Discovering a New, Meaningful Welcome Gift

Overview

Introduction

Going into a new school or program can be daunting for anyone of any age, but when that endeavor involves a significant time commitment, any help to make sure time is used as efficiently as possible is appreciated. This was the theme that I uncovered while re-designing a new welcome gift for Prime Digital Academy for their fullstack coding students. In examining students and their behaviors, I developed a new gift concept that would not only be meaningful to students but assist them in fully utilizing the resources around the Prime campus.

The Gift

The previous gift to the incoming cohort had been a water bottle, but this was determined to not be meaningful to the students and came across as impersonal.

The Challenge

I was tasked with discovering a new meaningful gift for the new fullstack students at Prime. This involved assessing the previous gift, research with current students, ideating on possible gifts, and developing a low-fidelity prototype for evaluation.

The Solution

The result of my work was a Prime Map which shows nearby businesses and services that would be helpful to the new students.

Methods

Heuristic Analysis | Participant Observation | Sketching | Prototyping

Personal Reflection

Being able to interact with users directly was a highly enjoyable part of this project for me. As an empathic and intuitive individual, I thrive on the opportunity to read individuals and examine the larger environment to determine the best solutions. In this project, I was able to determine a solution that didn’t simply meet an immediate need, but one that would meet the needs of students throughout their time in the program.

Client & Users

The Client

The first value of Prime Digital Academy is Students First. This statement is held in high regard by the Prime staff and they use it frequently when describing the Prime program. Additionally; I noted that this was a phrase which was said repeatedly around the campus, whether to an incoming cohort or to visitors to space. Prime is an advocate for their students, and they clearly want to ensure the well-being of their students in their career and personal lives.

The Users

It’s one thing to know the value of Students First held by Prime, but what about those values held by the students themselves? In thinking of a student entering an intensive bootcamp program, I hypothesized that students would appreciate any additional help given to them as they begin their studies. To expand upon this, I had to learn about the students and their values to inform the direction of the re-design. I had the opportunity to be on campus and directly observe the behaviors of the Fullstack students.

Several students would arrive on campus early in the morning, almost an hour before their class started. These students took time to continue working on projects, or spend some relaxing moments with their peers over coffee. Many students would go to nearby grocery stores or cafes for food over the lunch hour. Some students drove in to campus, others took public transit and some would bike. One theme was clear: no matter what students did, time was always of the essence as they worked through the Prime program.

The Process

Heuristic Analysis - Finding What Exists

To begin, I was presented with the Bubba water bottle, and conducted a heuristic analysis of the water bottle to determine whether or not it was a useful design. I was primarily examining the aspects of its durability and comfort, which would be the most pertinent to active students. The heuristic analysis revealed that the water bottle was useful in several ways, but it also revealed a series of problems. One in particular related to durability, as the top lid had been chipped. This was concerning and brought into question if the water bottle was even leak-proof. A quick test of holding it upside with water inside demonstrated that the seal remained intact, and no water leaked. This was a positive result, but it was still concerning to see the defect.

Another problem was the water bottle’s claim to being sweat-resistant. I tested this by putting iced water into the water bottle, and waited to see if condensation would form on the bottle. The body of the water bottle did sweat slightly, but what was unfortunate is that it created a slick surface which made gripping the water bottle difficult. This would prove irritating when trying to use the water bottle; the condensation caused the entire water bottle to become slippery. Any attempt to combat this issue would require a completely separate sleeve, such as a koozie or wrap around the body of the water bottle.

In the end, the water bottle was found to be useful, but it still had its various flaws. Additionally, I knew that the water bottle was no longer meaningful to students. To discover what would be meaningful, I had to get a sense of the student experience at Prime.

Participant Observation - Learning Student Values

I was able to participate in a campus-wide mingle in which all of the cohorts gathered together to socialize with each other for an hour. I used this time to inquire with students about their experiences at Prime: how they felt both when they started and now, what they wished they would have known upon beginning, how their classes were going, etc.

Getting answers was easy; it was evident that the atmosphere cultivated at Prime is one of openness, where new people eagerly introduce themselves to one another and give insight on what to expect at Prime. This was one of my first key observations; much like the Students First value, it was evident that students also value each other first through creating a welcoming environment and readily offering suggestions to new students.

Sketching - Discovering Possibilities

After considering the results of the heuristic analysis and my observations of the campus, I developed 3 new concepts for the welcome gift. The design concepts that I created were built upon the value of Students First. Each concept was grounded in helping students in some way during their time at Prime. The 3 that I created were the Prime Pillow, the Prime App and the Prime Map (see below):

These concepts were presented to the Prime community for review. After going through a round of assessment, the Prime Map was determined to be the concept to move forward. Following this decision, my next steps were to develop a prototype and evaluate the concept even further.

Prototype

After the Prime Map was determined to be the concept to develop, I created a low-fidelity prototype. I wanted the map to be a durable material that could withstand regular use but also be easy to fold. Using simple burlap fabric and a sharpie, I rendered what I envisioned would be on the Prime Map. One side would feature a list of nearby businesses and services, and the other would be a street view (see images below). I also wanted to assemble a carrying pouch for it, and was able to create a simple felt case for it.

Evaluation - Understanding Student Impact 

To evaluate the Prime Map, I conducted interviews with students and observed their reactions when presented with the Prime Map. Additionally, I created a brief survey of 2 questions which I posted in the commons area over the lunch hour. My goal was to gather a depth of qualitative data through interviews, but to also collect quantitative data on the activity of the students from the survey.

I was able to interview 3 current Prime students. In my interview sessions, I began with preliminary questions relating to students’ familiarity with downtown Minneapolis. I then introduced the prototype and allowed students to interact with it, and encouraged them to talk through their thoughts.

The data that I gathered indicated a need for a map. It was evident that students were generally not familiar with the downtown area, and found the concept of the Prime Map appealing. All of those interviewed responded positively to the map, stating that they would find it to be a helpful gift to receive on the first day of their program. A student commented that time is a factor while participating in the fullstack program, and that a map would be useful.

Positive Features of the the Prime Map

• Color coding system to differentiate between cafes/restaurants, public transit and parking, and other businesses

• Foldable material

Survey Results

1. Question: How often do you go off-campus to explore the area around Prime?

   1. Answer: 43% go off campus 3 to 4 times a week

2. Question: How often do you user services (cafes, parking, public transit, convenience stores, etc) close to Prime?

   1. Answer: 57% use services around Prime every day.

The Solution

Keeping Students First

Upon completing the interviews and collecting the data, it was clear that the Prime Map is a concept that would be appreciated. Those students interviewed visibly expressed genuine interest and excitement at being presented with a map of the area, and identified how useful it would be to have as a new student. There are additional measures that I have proposed so that I can further refine the Prime Map concept.

It is my recommendation that a higher fidelity prototype is prepared that features detailed information, and is printed on a waterproof and tear-resistant material. Then, these prototypes should be distributed to a full cohort of students, with a week of testing and observations will follow. By observing students throughout the week and getting their direct feedback on the updated prototype, I can then provide more information on if this will be a successful gift, and if there are any other features that should be included with it.

Final Thoughts

If Prime Digital Academy truly stands by their value of Students First, then they will do everything in their power to help their students succeed. The concept of a map may be simple and seem menial, but the meaning is much broader. By providing students with a map of resources in the area, this will alleviate any additional stress about getting oriented in a new and unfamiliar area. Students will then have the ability to focus and organize their time efficiently, and Prime will be ensuring that students are successful both in and outside of the classroom.