Christian Schaaf's Blog + Portfolio

Author: cschaaf933

  • Case Study: Designing WalletWize

    Case Study: Designing WalletWize

    Introduction

    WalletWize is a financial education app designed to help Gen Z users understand and manage their personal finances. The goal of the app is to create a seamless and engaging user experience that makes learning about money feel intuitive, approachable, and empowering. To create WalletWize, our group followed the Design Sprint method developed at Google Ventures. This method is a five-day process that rapidly takes a product from idea to prototype to user testing.

    For our project, we stretched the five-day Sprint into a five-week format, dedicating one week to each phase of the process. Our team collaborated virtually via Zoom and used Miro for digital whiteboarding and collaboration. What resulted was not just a prototype, but a deeper understanding of teamwork, design thinking, and problem-solving.

    Design Sprint Overview

    The Design Sprint is broken into five phases:

    1. Map + Sketch: We defined our problem, conducted research on our target audience, set goals, and sketched potential solutions.

    2. Decide + Storyboard: We used a series of voting techniques to narrow down our best ideas. From these, we created user flows and a storyboard.

    3. Refine + Prototype: With our finalized storyboard, we divided tasks based on our individual strengths and built a functional prototype.

    4. Test + Collect: We conducted remote user testing sessions with Gen Z participants. We gathered feedback on functionality, visual design, and user experience to determine what worked well and what could be improved.

    5. Reflect + Report: We compiled our findings and insights into a final Design Sprint report and individual case studies, summarizing the project and sharing key takeaways.

    Problem Statement and Research

    The problem we focused on was the lack of accessible, engaging financial management tools for Gen Z. To guide our ideation process, we created the following “How Might We” questions:

    • How might we engage Gen Z so they stay on our app instead of switching to another one?
    • How might we make learning about money feel as addictive as scrolling through social media?
    • How might we simplify complex financial concepts to make them easier and more engaging to learn?
    • How might we encourage users to return and build lasting financial habits?

    We also defined a long-term goal: In two years, WalletWize should help Gen Z form consistent money habits by making the app a daily or weekly routine.

    To better understand our target audience, we conducted background research. We found that Gen Z:

    • Relies heavily on parents for financial advice
    • Consumes most content on mobile devices
    • Faces increasing financial challenges including student debt and housing costs
    • Spends a significant amount of time on social media

    These insights shaped both our design decisions and our content strategy.

    Sprint Activities

    Phase 1: Map + Sketch

    We began by naming the app and selecting a color scheme through voting with red dots. We chose “WalletWize” as our final name and adjusted our palette to include a bold royal blue and bright orange to appeal to Gen Z.

    App Names and Color Scheme Ideas.

    Next, we created a map that began with app onboarding and ended with our goal. The steps in between represented the key features and actions users would take to reach that goal, including navigating through course content, selecting topics, and engaging with rewards.

    WalletWize’s User Journey Map.

    We then conducted Lightning Demos. Each team member analyzed apps related to finance and education, collecting visual inspiration and discussing which features we might borrow or adapt.

    Finally, we worked through the 4-Step Sketch process individually:

    • Capturing notes and inspiration
    • Generating quick ideas
    • Exploring variations in Crazy 8s
    • Creating refined solution sketches
    4-Step Sketch: Part 1 (Notetaking) and Part 2 (Ideas).
    4-Step Sketch: Part 3 (Crazy 8s) and Part 4 (Solution Sketches).

    Phase 2: Decide + Storyboard

    To narrow down ideas, we used Heat Map Voting to highlight the best elements of our sketches. Then we used Straw Poll and Supervote techniques to select our top concepts.

    Each group member created a six-step user flow. We voted on the most promising user journey and then expanded it into an eight-step storyboard that showed the elements of each screen.

    WalletWize’s User Flows and Storyboard.

    Phase 3: Refine + Prototype

    We divided responsibilities based on skillsets. Some focused on wireframes in Canva, while others built out high-fidelity prototypes in Figma. Our illustrator created visual assets, and our Stitcher ensured consistency and flow across the prototype. The prototype included interactive screens for onboarding, budgeting lessons, quizzes, and progress tracking.

    WalletWize’s Wireframes created in Canva.
    Final Prototype screens created in Figma. To view all final screens, click here.

    Phase 4: Test + Collect

    We prepared a script and conducted five remote user interviews. The sessions were recorded via Zoom. One person led the interview while others took notes.

    We created pre- and post-surveys to collect demographic and usability feedback. The pre-survey gathered background information, while the post-survey measured user satisfaction and experience.

    Phase 5: Reflect + Report

    In our final week, we divided responsibilities to create our final Design Sprint report and individual case studies. We reflected on our learning, analyzed our data, and finalized our deliverables.

    To view our group’s final report, click here.

    Results and Outcomes

    Our final clickable prototype of WalletWize received positive feedback from users. Participants appreciated the modern design, friendly illustrations, clear navigation, and overall user experience.

    One area for improvement identified during testing was the content tab. Several users were unsure how to navigate it. A suggestion to add a FAQ button to the home screen was also noted and would be implemented in future iterations.

    Overall, user feedback affirmed that our design choices were intuitive and engaging. The app met its primary goal of helping Gen Z users feel more confident in managing their money.

    Pie charts based on user testing feedback.

    Learnings and Reflection

    The Design Sprint was an exciting challenge. It taught us how to work quickly, think strategically, and communicate clearly. We learned how to facilitate discussions, manage tasks virtually, and design with the user in mind.

    Each member of our group brought unique strengths to the project, and we built a workflow that allowed us to support one another and stay organized. Conducting the Sprint virtually had its challenges, but we navigated them well using tools like Miro and Zoom.

    Beyond the technical skills, we learned how to stay adaptable. Whether it was a user who couldn’t complete a task or a design that needed to be reworked, we stayed open to change and focused on improvement.

    Conclusion and Next Steps

    The Design Sprint was more than just a framework; it was a powerful learning experience. From problem definition to user testing, we moved through each phase with purpose and creativity. WalletWize is the result of thoughtful collaboration, honest feedback, and user-centered design.

    As we look to the future, we are excited about the potential of WalletWize. With further development, we hope it becomes a trusted tool for Gen Z users who want to improve their financial literacy. The lessons we learned in this Sprint will continue to inform our approach to product design and collaboration in our future careers.

  • The Final Kick: How to Crush the Last Phase of Your Design Sprint

    The Final Kick: How to Crush the Last Phase of Your Design Sprint

    The finish line is in sight.

    After days of brainstorming, building, and refining, you’re approaching the last stretch of the Design Sprint. Just like the final leg of a race, it’s time to dig deep, make informed decisions, and sprint through the tape. Welcome to Phase 4: Test + Collect, where your prototype meets the real world and real users.

    “The ‘Test’ phase is the moment of truth in your Sprint journey. This is where your prototype faces the ultimate test — real-world user interaction and feedback.”

    Pattie Belle Hastings

    This week, my team entered the user testing phase of our digital prototype. It’s a nerve-wracking but rewarding part of the process. You finally get to see how users interact with the solution you’ve been working hard to create.

