Final Thoughts
We made it! Our group presented last week to a board of panelists and proposed a more well-rounded MTA app. I thought the presentation went smoothly and looking back, and I wish I elaborated on a few questions from the panelists. The panelists had a valid point of our idea of adding a citizen-type feature to the MTA app that might deter riders from using public transportation. I agree with that point, but on the contrary, I believe it’s a way of the MTA showing transparency and being held accountable with their riders. Honesty goes a long way, and it mends relationships between people.
I do wish we explored the robot idea a little bit further. I think it makes sense, but it certainly would freak people out! It would’ve been fun to try and prototype a physical object.
The part I enjoyed the most throughout this whole process was the research phase. I find research to be interesting because you can find out different things about a particular subject. Generally, everyone cares about the UI of a product or what the final product looks like and forgets how you got to that point through your research or supports your design decisions. In research, you can hone in a particular area and branch off into different subsections. When I was working on the research process, I made sure to cast the net as broad as possible, which allowed me to find interesting results that we could apply to the MTA prototype.
What I liked about this course the most it made me have a research first approach before thinking about the UI. For me, it’s something I needed and lacked in my arsenal of tools. I also enjoyed learning about the different theories and practices other designers or industry leaders are using today. If anything, the theories stand true and still have relevance even as we dive deeper into the digital world. Moving forward, using the different research techniques and applying them to my professional career will be extremely helpful, especially in terms of brainstorming.
