EXPERIENCE PROTOTYPING
I decided to prototype an experience to understand if Skypeline was something desirable for the intended target market, and if there were any changes which could be made to it in order to improve it.
I produced the protoype using an iPad mini, the users landline telephone and a cardboard model which I made.
I connected a skype call from the iPad to the users son on a laptop, and muted the call from his laptop. This meant that the iPad was not making any noise.
I then covered the iPad screen with a sheet of card, and placed it in the Skype screen dock. The experience was now set up and ready to go.
I had also explained to the user, Rosemary, how the Skype screen worked, in that it was a video calling screen and it transferred a phone call to video by placing the handset into the gap next to the screen.
Then I texted Alan, her son, to make a phone call to her landline, and after a few minutes of conversation with her suggest that they switch to a video call.
Rosemary then fetched the Skype screen, and placed her handset into the screen. As she did I then removed the card obscuring the screen and Alan un-muted himself on his laptop.
This was a cheap and easy way to simulate the experience of the product very closely (if you already have a landline and an iPad!). And apart from the large amount of cardboard, Rosemary was ecstatic about the experience, and has since purchased an iPad and learned to video call alone!
DESIGN CHANGES
The biggest thing to come out of the experience prototype was the validation of the user journey. From talking to Rosemary afterwards, she was extremely happy with the ease of use and how intuitive it was.
However she did struggle with the size and weight of the product, which was something I had not really considered. Her main issue was that she could not hold the screen for more than a few minutes and wanted to place it on her coffee table. This was the driving force behind having an integrated stand in the product, encouraging the user to place the screen down in an upright position.
The other prompt that Rosemary needed was one of hanging up the call, she asked how to hang up. This was slightly confusing for her as there were controls visible on the screen, which in hindsight I should have either set to auto-hide, or covered up with cardboard.
Once I explained it to her afterwards, she said it made a lot of sense to end the call with the telephone and that she would have no problem remembering how to do that, re-enforcing the fact that everything is controlled via the handset.
