Case study: Solving the problems of dining room

Please go to this link to watch video of this case study.

Source: https://pixabay.com/vectors/idea-invention-inventor-thinking-152213/

My name is Sagar Kumar Baishya. I am a design graduate in communication design. Professionally I am a graphic designer. I have been mesmerized with apps and micro interactions so I seriously wanted to know how are they created. I knew about color theory, typography, animations but did not have a clear picture of UX process. One day I was online, I found Growthschool UX Kickstarter Workshop. It is a mentor-ship program by Anudeep Ayyagari (UX Designer-Amazon). I enrolled for the course. This is my first case study on design thinking. Design thinking is all about solving problem of users. It can be any kind of problem. Not just Android/IOS app or website problem.

We were divided in group of 5 people. Members in the same group were assigned different topics. My topic was finding problems in dining room and come up with solutions. Our group members were our users. We followed the 5 steps of design thinking process:

Source: https://developerexperience.io/practices/design-thinking

Here, my design thinking journey starts:

Empathize

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-women-talking-to-each-other-4051137/

This is where I started connecting with users and understanding their perspectives. It was time to unlearn our assumptions about users and learn to empathize with them.

I tried to familiarize myself with users and tried to understand them in a friendly manner. These are some of the questions:

1. Do you have a dining table?
2. Do you like to have your meal on the dining table?
3. What else do you use your dining room for?
4. How much time do you spend in your dining room on daily basis?
5. Is it near to other rooms?
6. Are there any covers on the dining table?
7. How often do you get your dining table cleaned?
8. Do you have proper lighting in the dining room?
9. Do you have ample space in the dining room?
10. If you want to make any changes in your dining room, what will it be?

Initially, I did not have a clear idea of how the interview will go. But as I started to communicate with people. I got to know that every user has different problems based on their experiences. We can not cover every aspect of the problems by just assuming. We should communicate.

Finally I got some feedback from users-

In conversation with Shreyas, he told me that his height is 5 feet 10 inches. A table height of 80 cm will be fine for him.

Finally completed the interview. I recorded all the sessions. It will help me distinguish key and common problems faced by most users in their daily life.

Define

Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/creativity-idea-inspiration-819371/

After the interview, I extracted all the problems faced by users. I listed down the key problems:

Main highlights from interview

Other problems I found were:

1. Dining table is already occupied with utensils and masala jars so it is hard to dine on it.
2. Dining table occupies a lot of space.
3. Dining table does not have shelves in it.
4. Dining area is not accessible from other rooms easily.
5. Sometimes the main door opens to the dining room which disturbs the privacy of residents while having a meal.
6. Keeping chairs around the table will make it more congested.
7. Many people can not sit around the dining table together for a meal.
8. Directly placing hot pots on the dining table can damage its top surface.
9. Sharp corners of the dining table can injure family members while roaming around.
10. Dining room is entirely open on one side which makes dining uncomfortable during summer and winter seasons due to the heat and cold.
11. We can’t watch TV during meals as there is no TV in the dining area.

Solving problems will save user’s time and will make their daily life better for a long time. I want to make their experience hassle free and comfortable which can only be accomplished by understanding their problems.

A normal conversation with user’s will help me get a clear picture of their experiences. Solving a user’s problem can help in making their daily routine easy and smooth.

Ideate

Source: https://giphy.com/gifs/workingtitlefilms-mr-bean-rowan-atkinson-beans-holiday-Ssltx68WIeX1wA0Mg8

Considering all problems mentioned above, I came up with ideas which can solve the problems:

• Making the dining table movable by adding wheels under it.
• To increase space on the dining table, making extendable sliding trays around the table. It will expand the table and accommodate more people.
• Using a fold-able and convertible dining table to reduce congestion.
• Making shelves and cabinets under the dining table to keep more goods.
• A simple minimalist modern dining table is easy to clean.
• A portable dining table can be easily taken to any room.
• A rotatable disk on top of the dining table to move food so that everyone could easily have access to a specific dish.
• Making convertible chairs for the dining table will help reduce space.
• Top surface can be covered with a plastic table matte to avoid heat and prevent it from getting dirty.
• Making dining table corners round will make it safe and prevent injury.
• Making a movable coffee table with shelves will be an extension of the dining table and can be used for dining in other rooms.
• Proper lighting can be done by adding light on the ceiling above the dining table.

