User research: interviews and affinity mapping
I have followed the GIBBS methodology to write this entry which you can read more about here.
This week I carried out most of the week 2 challenge: user interviews and affinity mapping. The only thing I was unable to complete was creating the problem statement which will be done next week.
I also watched all the week 3 content even if I didn’t have time to get to the challenges.
I continued practicing coming in to work in the library which I believe enabled me to get a lot more work done than would otherwise have happened and I when I had a bit of a challenging mid-week I sat down and came up with the plan of specific “on” and “off” working hours so that I can work and also rest properly.
It was a very intense week, whilst the interviews were highly enjoyable they also drained me of a lot of energy and the weight of feeling like I am perpetually behind on the coursework got to me - I reached my stress saturation on Wednesday though and after that breaking point I found that after that tipping point I was able to work through the rest of the week a lot more calmly.
The interviews and affinity mapping were very exciting to do, user research is an area of UX design that I am very attracted towards and it was a lot of fun to finally get a chance to start developing these skills. It was also humbling, as starting something new always is, to make so many mistakes and understand what I need to work on going forwards.
Whilst I am frustrated that I was not able to complete both week 2 and 3s work in the same week, I am feeling a lot calmer about the workload that needs to be completed for next week. I am also relieved that the next section of work is something that I have control over and won’t need to work on aligning schedules until I start usability testing at least.
What went well: I reflected continuously throughout the interview and affinity mapping procedure which led to some helpful insights on where I need to improve my techniques. The interviews are now complete and the next phase is ready to take off. I am also happy that even though the going has been a bit tough, I have managed to keep chipping away at the work and have a much better perspective on it now.
What went badly: I expected too much of myself in this week, my smart goal of last week was not in fact achievable - I was unable to complete the work and felt bad that it had to roll over to the next week again.