Micro UX: Intertwingle week 5
- 27 mai 2023
- 3 min de lecture
Dernière mise à jour : 6 juin 2023
Brief: Design, make and implement a collaborative working tool. Your task is to design a device, apparatus or set of interactions that reaches across disciplines. Your designed outcome should help people identify synergies and navigate practical issues. Group members (reformed): Marty Chen, Jolin Ma, Mengdie Lu, Cristèle Sarić, Lingjia Fang, Reagan Bbengo
Introduction:
As we entered week 5 of our design project, we focused on refining our prototype and addressing valuable feedback received during our midpoint presentation. The partners recognized Office Mix as a feasible product, thanks to the visualization provided by our prototype. However, they highlighted concerns about the term "matchmaking" and its potential implications in the workplace. Acknowledging this feedback, we regrouped and worked towards repositioning our concept as a collaborative tool rather than a matchmaking platform. This blog post explores our journey in fine-tuning the Office Mix concept, addressing design considerations, and introducing innovative features to enhance workplace collaboration.
Language and Positioning:
The partners' feedback underscored the problematic nature of calling it a "matchmaking" tool, as it could be misconstrued as implying romantic intent or potentially misused in the workplace. To align our vision with the intended purpose, we reevaluated our language and positioning. It was crucial to emphasize that Office Mix is a collaborative tool designed to enable connections and foster cooperation among colleagues, rather than facilitating romantic relationships. This adjustment reinforced the professional nature of our concept and eliminated any misunderstandings.
Addressing Privacy Concerns:
One of the concerns raised by our lecturers and partners revolved around the joint company cloud, which allowed visibility into individuals' selected modes. This raised privacy issues and the potential for tracking or judgment based on personal work styles. To address this, we devised an additional feature that enables users to selectively share their availability with specific people, such as teams or the entire company. This customization ensures privacy while maintaining transparency within the collaborative environment.
Mitigating Dating App Influences:
To further distance ourselves from the dating app influence, we explored additional features for the app. One such feature was an avatar creation option, eliminating the risk of individuals selecting and matching based on physical appearance. By providing this alternative, we emphasized the focus on professional connections and prevented any biases that could arise from visual judgments.
Enhanced Functionality:
Our design process also delved into the platform's mechanics and steps involved in the matchmaking feature. We explored the incorporation of geolocation within the office parameters, drawing inspiration from apps like Uber, which allows users to locate drivers within a specific area. This feature empowered users to find their matches wherever they may be in the office, facilitating easy collaboration across teams and departments.
Flexible Matching Options:
In contemplating the ideal matching dynamics, we deliberated whether to set a limitation on the number of matches. Limiting matches might imply a date-like setting rather than an opportunity for professional meetups. Ultimately, we decided to leave the choice to the user, enabling them to close the app if they preferred to match with only one person or continue engaging with multiple matches by leaving their dial on. This flexibility empowered individuals to tailor their interactions according to their preferences.
Stackable Dials for Team Collaboration:
During team discussions, a novel feature related to the dial emerged. When set to collaboration mode, the dials could be stackable and mobile. This innovative approach allowed teams working together to stack their dials, signaling their availability for additional team members to join. The color displayed around the dial in collaboration mode indicated the number of individuals already involved, streamlining the process of joining collaborative efforts.
Embracing Constraints and Iteration:
Despite initial reservations about the project's creative potential, we discovered a newfound enthusiasm as we delved deeper into the design process. The constraints set by the brief propelled us to push our boundaries and explore innovative solutions. Embracing this challenge, we ventured into 3D printing the dial, divided into smaller groups to select an intuitive interface for the Office Mix app, and simultaneously tested the portability of the dial as a tangible object.
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