    Let’s break it all down so you can feel confident as you enter the final stages of your Design Sprint.

    Step 1: Research Lab

    Before jumping into user interviews, take time to prepare the environment for testing. In The Sprint Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning and Running Innovation Sprints, Pattie Belle Hastings refers to this as the “Research Lab” phase.

    Here’s how to successfully prepare for user testing:

    • Define your target audience: Who is your prototype for? Be specific. The more tailored your users, the more valuable the feedback.
    • Determine number of participants: In Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days, Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz recommend five participants. Why? It’s the sweet spot where patterns emerge without overwhelming your team.
    • Create a recruitment plan: Be clear and transparent. Reach out, explain what’s involved, and ask if they’re open to participating.
    • Handle the paperwork: If your tests are recorded, especially virtual ones, always send consent forms. Make sure participants understand it’s voluntary.
    • Schedule wisely: Confirm dates and times with your users. A defined schedule helps everyone feel prepared and respected.

    The moral of the story? Communicate, communicate, communicate with your user testers before starting the interviews.

    Step 2: Conduct the Interviews

    Now that your team is prepared, it’s time for the interviews. This is where the magic happens, and where things can get emotional.

    “These interviews are an emotional roller coaster. When customers get confused by your prototype, you’ll be frustrated. If they don’t care about your new ideas, you’ll be disappointed. But when they complete a difficult task…you will be elated.”

    Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz

    User Scripts

    To keep things on track, follow a user script. This script keeps your team consistent and avoids giving the participants hints. The goal is to observe their authentic reactions and not guide them to the “right” answer.

    Knapp and his team suggest to start the user interviews with a friendly welcome to make the participant feel comfortable and at ease. Make sure to tell them that you are testing the prototype and not them. Ask open-ended background questions to learn about their experience and built trust. Introduce the prototype and present the tasks in a clear manner without giving hints. It’s important to end with a debrief and let the users reflect. Ask what they liked, what didn’t work, and how they would improve it. This uncensored feedback is gold.

    Tip: Stay Neutral and Curious

    Watching users struggle with your prototype can be hard. But that’s the point: your job isn’t to defend your work; it’s to learn from it.

    Here are some tips for a productive testing session:

    • Stay calm, even when users are confused.
    • Avoid giving explanations or answering questions they might have about completing a task.
    • Ask open-ended questions like:
      • “Why did you click there?”
      • “How did that feature make you feel?”

    Encourage participants to think out loud and resist the urge to jump in. Those moments of confusion are not failures; they’re opportunities to make your product even better.

    Step 3: Reflect with Your Team

    When all user sessions are complete, it’s time to analyze the results. Pattie Belle Hastings puts it best:

    “Analyzing the data from user testing in a Design Sprint is critical for deriving meaningful insights, identifying areas for improvement, and determining steps forward after the Sprint.”

    Pattie Belle Hastings

    During this debrief, your team should identify recurring patterns or problems, highlight areas where users were both confident and confused, review task completion rates and timing, observe users’ body language and facial expressions, and, if possible, collect both quantitative and qualitative feedback.

    You can write down observations in a shared document, on sticky notes, or on a digital whiteboard. When the insights are clear, schedule a check-out meeting to decide your next steps. Do you iterate on the prototype? Do you move forward with development? The decision will come from the evidence.

    To view my team’s user testing documentation and results, click here.

    Final Lap: Celebrate and Reflect

    You did it! Your team sprinted through ideation, prototyping, and testing. You gathered real feedback and now have a stronger sense of where your solution stands.

    So take a moment. High-five your team. Celebrate the collaboration and your hard work. Whether you nailed it on the first try or have adjustments to make, you’ve completed something meaningful.

    Cross that finish line strong.

  • The Art of Building Quick Prototypes: Phase 3 of Design Sprints

    The Art of Building Quick Prototypes: Phase 3 of Design Sprints

    You and your team are mid-race, and the stakes are rising. You’ve hit your stride, picked up steam, and now it’s time to execute. Phase 3 of the Design Sprint, Prototype and Refine, is all about collaboration and showcasing your strengths.

    At this stage, the ideas are there. Now, your job is to bring those ideas to life in a way that’s fast, intentional, and “good enough” for user testing. As Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz write in Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days:

    “You’ve got an idea for a great solution. Instead of taking weeks, months, or, heck, even years building that solution, you’re going to fake it…To prototype your solution, you’ll need a temporary change of philosophy: from perfect to just enough, from long-term quality to temporary simulation.”

    Knapp, Zeratsky, and Kowitz

    That quote stuck with me, especially as someone who tends to chase perfection. The prototype mindset is about learning quickly. The goal is not to create a flawless product; it’s to simulate one realistic enough to gather feedback. So, how do you do that in just one day?

    Let’s break it down.

    Understanding Phase 3 Goals

    Pattie Belle Hastings outlines five key objectives in The Sprint Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning and Running Innovation Sprints to guide the Prototype and Refine phase:

    • Rapid Realization: Quickly turn ideas into something tangible.
    • Focus on Critical Elements: Build only what matters most to test.
    • Prepare for User Testing: Design the prototype to gather useful feedback.
    • Resource Efficiency: Use the least amount of time and tools to get the job done.
    • Collaboration: Lean on each team member’s strengths to bring the product to life.

    “The prototype phase is the crucible where your ideas are forged into tangible forms, ready for real-world testing…It’s a creative endeavor that requires a blend of ingenuity, skill, and strategic thinking.”

    Pattie Belle Hastings

    This phase is where your team can shine. Focus on what matters most and continue the Sprint.

    Step 1: Pick the Tools

    Start by selecting your design tools. Depending on your team’s skills and project goals, you might choose:

    • Wireframes: Low-fidelity designs that outline structure
    • Mockups: High-fidelity visuals that simulate a real interface
    • Clickable Prototypes: Interactive designs that mimic real use
    • Functional Prototypes: Working products with built-in features

    Common tools include Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, and Canva. For my team’s Gen Z personal finance app, we used Canva for wireframes and Figma for clickable prototypes. These tools matched our team’s skills and needs.

    Step 2: Divide and Conquer

    Time is limited, so efficiency is key. Assign roles based on experience and interest. Encourage each person to advocate for the role that best suits them.

    For our group, roles included:

    • Wireframe Creators: Sketched the app’s layout
    • Writer: Created on-screen text and instructions
    • Asset Collector: Gathered app content and visuals
    • Makers: Built the prototype in Figma
    • Illustrator: Designed custom icons and the app logo
    • Stitcher: Reviewed the prototype for consistency and flow

    I was assigned three roles: wireframing, illustrator, and stitcher. With a design background, I created the app’s logo and visual identity, and I reviewed all aspects of the prototype, including content, spelling, interactivity, and visuals, to ensure the finalized product was polished and ready to go.

    Step 3: Build the Prototype

    The Budgeting Category screen in my group’s app.

    This is the heart of the phase. Using the storyboard from Phase 2, your team starts constructing the prototype. Make sure all team members are designing at the same fidelity level, review the prototype for consistency in design and functionality, ensure interactive elements align with the user flow, revisit Sprint objectives to stay focused, and prepare for user testing. The goal here is clarity, not perfection.

