After all the artefacts were created, I revisited the alignment model that was created at the beginning of this research endeavour.The alignment model was created to illustrate how business and citizen value must align in order to create a value-creating system for the humans involved. The second diagram describes how this model has been applied in this research by explainging how the different layers contribute to different areas of the service provided.
Below are some detailed designs that I designed. At this stage I was exploring the possible design elements, such as how to assemble the visual language elements into relationships that work well together, there are different designs that showcase this below.
“The practice of information architecture is the effort of organizing and relating information in a way that simplifies how people navigate and use information on the Web.”—DSIA Research Initiative
After creating the journey maps, I noticed that there were categories that started form as possible navigational elements. Most importantly, the pathways that users were probably going to travel along, became more visible. I began to mark the main areas of interest and what might fit within that area. This information architecture map below shows the main categories in grey and where each category will lead to is in a colour show what is may be found within that category.
Once the personas were created I went through the process of mapping out their pathways according to their goals, needs and motivations. I started to add in some of the quotes from the research findings for more direction through the journeys.
Experience maps are also known as user journey maps, customer journey maps or customer experience maps.
After my research at Paarl-East and Zolani, I developed these seven personas which are based on the participants I spoke to during my research. In total, I interviewed 40 participants from both areas. I then collected the data and sorted it according to similar goals, needs and demographics, it resulted in these 7 personas.
Design is closely coupled to, and driven by, early systems analysis activities such as needs, task, and functional analyses. Good interaction design involves early and continual involvement of representative users and is guided by well-established design guidelines and principles built on the concept of user-centered design (Norman & Stephen, 1986).
I took on a user-centered design approach by utilising the personas as they represented real users throughout the process of design. These steps below begin at the research phase on the left, research is done and data is collected and concepts begin to arise in the process of doing so. Concepts begin to become clearer and start extending into what the solution starts to look like. Once the solutions become more distinct the designer begins to create detailed designs. These detailed designs begin to form ideas of how the experience will work and what it will be like in context. This leads to the build stage where prototypes are created and shared with the builders of the system. This leads to the first iteration of the system, which is continually monitored with real users who are providing feedback which the builders and designers then act on to fix and adjust it.
