Abstract
To make the most context-rich experiences possible and avoid a myriad of problems, designers must keep a user-centric focus. By viewing our educational products through the perspective of the user, we can devise more accessible, diverse, meaningful, and above all enjoyable experiences. Using simple tools such as problem statements, personas, user maps, story boarding, wireframes, low-definition prototypes, and high-definition prototypes, we can consult users first in design to inform us on how to proceed with decisions. Using the simple outlined in the Design Thinking process of empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing, we can deliver the most user centric experience possible. The author will show how Design Thinking couples so well with User Experience (UX), walk through what a user study is, what to do with the feedback you get from users, and how to keep the user in mind from inception to launch. In this chapter, the author will discuss the basic framework of UX, where to apply the tools within the framework and why these tools are important when developing context-rich experiences.
TopIntroduction
“Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible,” (Norman, 1988) When designers create context rich learning experiences for learners, research shows that creating a learning experience that is intrinsically motivating for the learner, that the learner feels a connection to that learning experience gets better pass rates, more engagement and provides for long lasting indelible experience for the learner. One way to achieve this connection is through User Experience Design (UX design). UX design is the process of putting the user at the center of a product. In this case the user would be the learner and the product would be the context rich learning experience. UX design coupled with Design Thinking can help solve a myriad of issues, such as issues with accessibility, diversity, equity, context relevance, content alignment, and learning engagement. Design thinking is a set of strategic and practical procedures that help designers define problems and solutions to those problems while creating the learning experience. This chapter will go through the process of using design thinking and UX design to create more user centric experiences for learners to create a deeper connection for the learner. It will walk through each stage of the process and provide both best practices and helpful tools that help produce the best results.