    Knapp, Zeratsky, and Kowitz assert that the prototype should look real enough that users believe it’s a functional product. This step will help the team learn about the areas of the product that work well and elements that require editing.

    Step 4: Conduct a Trial Run

    Before handing your prototype over to testers, test it internally. This gives your team the chance to identify confusing steps or design issues early. It is important to schedule a time for the entire team to conduct a trial run. Assign a group member to play the role of the user, gather feedback, and revise as needed.

    “Trial runs help your team fine-tune the prototype, identify potential issues, and ensure a smooth and effective testing session.”

    Pattie Belle Hastings

    Ask yourself: Does the product feel intuitive? Does the prototype reflect our Sprint goals? This step builds confidence and alignment before entering the final testing phase.

    Team Reflection: What Worked for Us

    This week, our team focused on communication, task alignment, and preparation. We clearly outlined roles, set deadlines, and checked in frequently. Having designated roles based on individual strengths helped us stay accountable and confident in our contributions.

    We also met virtually several times throughout the week, checked in with each other in our text group chat frequently, communicated early and often, and celebrated small wins along the way.

    One of the biggest lessons I learned this week? Don’t wait to speak up. If something is unclear, ask. If something’s off, say something. Holding yourself accountable while staying open to feedback makes a big difference in the pace and quality of your work.

    View my team’s wireframes and prototypes here.

    Final Thoughts: Eyes on the Finish Line

    This phase of the Sprint felt like the middle miles of a race. You’ve already started strong, and now you need to stay focused and finish strong. The prototype phase requires energy, attention to detail, and trust in your team.

    When it’s done right, it’s incredibly rewarding. You’re not just imagining your solution; you’re seeing it come to life.

    At this point, your product is ready to be tested. Keep your head up, keep your pace steady, and get ready for the next phase: testing with real users.

    The finish line is near.

  • Building the Blueprint: Deciding and Storyboarding with Your Sprint Team

    Building the Blueprint: Deciding and Storyboarding with Your Sprint Team

    You’ve laced up. You’ve found your pace. Now you’re in a full sprint.

    That’s exactly what Phase 2 of the Design Sprint feels like.

    After assembling your team and navigating the initial steps, this is the part of the Sprint where you have to stay focused, communicate clearly, and trust your teammates. Just like in a relay, everyone’s contribution counts, and collaboration makes all the difference.

    Have you ever heard of the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”? This quote applies directly to the Sprint. If your team is aligned and unified, you will achieve great solutions together.

    Phase 2 of the Design Sprint, Decide and Storyboard, is all about making critical choices and beginning to shape your final solution. You evaluate the ideas generated in Phase 1 and decide which ones are worth turning into a prototype. In Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days, Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz describe the steps of this phase:

    “You’ll critique each solution, and decide which ones have the best chance of achieving your long-term goal…you’ll take the winning scenes from your sketches and weave them into a storyboard: a step-by-step plan for your prototype.“

    Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz

    Let’s break it down.

    Step One: Decide

    Everyone has strong ideas, and that could make the idea voting process tricky. Luckily, Pattie Belle Hastings, in The Sprint Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning and Running Innovation Sprints, offers a clear, structured path to voting on solutions:

    The Art Museum

    Think of your sketches like artwork on display. Pin your 4-Step Sketches from Phase 1 and observe them silently, just like how you would walk through an art gallery. This will give your team members time to analyze each idea individually before jumping into discussion.

    Heat Map Voting

    Distribute a sheet of red dots to your team members so they can mark parts of the sketches they found promising and interesting. Hastings suggests voting based on:

    • Feasibility
    • Desirability
    • Impact
    • Alignment with project goals

    After voting, it is important to discuss the ideas that received the most votes. Ensure each team member has a chance to speak and share their thoughts.

    Speed Critique

    With a timer set for each idea, have your Facilitator walk the team through each concept and capture key takeaways on three or four sticky notes per idea. This step will allow your group to highlight the strengths and potential concerns of each sketch without going off-track.

    Straw Poll Vote

    Each teammate should then select their favorite concept and write down the reason why they chose that idea. This will help visualize the group’s preferences and concept popularity.

    The Supervote

    The final decision is in the hands of your team’s Decider. This exercise should be given a defined time frame, and the Decider will vote using two dots. The votes can be distributed in a few ways:

    • Both dots on one concept.
    • One dot on a concept, and another dot on a specific feature from another concept.
    • Both dots on two different concepts.

    Step Two: Storyboard

    When the concepts are selected in the Decide stage, it’s time to visualize how your future prototype would function step by step.

    Hastings, Knapp, Zeratsky, and Kowitz suggest to start with User Flows, a six-step process outlining user actions like taps or clicks. Each team member should create their own user flow by defining the first and finals actions and then filling in the middle steps. The group then votes on the flow that they want to move forward with.

    From there, your team will convert the winning user flow to an 8-screen storyboard, crafting a visual guide to illustrate the user’s journey.

    “Storyboarding is a simple process, with a ton of tiny decisions along the way…Every decision you make now is something you won’t have to think about when you build your prototypes.”

    Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz

    Along with the visuals, write simple, clear captions beneath each screen describing how the user will interact with your product. This will help your group stay aligned and will be beneficial in the next phase of the Design Sprint.

    Team Reflection: Our Decide and Storyboard Experience

    This week, my team met over Zoom to work through the Decide and Storyboard phase for our Gen Z personal finance app. We came prepared. Everyone completed their user test flows and reviewed each other’s sketches beforehand. This prep made a huge difference and allowed us to use our time together efficiently.

    In the meeting, we:

    • Used the Heat Mapping, Straw Poll Vote, and Supervote exercises to identify our top features.
    • Set timers to keep our discussion focused.
    • Made time for critique, clarification, and team input.
    • Spent time refining our storyboard collaboratively.

    To view my team’s work from this week, click here.

    Final Thoughts

    Pattie Belle Hastings sums up the importance of this phase in the Design Sprint: “This is a pivotal moment in the Sprint that transitions the team from decision-making to prototyping. It’s important to end this day with clarity and focus.”

    The Decide and Storyboard Phase is where your team’s ideas begin to take shape. It’s where rough sketches transform into plans, and where individual creativity blends into shared vision. In terms of our race analogy, this is the mile marker where momentum builds, and the finish line starts to feel real.

    Here are a few takeaways from this phase:

    • Communicate early and often. When ideas aren’t clear, ask questions.
    • Be flexible. If a vote doesn’t go your way, stay open and engaged.
    • Give ideas time to breathe. Sketching, reviewing, and refining takes time, and that’s okay.

    We’re not just running anymore; we’re sprinting with purpose.

    Stay tuned for Phase 3, where we’ll bring our ideas to life in the Prototype stage.

  • Map and Sketch: The Starting Line of Innovation

    Map and Sketch: The Starting Line of Innovation

    The past few weeks, you’ve done the preparation. You’re at the starting line of the race. Your teammates are beside you. No doubts. No fear.

