototype work with.
isn't heavily rooted in
revolutionize
granted. Group
details...
discussion can help
Feature ideas, who would buy it
the subjects spark
Moving from physical to digital
ideas in one another.
FIELDING
details...
details...
Watching 50 people Rather, we're trying to
details...
one's environment. In
use one isn't very
scope out what people
fact, its use runs the
different from
would be willing to use
scope of practically
watching 5.
and to change.
all environments.
Solution Model The research process leads up to a number of high-level benefit conclusions that relate to the driving thoughts and behaviors of the future users. The key benefits generated from insight relationships are then used to inform the development of the design. In the case of the digital wallet app, the research indicates that for an app to be viable, it needs to be secure, to have reward-based features, to be structured and easily accesible.
So what does an ideal digital wallet like?
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5-week module course on medical research
Medical Reserach
Identifying and articulating opportunities for improving hip replacement surgery
Case Study Process Analysis for Hip Replacement Surgery
This project’s goal was to create a holistic user experience analyis of the surgeon’s process of performing a hip replacement surgery. The process involves: - Pre-work and research - Observation of the surgery process - Process and problem mapping - Insight translation - Process modification recommendations
Process Observation
Breaking Down the Issues My team and I performed preliminary research to understand what the surgical process involves, what might be happening during the process behind the secens, and who the stakeholders are and their priorities.
Problem Mapping
Problem Analysis Underlying Need Root Cause Underlying Need Problem Insight
Opportunity Cluster Underlying Need Root Cause Underlying Need
Insight Translation Process 1. Root Cause Analysis: Ask ‘why?’ five times for each insight (root cause analysis) 2. Cause Statement: Ask ‘why is this a problem?’ for each insight 3. Need Statement: Identify a problem your product will be solving.
Opportnity Definitions (Need Clusters)
A) The assisting nurse and head surgeon need a less strenuous way to reposition the patient’s leg during surgery.
B) The surgeon needs a more efficient way of parting the incision to access the work area.
C) The surgeon needs a more efficient method of cleaning up
UNDERSTAND CREATE IMPLEMENT Design for America a nationwide network of students using design to create local and social impact. Using human-centered design criteria and in-the-field research, testing and design, we are partnering with them to find design solution to various problems through the steps of understanding, creating, and implementing.
Sponsored by Chrysler
Driving Independence for Older Adults MAINTENANCE ALERTS & WARNINGS Best Practices Research Project
Kristina Danielyan
Sunny Mozhi
Ali Roghani
Jahan Shiekhy
Grady Wagner
How can we create a set of best practice guidelines that can be used to improve the maintenance alert and warning design in cars?
Yearly cost of accidents due to poor car maintenance:
The number of elderly drivers is
increasing.
$2,000,000,000
Concept Mapping
Senior/Expert Interview
600,000 seniors give up
driving each year.
VTech & DFA Research
AFFINITY CLUSTERING Our next step was to gain more specific information on maintenance alerts and warnings by interviewing seniors through online forums. This helped us gain information on what their likes and dislikes were, as well as gather suggestions for what an optimal alert system might be. We used affinity clustering to group responses and interview snippets together to identify the underlying patterns in the interviewees’ responses.
Senior Driver Personas Marjory does not drive anymore after several close calls driving around town. She and her husband have agreed that he would drive because of her neck pain which limits her ability to drive, especially on highways. In addition, Marjory is not as quick as she used to be so it is hard for her to concentrate on all the tasks of driving. Marjory is fiercely independent, so it was a big decision to stop driving and she wishes she was able to have her previous mobility and self-reliance. John sees driving as an important part of his life and identity. It enables him to do what he wants; go to work, visit friends around town, and travel to see his kids. Still, traveling is a chore because he usually has to use his GPS to not get lost and the highway’s fast drivers and large trucks make him uneasy. To bypass these difficulties he will often will take smaller roads, which take longer but feel safer. He likes the minivan because it feels secure and he sees many drivers as aggressive and dangerous. However, John thinks many cars have too many alerts and indicators which distract from driving. While John embraces the GPS and new technologies he still does not trust technology in a high risk situation.
BEST PRACTICES Redefining the norm: the ideal-state solution for maintenance alerts and warning is a simple digital interface that informs the diver of problems as they occur, at times when the driver is not busy driving. The interface should be designed to not only inform the driver, but to take them through the steps needed to resolve the issue.
Interface The maintenance alerts and warnings need to be self-explanatory. Options and personalization should be kept to a minimum. They should announce what the problem is, give a brief explanation of what it means, and indicate what the driver needs to do to fix the problem. The information given by the alerts should be easily read at a glance - this means using as few words as possible with direct, unambiguous phrasing. It should be clear whether you need to take action to fix the car yourself or if you need to take it in to a dealer. To help outline the use of this system and any other functions the car has, include a brief tutorial that runs for the user when they have just purchased the car.
Appearance The alerts should be easily visible, but not distracting to the driver when they’re not needed. Text and images need to be high on contrast. Images need to be low on detail and visually clear. The indicators need to be backlit, but not overly bright. Color and font preferences vary greatly, making it very difficult to generalise a preference for the senior demographic.
Presenting at Chrysler headquarters
Design for the other 90% Alleviating Poverty in the New River Valley Virginia Tech’s Design For America Studio
Kristina Danielyan
Sara Lane
Ed Coe
Jasmine Orange
Alex Chiles
The Situation
Virginia Tech is placed central to the New River Valley which is broken down into four counties: Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski, and Floyd County. All of the surrounding areas have seen unusually high rates of poverty levels.
Selecting A Direction Interview with local expert Kate Baker AmeriCorps VISTA for Smart Beginnings
30 Children learn the best when reading with a parent.
million word gap
Understanding The Problem
The library is frequently-used and well-stocked with books, but isn’t always comfortable to read in.
There is a need for convenient reading space that fits seamlessly into a busy parent’s lifestyle.
Focus: Using Design for America’s process guide and human-centered design philosophy to “create local social impact through interdisciplinary design,” impact local poverty through an improved user experience.
Expert Interviews
In order to understand the feasibility of our concepts, we needed feedback from those in charge. We interviewed Monena Hall from the Newman Library on the Virginia Tech Campus, who has a background as a children’s librarian. We also interviewed Cindy Minick and Janet Wren from the Meadowbrook Public library in Shawsville, VA (a local, rural community highly affected by poverty). They highlighted the most important features for us and critiqued our concepts.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: How do kids typically use the library? | What are the current successes and failures of your kids section? | What are your goals for the children’s section of the library? | How do you get kids in to the library? | When do kids come? | In your ideal world, what would the kids section look like? | Are kids engaged with the books while in the library? | How do you aid children in the library? | What is your specific role during library hours?
Empowering Literacy Through Better UX Insights & Relationships