TestNGo
During an introductory design class at Northwestern, a team of designers and I were given the task to find a way to make a dent in the student experience on and off campus during the pandemic. Through the course of ten weeks, our team researched, ideated, and prototyped a product that would make COVID-19 testing more accessible for all students.
Timeline: Jan-March 2021
Scope: Product Design, App Design
Tools: Figma, Google Slides, Pen, Paper, Foam Core
Team Members: Haley H., Isabel G., Eric W.
Overview
Problem Statement: How might we make testing more accessible to students?
Solution: a Covid-19 testing vending machine, accessible in student dorms, university buildings, and well-traveled off campus spots
Identifying the Problem
When we started this project, the only instructions our professor gave us was to make a dent in the student experience as it related to the pandemic. With such a broad prompt, our team recognized how important it was to begin with as much research as possible. We initially conducted 5 interviews with students of all grade levels, living both on and off campus, in order to get perspectives from a broad range of students. One of these students was also an RA. We asked them a wide spectrum of questions, such as:
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Students feel safe in on-campus locations (testing, libraries, workout centers), but not as much in the dining hall due to capacity.
NU needs to drastically change how they communicate COVID information, stats, resources, etc. with the students, especially those living off campus.
It seems like a lot of the information about resources is being spread by word of mouth and by chance
People are finding out what the rules are only when they break them.
Based on the feedback we received, we created a few very different prototypes of varying fidelities that aimed to solve some of the struggles we heard students having.
Project Scoping
After creating these initial prototypes, we went back to the same users we originally interviewed to get their feedback. The response to all 3 was underwhelming. Despite aiming to solve some of their frustrations, these prototypes did not meet the needs of the individuals we interviewed. They didn’t seem likely to implement any of these in their daily life, so we realized it was time to go back to the drawing board. We decided to interview 5 more students, and synthesize their findings with those of our original interviews.
There was one area that all five of our new users mentioned: COVID-19 testing, which all undergraduates are required to undergo twice a week. Looking back to our past interviews, we also saw that 2/5 users had also indicated frustrations with testing, including:
Low-Fi Prototype
Our new insights related to COVID-19 testing led me to come up with a new idea: a covid-19 testing vending machine. I realized that what students ultimately needed was an easier, faster, and safer way to access COVID-19 tests, both on and off campus. I sketched out the concept quickly with pencil and paper drawing and even made a 3-D model using paper bags. I proposed the idea to my team, and they were immediately hooked.
Feedback and Iteration
While these prototypes were extremely simple, they allowed me to present the new concept to both to my team and eventually to users in order to gain much-needed feedback. Overall, students were much more excited about this idea. They understood how it could directly impact their everyday life, and most agreed that this would take away so many of the burdens associated with getting tested. Nonetheless, there were still some issues and questions brought up by our users:
Ultimately, we decided to add a couple new features in order to address the questions above:
An app component: the app would serve many purposes including to provide a map of all locations of the testing vending machine, instructions for how to use them, a FAQ page, and an online honesty agreement.
Visible Instructions: a small sign on the machine and collection bin that describe step-by-step what to do
QR code scanner: scans the unique QR code present on the app to connect the test coming out of the machine to the individual; reduces the need for any touch interaction with the machine
Mid-Fi Prototype
With these changes, we created our midi-fi prototype out of foam core and other common craft materials.
Reflection
Impact
Due to the constrains of the class and the timeline, we were not able to develop our idea further than the mid-fi prototype. However, if implemented, TestnGo would have the potential to:
Makes testing faster, easier, and safer
Encourage the entire student body to be compliant with testing
Give students more autonomy over their testing schedule
While TestNGo was never implemented at Northwestern, a similar concept was at several universities across the United States, such as UCLA and San Diego State University. Seeing our idea put into action validated the research that we did and emphasized that our concept truly did meet a current need of college students during the pandemic
Closing
This was one of the first design projects I completed from start to finish using the human-centered design project. Starting with such a broad initial topic was challenging, but it only emphasized to me how important it is to continue prodding and investigating until you understand the true needs of your user. Our team could have stopped at one our original ideas, but we realized none of them were fully solving the needs of our user, so we continued to dive deeper until we found a solution that did. Furthermore, this class pushed me to think beyond the boundaries of UX, and although our final solution did contain an online component, it made me realize that not all the best solutions come in the form of a mobile app. Through all the iterations, I am proud of what my team and I were able to accomplish in just 8 weeks together.