    You hear a loud, resounding “Go!” Your team takes off. The Design Sprint has officially begun.

    Just like the start of a real race, the kickoff of a Design Sprint is full of momentum and possibility. You’ve spent time organizing roles, reviewing expectations, and understanding the problem you want to solve. Now, you begin the Map and Sketch phase. This is where you find your rhythm and start illustrating solutions.

    What is the Map and Sketch Phase?

    According to The Sprint Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning and Running Innovation Sprints by Pattie Belle Hastings and Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz, the first phase of a Design Sprint is about understanding your problem, defining goals, and developing ideas visually.

    “In the Map and Sketch phase, you’ll learn how to dissect the problem space, gather insights, and set clear objectives for the work ahead.”

    Pattie Belle Hastings

    This phase is split into two days. Let’s explore what exercises you should conduct each day to start your Design Sprint in the best way possible.

    Day 1: Create the Path

    Your team begins by conducting short expert interviews with people who are experts with your proposed product. Getting insights from them will provide helpful background information and research for your project.

    Example questions to ask experts include:

    • What problem are we trying to solve?
    • Who is currently using the product?
    • What could this product look like in one to two years?

    Next, identify your “How might we…?” questions. HMW’s help turn challenges into opportunities. Hastings recommends keeping these statements focused and specific for future brainstorming. An example of a “How might we…?” question could be:

    How might we design an app that teaches Gen Z about personal finance management in an engaging and fun way?

    Group your HMWs by theme, discuss them, and vote on the most important ones. This democratic method ensures that each voice is heard before narrowing your team’s focus.

    Next, define your long-term goal. This helps align the group and set a clear vision for the product. Using sticky notes, each member writes their goals and presents them to the group. After discussion and voting, if a tie occurs, the Decider, your team’s final decision-maker, steps in to choose the final goals.

    Sprint Questions are up next. These are potential roadblocks that your team could face when achieving the long-term goal(s). These questions are usually phrased as “Can we…?” statements:

    Can we guide Gen Z users through their first financial task within five minutes?

    Once shared and voted on, keep your top three Sprint Questions visible on a physical whiteboard or collaborative platform like Miro.

    To wrap up Day 1, your team should create a product journey map. Knapp, Zeratsky, and Kowitz provide a few tips on creating an effective map:

    • List the users, the people that will engage with your product, on the left.
    • Write the end goal on the right.
    • Use words and arrows between to illustrate the user flow.
    • Keep it simple with less than twenty steps.
    • Communicate with your team to make sure the map makes sense.

    This map doesn’t need to be a work of art. It should depict the user’s journey and the steps between the starting point and the solution.

    Day 2: The Solution Day

    Now that the path is clear, it’s time to generate ideas.

    Start with lightning demos. These are short presentations where team members share inspiration from existing products or solutions. Hastings suggests allowing 25 minutes for this step. Each team member shares three examples from current products that could influence or improve your project.

    The next step? The Four-Step Sketch, which emphasizes quality thinking over artistic ability.

    “On Monday, you and your team defined the challenge and chose a target. On Tuesday, you’ll come up with solutions… remix and improve… and sketch, following a four-step process that emphasizes critical thinking over artistry.”

    Knapp, Zeratsky, Kowitz

    Here’s the breakdown:

    1. Notes: Review and write down key takeaways from Day 1, such as the “How Might We…?” Questions, Sprint Questions, Long-Term Goal(s), and any other important information. Allow 20 minutes for this step.
    2. Ideas: Turn your notes into rough visual concepts. Dedicate another 20 minutes for the Ideas phase.
    3. Crazy 8’s: Fold a paper into eight boxes. Take one idea and sketch eight variations in eight minutes.
    4. Solution Sketch: Pick your strongest idea and draw more detailed versions.

    When the Solution Sketches are complete, hold onto them and share them with your team the following day.

    My Team’s Experience: Virtual and Collaborative

    My team is conducting our Design Sprint virtually. For “Day 1” of this phase, we met on Zoom and worked together to identify the problem, create HMWs, define long-term goals and Sprint Questions, and draw our product map. We used a shared Miro board and sticky notes to collaborate in real time.

    For “Day 2,” we split up to complete the lightning demos and sketches on our own, following the “together alone” approach. We regrouped by uploading our work to the Miro board and providing feedback. Even though we worked separately, we stayed in sync and communicated with each other.

    To view my group’s Design Sprint progress, click here.

    Final Thoughts: It’s Only the Beginning

    What are some key takeaways from Phase 1 of the Design Sprint? Identify your direction before creating solutions, vote on everything to ensure everyone’s voice is heard, ask questions, communicate, and enjoy the Sprint.

    We’ve only just begun, but the foundation we laid in the Map and Sketch phase sets us up for a strong sprint ahead. Just like a race, the energy you bring at the start can carry you far, only if you pace yourself, listen to your team, and stay open to change.

    The Sprint has begun. We’re off running.

    Stay tuned for the next phase of my Design Sprint journey.

  • Setting the Pace: How to Gear Up for a Successful Design Sprint

    Setting the Pace: How to Gear Up for a Successful Design Sprint

    In my last post, I explored how using tools like Miro and intentional introductions can help build camaraderie before your Design Sprint begins. Think of that phase as stretching before a relay race. You’ve sized up the course, you’ve met your teammates, and you’re lacing up your shoes. Now, you might be wondering: what comes next?

    Much like running an actual race, you wouldn’t step up to the starting line without knowing the course, having the right gear, and understanding who’s handing off to who. In a Design Sprint, preparation is your pre-race routine. It’s not just a warm-up; it’s what prepares your team for innovation at full speed.

    Let’s take a deeper dive into what proper preparation looks like and why it’s a game changer.

    Why Preparation Matters: The Competitive Edge

    In The Sprint Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Running Innovative Sprints, Pattie Belle Hastings outlines the many benefits of preparing for a Design Sprint:

    • Efficiency & Effectiveness: A prepared team accomplishes more in less time, produces higher-quality work, and minimizes delays. Preparation leads to better output because everyone comes ready to contribute.
    • Team Dynamics: Clarity with roles and goals boosts morale. When everyone understands the playbook, collaboration flows naturally.
    • Stakeholder Relations: Early engagement builds trust and ensures stakeholders feel heard. Their input is built into the process, not added as an afterthought.
    • Risk Mitigation: Preparation allows for early problem identification and helps set predefined metrics, so you’re solving the right problems more effectively.
    • Long-Term Value: Well-prepared sprints become easier to replicate, scale, and refine. Your team develops a rhythm and learns from each iteration.

    The takeaway? Preparation isn’t just about making things run smoothly; it’s about unlocking the full potential of your team and your process.

    Building Your Dream Team

    Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz, authors of Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days, describe the role of a Sprint team:

    “A sprint resembles that perfectly orchestrated heist. You and your team put your talents, time, and energy to their best use, taking on an overwhelming challenge and using your wits to overcome every obstacle that crosses your path.”

