Project 5 provided me with the opportunity to apply my five-step design process to analyze a paper addressing ongoing real-world problems. Shifting the focus slightly to generate a prototype was an interesting departure from other projects. For my paper, 'Tech Help Desk: Support for Local Entrepreneurs Addressing the Long Tail of Computing Challenges', applying my process involved:
1. Setting the target audience: local entrepreneurs facing technical challenges.
2. Assessing the problem goal: identifying the technology challenges faced by local entrepreneurs.
3. Defining subproblems and validating the service: exploring existing resources used by local entrepreneurs and identifying features of technology support that may be more effective than common workplace approaches.
4. Designing products that effectively communicate the purpose: Sketch out a few layouts for the prototype, then creating a prototype with visual hierarchy that lowers the huddle of using the product.
5. Gathering feedback: although not initially part of the project, feedback from Alyx highlighted concerns regarding the color scheme used in the menu bar, which may not be color-blind friendly. This feedback could be integrated into the final product.
The paper resonated with my personal interests, regarding the digital divide. It was good to see how my design process integrated into addressing a real-world problem. Moreover, it was inspiring to witness a successful research story from professional researchers who dedicated over two years to working on this topic.