The software for recording and analyzing eye tracking data had been developed for many years and was gradually being replaced by a new software suite. However, there still was a small, remote team working with developing the old software. Initially I was assigned to be the UX designer, but when the Product Owner went on maternity leave, I took over that role as well.
Examples of actions in the project as the…
… UX designer/researcher
Field visit at users with the developers
Purpose: In order for the developers to make the best possible decisions when developing the software, they need to understand the users, what it is used for, how and why.
Method: During a two day field trip, we visited four very different customers in three different use segments and learned about their goals, challenges, and context of use.
Outcome:
As a remote UX designer, work got a lot smoother when the developers themselves knew more about who and what they developed for. Less explanations of decisions were needed and the developers could contribute even more to the design of features that would be useful to our users.
The developers provided another point of view and asked questions to the users I would not have considered myself. This widened my understanding both about what was important to developers as well as provided insights about the users I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten.
…Product Owner
User story map with the developers
Purpose: Get an understanding of where we were in the feature development as well as prioritize what was left
Method: Together with the developers we mapped out the steps needed to complete a specific user goal for which we were developing a feature.
Outcome:
The development had already started, but it was unclear what was left and what was missing. By placing already written users stories on the map as well as adding stories where things were missing, we could ensure all steps were covered, but also prioritize them into iterations of development.
As a team we all had a clearer understanding of how much was done, but also how much was left to do. In addition, as we had done the map together, we were all in agreement of the priority order of things.
With what we learned from the map, we could also communicate clearer with stakeholders about the state of the feature development.