    To pull off this “heist,” you need the right crew. A sprint team should be small but mighty with seven members or fewer. Each person should bring a unique skillset and perspective. Here are some key roles to fill:

    • Decider: The final call-maker. Often a CEO, product manager, or team lead.
    • Finance Expert: Knows the budget and where resources come from.
    • Marketing Expert: Shapes messaging and brand voice.
    • Customer Expert: Brings the user’s voice to the table.
    • Tech Expert: Understands feasibility and builds logistics.
    • Design Expert: Brings ideas to life through visuals.

    Most importantly, ensure everyone knows their role. A well-rounded, cross-functional team makes for a powerful and efficient sprint.

    Creating Structure: Rules, Schedules, and Space

    Once your team is set, establish a few ground rules. One suggestion? A “No Devices” policy. Encouraging participants to silence phones and limit distractions can help keep focus sharp. If everyone agrees on expectations, it’s easier to stay on track.

    Next, block off time. Design Sprints require energy, and fragmented schedules create barriers for momentum. As the authors of Sprint emphasize:

    “Sprints require energy and focus, but the team won’t be able to give that effort if they’re stressed out or fatigued.” – Knapp, Zeratsky, & Kowitz

    Dedicate six focused hours a day for five consecutive days. This window keeps energy levels high and decision-making tight. A time-boxed format also reduces the chance of getting stuck in the weeds.

    Supplies & Tools: Your Sprint-Day Kit

    Whether you’re sprinting in-person or virtually, having the right tools is crucial. Hastings and Knapp both recommend purchasing whiteboards, which are great for mapping and collaboration. Securing sticky notes and using colors to sort ideas is a fun and effective way to organize ideas. Who doesn’t love color coding? Timers will keep everyone accountable and help team members stay on track, and moveable furniture encourages physical collaboration and flexibility. Also, don’t forget some healthy snacks to help fuel the brain!

    Conducting a virtual Sprint? Platforms like Miro and Google Docs allow participants to edit documents simultaneously, helping the team visualize their work and make decisions in real time. Using quick capture video tools like Loom or Descript will create more visual aids and supercharge productivity.

    These tools might seem small, but they support a smooth, distraction-free environment where your team can focus on creating solutions.

    Final Prep Steps: Checklists and Communication

    Want to know one of the best tips from Hastings? Create a checklist to confirm the essentials:

    • Who is the Decider and will make the final decisions?
    • What’s the topic or challenge?
    • Where and when will the Sprint happen?
    • Who’s participating?

    Also, don’t overlook the power of communication. As Hastings writes:

    “Effective pre-Sprint communication sets the stage for successful outcomes. Your team will appreciate clear, engaging, and informative communication before the Sprint begins…you’ll build a well-organized, focused, and engaged team that’s ready to tackle the challenges ahead.”

    Set up a shared, collaborative document with background research, the schedule, and access to all necessary tools. Before the Sprint, hold a debrief meeting to go over expectations, answer questions, and align the team.

    What This Looked Like For Me

    My group’s shared Miro board outlining our Design Sprint rules.

    This week, my team and I had our first virtual meeting in preparation for our Design Sprint challenge. We’re new to this process, so there were a few hiccups, but that’s okay.

    We shared backgrounds and skillsets, identified our roles, and created a shared Google Doc and Miro board. These spaces helped us capture ideas, questions, and progress. Most importantly, we fostered an open environment where everyone felt heard. We experimented with templates, asked questions, and embraced the learning process.

    Perfect? No. Productive? Absolutely. And that’s the point! Don’t get discouraged if your first session isn’t “perfect.” Buckle up, embrace the imperfect, and enjoy the ride.

    Final Thoughts

    Here’s your final reminder: Prep. Prep. And more prep. Design Sprints move quickly. If you invest time upfront and choose the right people, set clear expectations, and gather tools, you’ll create an environment for a smooth, creative, and productive experience.

    Your Design Sprint is about to begin. Are you ready?

    Stick around as I continue documenting this journey. Next up, we take off sprinting!

  • Ready, Set, Sprint! A Guide to Preparing for a Design Sprint

    Ready, Set, Sprint! A Guide to Preparing for a Design Sprint

    Lining up at the start of a race, shoes double-knotted, heart racing, playlist queued. You’ve trained, fueled, hydrated, and mentally prepped. Everything’s ready because you know that when the sprint begins, there’s no time to second-guess. As a runner, I’ve learned that success doesn’t come from the starting gun. It comes from the work you put in beforehand.

    And that’s exactly how a Design Sprint works. No sneakers required.

    Just like a real sprint, preparing for a Design Sprint takes intention, strategy, and teamwork. Without proper preparation, the five-day process can feel chaotic instead of creative. With the right foundation, it’s a fast and focused way to solve big problems, prototype solutions, and gain meaningful feedback before investing time and money into full execution.

    Before we dive into how to prepare, let’s make sure we’re clear on what a Design Sprint actually is.

    So, What is a Design Sprint?

    Originally developed at Google Ventures, a Design Sprint is a five-day, structured process created to rapidly ideate, prototype, and test ideas. In Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days, Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz break down this method:

    • Day 1: Understand and Define – Identify your long-term goal and clarify the problem to solve.
    • Day 2: Diverge – Sketch ideas individually before sharing with the group.
    • Day 3: Decide – Narrow down ideas and storyboard the best ones.
    • Day 4: Prototype – Build a quick, realistic version of the solution.
    • Day 5: Test – Gather feedback from real users to inform next steps.

    Pattie Belle Hastings, in The Sprint Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning and Running Innovation Sprints, describes the Design Sprints as:

    “A human-centered approach to problem-solving that inherently promotes experimentation, embraces failures as learning opportunities, and encourages a deep understanding of ambiguity.”

    Design Sprints help you move quickly while staying focused, efficient, and user-centered, but they only work if you’re properly prepared.

    How do you set the stage for a successful and productive sprint?
    (Hint: it starts before Day 1.)

    Assembling the Right Team

    Just like a relay team needs a strong mix of speed, endurance, and strategy, your sprint team needs a balance of skills and perspectives. According to Knapp, every sprint should include:

    • The Decider – the final decision-maker.
    • The Facilitator – keeps the team on track and energized.
    • The Designer – visualizes and prototypes ideas.
    • The Voice of the Customer – represents the user’s perspective.

    A good way to match people to these roles? Try building a Personal User Manual.

    “Personal User Manuals are most effective when they are short, succinct, and scannable. Ideally they should fit on a single page and the text should be active and engaging.” – Anna Brown

    In her article “What is a Personal User Manual?,” Anna Brown explains that these one-pagers include your background, working style, communication preferences, strengths, and even what frustrates you. It’s a powerful tool for fostering empathy and building psychological safety on a team, which are both crucial for Design Sprints to thrive.

    In “A Personal User Manual for Working With Me,” Luke Thomas adds that user manuals help accelerate relationship building with your team while reducing ambiguity at work. Not sure where to start? Try Thomas’s suggested prompts like:

    • “An ideal day at work is…”
    • “My superpower is…”
    • “How I like to give and receive feedback…”

    For inspiration, take a look at a section of my personal user manual below that I created on Miro.