I sorted 3 proper solutions and left the rest:

1. Fold-able chair- Keeping a fold-able chair around the table will reduce occupied space. A fold-able chair is portable and can be placed anywhere. It takes less space.
2. Making a convertible dining table- Making a convertible dining table will solve the space problem. It will be fold-able with wheels under it can can be used as a side table.
3. Placing a fold-able door on wall shelves to be used as dining table- We can place a fold-able door on wall shelves which will work as a dining table and also keep the shelves safe. Door will have its hinge on the bottom. To make it a dining table, we just have to open it at 90 degrees.

Prototype

Source: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/product-design-drawing-website-graphic_12189388.htm#query=ux&position=2&from_view=search

Considering all the key points mentioned. I chose the design of a convertible dining table. It solves all the major dining problems of houses and can be used for various purposes. Some of the benefits are as follows:

1. I kept the table 85cm high, which can accommodate a 6 feet person easily. The leg space is enough.
2. It has wheels on bottom which makes it easily movable.
3. The table is made of ply board which makes it light weight to move and durable. Now the top surface can be used to keep metal utensils and hot pots.
4. It is easy to clean and wipe. The surface texture is smooth. It is not in white so does not get dirty over time.
5. This can also be used as a side table to keep decorative items like photo frames, flower pots, table lamps etc.
6. The top board surface of the dining table can be folded which expands the top surface of the table. It can accommodate 4 people easily for dining.
7. It has cabinets in it which can be used to keep utensils, jars, cutlery etc.
8. The cabinets have fiberglass on them which makes the goods visible. It has handles for easy opening.
9. The corners are rounded which makes it safe to handle and prevent injuries.

Dining table

Side table

Table compared to human

Table front view

Test

Source: https://giphy.com/gifs/chemistry-KPn24x701Asus

This was feedback stage. Every idea can not be perfect in one go. There is always room for improvement. I reached to my users for feedback. Most of my users liked the design idea but they had some feedback:

Feedback from different users

After the feedback, I got to know more user problems which were not taken care of in the Empathize stage. I got to know that Shreyas had uneven flooring at his house.

In initial prototype, I did not add locking system to flap board, which would make the top dining board unstable. Any design is not perfect in first shot. It needs to be revised to reach to a satisfactory stage. I took the above feedback seriously and came up with following ideas:

• Some floors can have uneven heights. An adjustable foot pad needs to be added under the board flaps.
• A latch can be added on the flap to lock the rotation of the top board on it.
• Good quality sturdy wheels for long life.

I took user feedback then I made the following changes-

• Adding an adjustable foot pad under the flap board.
• Added a latch on the flap board.
• Wheel can be made more durable.

The final changes were made and presented to users. They liked the design.

Changes in prototype

My takeaways

Source: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/board-school-task-self-abandonment-2161880/

Here are my key leanings from exercise:

1. To unlearn our assumptions and value the user feedback.
2. Design is a continuous process. It is all about improving the product by consistent user testing and feedback.
3. There can be many solutions for one problem. The best solution is the one which solves most of the problems.
4. A friendly conversation with users helps understanding problems in detail. Empathizing is the key to get maximum information about the problem.

I am excited to do the following in the future:

1. Keeping a clear mind while having interviews and improving the design by consistent feedback.
2. Presenting the design idea in front of users before coming to a conclusion.
3. Interacting with users from diverse backgrounds.

This was a great experience. I am looking forward to involve in such projects with same enthusiasm and passion.

#StudentForLife ✌