    Choosing the Right Challenge

    Once your team is in place, the next step is defining the challenge. And no, it shouldn’t be a safe or easy one. Knapp encourages teams to “go after their most important problem…don’t go for the small win” (Knapp, 2016, p. 27).

    Design Sprints are built to tackle tough questions: the ones that carry risk and reward. Think of it like choosing to run a marathon instead of a 5K. The stakes are higher, but so are the breakthroughs.

    Focus on the problem that will make the biggest impact, even if it feels daunting. The structure of the sprint gives your team the support to take bold leaps.

    Why Sprint?

    Still wondering why you’d take the time for a Design Sprint? Hastings outlines several benefits:

    • Speeds up product development
    • Builds collaboration across teams
    • Surfaces user feedback early and often
    • Drives better decision-making
    • Boosts morale and creativity

    Design Sprints encourage experimentation without fear. They give you a playground to test ideas and fail forward before stakes get too high.

    Final Thoughts

    Design Sprints might not require running shoes, but they do require preparation and a strong sense of direction. Much like training for a real race, the goal is to do the groundwork before the big event, so that once you start, you can focus on performance, not uncertainty.

    So lace up (figuratively), build your team, write your user manuals, identify your mountain to climb, and when you’re ready…sprint.

  • Bringing Ideas to Life: The Power of High-Fidelity Prototyping

    Bringing Ideas to Life: The Power of High-Fidelity Prototyping

    Low- and high-fidelity prototyping from The Product Manager.

    Have you ever looked at a mobile app and thought, “How did someone design this?” Behind every polished interface is a long journey of research, ideation, testing, and lots of prototyping. During my recent experience designing a companion app for Schuylkill Township’s website, I discovered how high-fidelity prototyping transforms concepts into tangible, testable designs. Let’s walk through what I learned and why fidelity in prototyping matters more than you might think.

    Understanding Prototype Fidelity: Low vs. High

    Not all prototypes serve the same purpose. When I first started this project, I didn’t realize that “prototyping” could look so different depending on the stage of design. In her article Low-Fidelity vs. High-Fidelity Prototyping: Key Differences Explained, Iulia Sorodoc describes that fidelity in prototyping is measured across three levels: low, medium, and high.

    Low-Fidelity Prototypes

    Low-fidelity prototypes are simple, often hand-drawn sketches. They focus on layout and flow rather than visuals or interactivity, making them perfect for early-stage brainstorming. Low-fidelity prototypes are quick and inexpensive to produce, making them ideal for early-stage design. However, they have some drawbacks: they offer limited interactivity, don’t closely resemble the final product, and can make it harder to gather meaningful user feedback.

    An example of low-fidelity prototyping from my project.

    Medium-Fidelity Prototypes

    Medium-fidelity prototypes offer more accurate layouts, include some user interface (UI) elements, and may have basic interactive components. They strike a balance between realism and flexibility.

    An example of medium-fidelity prototyping from mentormate.

    High-Fidelity Prototypes

    High-fidelity prototypes, on the other hand, are polished and realistic. They replicate the final product as closely as possible with detailed visuals, real content, and full interactivity. They take longer to build, but the payoff is in their ability to simulate the real user experience.

    An example of a high-fidelity prototype from my project.

    The level of fidelity you choose depends on where you are in the process and what kind of feedback you’re looking for. In the early stages, rough sketches suffice. But as you move closer to development, a more refined prototype is key to gathering accurate user feedback.

    Prototyping Tools for UX Designers

    When it comes to choosing the right prototyping tool, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. As Fahim Bin Omar outlines in his article Best Prototyping Tools for UI/UX Designers – How to Choose The Right One?, your ideal tool depends on a few important factors, including your design goals, the complexity of the project, the level of fidelity you need, how well the tool supports collaboration and feedback, its compatibility with other software you use, and device support and accessibility.

    Popular Prototyping Tools to Consider

    There are many programs that UX/UI designers use to create interactive prototypes. Some of the best include:

    • Figma: A cloud-based favorite among teams for its real-time collaboration features and comprehensive prototyping tools.
    • Marvel App: Known for its user-friendly interface and ease of turning static designs into interactive prototypes.
    • Adobe XD: Great for those already in the Adobe ecosystem, offering seamless integration with other Creative Cloud tools.
    • Sketch: A powerful Mac-based design tool with an intuitive interface and a wide range of plugins.
    • Proto.io: Lets you create realistic, code-free prototypes right in your browser with a simple drag-and-drop interface.
    • Webflow: A unique option for those who want to build responsive web prototypes with real HTML, CSS, and JavaScript output.

    Whatever you choose, make sure it aligns with your needs. Remember: The user always comes first. The right tool should help you design for clarity, accessibility, and ease of use.

    My High-Fidelity Prototypes

    For this project, I used Adobe Creative Suite to design the visual elements of my prototype and then brought it to life interactively using the Marvel App. Since I already had a subscription to Adobe and was familiar with both tools, I was able to focus more on creating a seamless and user-centered experience.

    While I explored several platforms, Adobe and Marvel gave me the flexibility and control I needed to produce a highly usable and visually engaging prototype. View the video below as I walk through each prototype I created for the Schuylkill Hub app.

    Changes from Low- to High-Fidelity Prototypes

    Once I began user testing last week, it became clear that a few areas of my prototypes needed improvement. One of the most notable pieces of feedback was confusion between the “Contact” and “Township Services” sections. Users weren’t sure where to go for help.

    To fix this, I combined both into a single, clearly labeled section: Contact Township. This new layout provides an easy-to-navigate overview of township services along with direct contact options for each department, improving both clarity and accessibility.

    I also made several updates to the footer navigation based on additional user feedback:

    • Added “My Account” and “Settings” so users could access personal information and preferences quickly.
    • Included labels beneath icons to make navigation more intuitive.

    In the News & Alerts section, I implemented several new features:

    • A top bar for urgent alerts.
    • A personalized “Suggested for You” section.
    • An “Archived Articles” button for past content.

    To make the prototype feel authentic to the township, I included local events and headlines, and built out supporting features such as a search bar, an ‘About’ section, and a ‘My Account’ page.

    Click here to view each step of the process of creating the Schuylkill Hub app.

    Reflection

    If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this project, it’s that prototyping is where ideas truly start to take shape. From low-fidelity sketches to interactive high-fidelity designs, each version helped me refine my app’s user experience through iteration and feedback.

    In the early stages, my low-fidelity prototypes were just simple outlines that mapped out the app’s basic structure and flow. These were invaluable for quick brainstorming and helped me think through how users would navigate the app. Because they were easy to change, I could revise layouts based on feedback without feeling too attached to one idea.

    As I moved into medium- and high-fidelity prototypes, the process became more detailed and intentional. Visual hierarchy, color palette, typography, and real content began to shape a more complete picture of the app.

    Looking back, I now see prototyping as a form of communication — a way to translate abstract ideas into something tangible, testable, and ultimately user-centered. It’s not just about making things look good; it’s about making things work well for the people who use them.

    I’m walking away from this project with a much deeper appreciation for prototyping as an essential part of the UX design process. The experience has taught me to approach every project with curiosity, openness to feedback, and a commitment to designing with the user in mind.

  • User and Usability Testing in Action: When Feedback Meets Design

    User and Usability Testing in Action: When Feedback Meets Design

    An image of a sticky note reading “Run a Usability Test” from Unsplash

    What better way to get feedback on your design than from the people who’ll actually use it?

    When I first started designing paper prototypes for a township app, I thought I had considered everything. Clean design? Check. Clear navigation? Of course. Useful features? Absolutely. It wasn’t until I sat down – virtually – with my sister and mom that I realized how much more I had to learn. The way users interact with your product can be eye-opening, informative, and one of the most exciting parts of the design process.

    This post is a deep dive into my own experience conducting user and usability testing: what these terms mean, how to prepare for testing, and what I learned when I watched real people click through my proposed app.

    What are User and Usability Testing?

    At first glance, “user testing” and “usability testing” sound interchangeable, but they have distinct goals.

    User testing is a process where real users interact with a product while designers observe and analyze their behavior. It is about understanding people: their needs, expectations, and behaviors. It helps you figure out if your product concept makes sense to your audience. Usability testing, on the other hand, is a specific type of user testing. It evaluates how easily users can navigate your product and accomplish key tasks (Strba, 2024). This will help designers identify hidden opportunities and generate new ideas in a quick and easy fashion.

    Both forms of testing are essential. Together, they offer a full picture of what’s working, what’s not, and what could be better.

    Tips for Testing Paper Prototypes

    An image of testing and comparing paper prototypes from Interaction Design.

    When you ask someone to review your prototypes, you’re not just asking them to test your design – you’re inviting them into a conversation.

    To make that conversation effective, users need context. In “User Testing Your Paper Prototypes,” Andrew Smyk emphasizes that users must understand the tasks they’re expected to complete. That clarity helps eliminate unnecessary confusion and ensures that any struggles they encounter are due to the design and not a lack of explanation.

    One tip that stuck with me is to avoid vague labels and features. If something is labeled “Category 1” or “Button A,” users won’t know what it means. That confusion clouds the testing results.

    It’s also worth being mindful of user behavior beyond words. Long pauses, puzzled expressions, or hesitant mouse movements can reveal uncertainty even when users say, “Yeah, I think I get it.”

    And lastly, don’t wait until your product is polished to test it. The earlier you gather feedback, the more room you have to fix issues without derailing the whole design process.

    Writing Effective Task Scenarios

    If usability testing is about watching users complete tasks, then writing those tasks well is key to receiving meaningful feedback.

    In “Writing Good Task Scenarios for Usability Testing,” Teng states that scenarios should be written like real-life goals, not instructions. Task scenarios help participants focus on what they need to accomplish, not how to do it. It’s the difference between saying “Find the registration form for your child’s summer camp” versus “Click the registration button.” The former helps users act naturally and reveal how intuitive your design really is.

    I tried to follow these principles by using familiar language, staying concise, and giving each scenario a bit of personality so users could imagine themselves in the situation.

    Good task scenarios aren’t just technical – they’re human. They give users a reason to care and something to solve.

    View My Task Scenarios and User Testing Script

    My User Testing Experience

    My design of the home screen for the Schuylkill Township companion app.

    In preparation for my user testing experience, I used the Prototyping on Paper (POP) app by Marvel to make my designs interactive and share them with the users.

    View My Interactive Paper Prototype

    To test my paper prototypes for a companion app for Schuylkill Township, I wanted participants who would find the content relevant. I chose two family members: my sister and my mom. They both represent two different age groups of residents who currently live or have lived in Schuylkill Township. Selecting family members could have drawbacks, such as bias in feedback, but I told them to provide honest, constructive suggestions for my designs.

    We conducted our sessions over Zoom. I asked a few warm-up questions to get a sense of how they typically use technology and then guided them through a series of four tasks using screen share. After each task completion, I asked for feedback. This gave me the opportunity to receive suggestions in real-time.

    The results? They gave me a lot to think about!

    User 1: My Sister

    A video of the full user testing experience with my sister.

    As a tech-savvy user, it was important to test the app with someone in my sister’s age category to ensure it resonated with a younger audience. View the video above to watch my sister navigate through each proposed task.

    User 2: My Mom

    A video of the full user testing experience with my mom.

    As someone who doesn’t use their phone or technology often, it was essential to test my app with someone like my mom to guarantee that other users who might struggle with technology could successfully and effectively use the app. View the video above to watch my mom navigate through each task.

    View My Full User Testing Documentation

    My Insights from Testing

    This was a beneficial experience highlighting both positive design elements and areas of improvement. One unexpected issue? The prototype images I uploaded into POP still had a phone case design around them. When viewed on a real phone, it looked like a phone inside a phone. This threw off both users, and I’ll definitely avoid that visual redundancy next time.

    Task 1: Search for, Register, and Pay for an Event

    Both participants easily located the “Events” button on the homepage, which was a great sign that the navigation is intuitive. My sister moved through the process quickly – she found the event listings, clicked “Buy Tickets,” completed the payment process, and returned to the home screen with no issues. Her one suggestion was to replace placeholder labels like “Category 1” and “Category 2” with actual event category names to provide better clarity when searching for an event.

    My mom also found the “Events” section without issue but got a bit confused when it came to registering. In the task scenario, I had used the word “register” instead of “book,” which led her to hesitate at the “Book Tickets” button. This was a valuable reminder that word choice matters in task descriptions. It’s important to align the language in the scenario with what’s reflected in the interface to avoid confusion.

    Task 2: Search for an Article and Download It

    My sister again moved through this task seamlessly. She located an article, downloaded it, and suggested a helpful feature idea: adding an “Archives” section alongside “My Saved Articles” so users can revisit older content more easily.

    My mom completed the task as well, but paused when she reached the icons for downloading and bookmarking. She wasn’t familiar with what the download or bookmark symbols meant and asked for clarification. This feedback made me realize that relying solely on icons may not be accessible to all users. Moving forward, I may consider adding text labels next to the icons or using tooltips to provide context.

    Task 3: Sign Up for an Account and Report a Pothole

    This task was structured as “Sign Up for an Account and Report a Pothole.” This may have unintentionally confused my sister and mom because users are prompted to sign up/login after clicking the “Report an Issue” button, not before. They both first looked for a “Sign Up” button before clicking “Report an Issue.” In the future, I’ll adjust the task description, or possibly the app flow itself, to better match user expectations.

    That said, both participants successfully navigated to the “Report an Issue” section. My sister completed the steps quickly and suggested adding confirmation text after submission to let users know their request was received and that updates would be provided. My mom took a little longer at the dropdown menu used to categorize the issue, but once she oriented herself, she was able to complete the task as well. The overall takeaway? The flow works, but clarity and reassurance can make the experience smoother.

    Task 4: Contact the Police Department

    This was the task where both users stumbled, and as a result, it became one of the most valuable tests. I had intended for users to click the envelope icon in the footer navigation, which represents the “Contact Us” section. However, both users initially went a different route.

    My sister clicked on “Township Services,” expecting to find police contact information there. When it wasn’t what she expected, she found her way to the envelope icon and completed the task. My mom followed a similar pattern: first trying “Township Services,” then checking “Report an Issue,” and then eventually locating the “Contact Us” section.

    This consistent behavior pointed to a larger design issue: the “Contact Us” option isn’t as visible or intuitive as it needs to be. A clearer label or more prominent placement could make all the difference. I’m considering merging “Township Services” and “Contact Us” into a single section, or at least renaming them to better reflect the types of content each one holds. Small changes like these can significantly improve the user experience.

    Final Thoughts

    Design is a conversation, not a monologue. No matter how good your product looks or how clearly you think you’ve labeled everything, you won’t really know how it works until someone else tries it.

    User and usability testing opened my eyes to how people interpret, navigate, and occasionally struggle with a design. It reminded me that great design isn’t just about what we create – it’s about how people experience it.

    If you’re working on a prototype, test it early, test it often, and most importantly – listen. Your users will give you valuable feedback to improve your app and enhance each user’s experience.

  • Back to Basics: Exploring Paper Prototyping for Mobile Design

    Back to Basics: Exploring Paper Prototyping for Mobile Design

    An image of paper prototyping from unsplash.com.

    In a world dominated by cutting-edge tools, sleek interfaces, and ever-evolving technology, it might sound odd to say this – but sometimes, the best ideas start with nothing more than a pencil and a piece of paper. Before Figma and Adobe XD, before clickable mockups and developer handoff tools, designers relied on sketching to bring their visions to life. And even now, when the digital world changes at the speed of light, there’s something refreshing, even powerful, about going back to the basics.

    That’s where paper prototyping comes in. It’s low-tech, low-cost, and surprisingly high-impact. Whether you’re a seasoned designer or someone exploring UX for the first time, paper prototyping can help you unlock creative ideas and map out user experiences – without ever touching a screen.

    What is Paper Prototyping?

    An image of a designer creating prototypes from pixabay.com.

    “Paper Prototyping: The 10-Minute Practical Guide” offers a great introduction to the concept. At its core, paper prototyping is the process of sketching out user interfaces and workflows by hand, often using simple materials like printer paper, sticky notes, and markers. Each sketch represents a screen or interaction in your digital project, giving you a clear, tangible way to map out how a user might move through your app or website.

    These prototypes are considered low fidelity, meaning they aren’t functional or polished. But that’s the beauty of it – they’re fast, flexible, and easy to change. A single screen might take just five to ten minutes to draw, making it easy to explore different layouts or user flows without committing to any one direction too early. They’re also cost-effective, spark creativity, and come with a minimal learning curve, making them accessible to anyone, not just seasoned designers.

    Ultimately, paper prototypes help you plan before you build. And the more solid your plan, the faster and more effectively you can move on to wireframes, digital mockups, and functional prototypes.

    How to Prototype on Paper

    Getting started is simple. All you need are a few household materials – paper, pens, markers, sticky notes, scissors – and your imagination.

    Begin by sketching your key screens. These could include your home page, menu, or contact form. Each piece of paper becomes a screen, and you can arrange them in sequence to visualize the user journey. Think about how someone would move from screen to screen, and simulate that flow by swapping one sketch for the next, just as a user would tap through an app.

    Ben Coleman’s “How to Make Paper Prototypes” suggests thinking intentionally about a few key areas:

    Devices

    Before sketching, identify what device you’re designing for. For my project, I focused on smartphones, which meant my sketches had a portrait orientation and dimensions that mimicked a mobile screen. It’s important to design within the constraints of your chosen device to ensure your prototypes feel realistic.

    Elements

    Think about how users interact with your screen elements – buttons, links, search bars, etc. In my prototypes, I highlighted all interactive elements in green colored pencil. This made it easy to identify what was tappable and where users might go next, even if the prototype wasn’t interactive in the digital sense.

    Messages and Pop-up Boxes

    Sometimes, your app might show a confirmation message or a pop-up. Sticky notes work great here and can be easily added or removed based on user actions. For example, when simulating a report submission, you could use a sticky note that reads “Thank you! Your issue has been submitted,” which you could place over the screen to represent the interaction.

    Mobile Navigation Techniques

    An example of mobile navigation from dribbble.com.

    When designing for mobile, navigation is everything. It’s not just about helping users move from one page to another; it’s about making that movement feel intuitive. According to “Mobile Navigation: Patterns and Examples,” great navigation reduces friction and helps users find what they need without feeling lost.

    Here are some common mobile navigation approaches:

    • Top-Level Navigation: This includes hamburger menus (those three horizontal lines hiding a larger menu), floating action buttons, or tab menus at the top or bottom of the screen. Tabs are great for organizing equally important sections of your app. Top tabs are typically used for swiping between sections, while bottom tabs are often fixed and include icons for quick access.
    • Card-Based Navigation: Cards display main content areas right on the home screen. They’re touch-friendly and help prioritize information visually.
    • Sub-navigation: This includes dropdowns or sequential menus. When a user selects a main category, they see a submenu in its place. Good sub-navigation includes clearly labeled buttons, consistent iconography, and an easily accessible “back” option. Legible fonts and thoughtful spacing also make a big difference in usability.

    All of these patterns aim to strike the right balance between simplicity and functionality, getting users where they want to go without overwhelming them.

    My Project: Designing for Schuylkill Township

    My paper prototype for the home screen of Schuylkill Township’s app.

    For the past few weeks, I’ve been developing a companion mobile app for Schuylkill Township’s website. The goal? Make township information and services easier to access for residents on the go.

    I began by creating a site map to define the app’s structure, which I updated weekly based on feedback and user needs. From there, I mapped user flows – how a person might go from opening the app to reporting a streetlight outage, checking upcoming events, or finding township contact info.

    Paper prototyping was my next step. As I started sketching, I considered how users would navigate through the app and chose the following strategies:

    • At the top of every screen, I included a navigation bar with two options: Home and Search. These appear consistently to help users reset or find content at any time.
    • The main card-based navigation includes five core buttons: News & Alerts, Events, Township Services, Report an Issue, and About. These act as the backbone of the app, giving users direct access to essential information.
    • A footer navigation offers quick access to social media, online payments, contact details, and settings.

    To bring it all together, I identified four common tasks a user might complete in the app, and then created full sets of screens to show how each task unfolds – from start to finish – using nothing but pencil, paper, and a little green colored pencil.

    Here’s an example of three screens for a user wanting to search for an upcoming event:

    Prototypes representing the first three steps of searching for an event.

    You can view my full set of paper prototypes here.

    Final Thoughts

    Paper prototyping may seem simple, but its power lies in that simplicity. It allows you to think deeply about user experience without the distractions of pixel-perfect design or technical constraints. By mapping out screens and interactions on paper, you’re building the foundation for a thoughtful, user-first app experience.

    So, if you’ve got an idea brewing, don’t wait for the perfect tool or software update. Grab a pencil, some paper, and just start sketching. It’s easy, fun, and one of the most effective ways to bring your ideas to life.