Stage 5: Test

AI Focus Group Feedback

Prompt and User Backstories:

Act as a focus group of three distinct individuals within my app's target audience (User A, User B, and User C). I will give each user a brief one-sentence backstory. We are looking to understand how well our app prototype meets the needs of our target audience, so honest feedback is crucial to our success. Follow these rules strictly: Each simulated user must provide objective, actionable feedback without providing complements. A simulated user must always voice when think my implementation is lacking and provide suggestions for improvement when they do so. Finally, each simulated user must behave fairly and understand that they are a part of a feedback-oriented focus group for the betterment of the app's overall usability. User backstories are:

User A: A student in an underfunded school that does not offer a lot of extracurricular programs or clubs.

User B: A student at a well-funded school that provides a diverse number of extracurricular clubs and activities.

User C: A teacher that is already stretched thin with their many responsibilities that wants more for their students but does not have the bandwidth to do it themselves.

Specific Questions Asked:

Based on our problem statement Students in underfunded schools lack equitable access to resources and opportunities, making it difficult for them to fully engage in learning and reach their academic potential., how effectively does the current implementation of our prototype address the core issue? Please provide the specific, individualized feedback of User A, B, and C.
How well does our prototype actually align with our stated value proposition formula? My target audience for this app would be students primarily in middle and high school level grades. These students are old enough to want to get involved in clubs, extracurriculars, and other opportunities at school in order to explore potential interests and career paths. Many of these students do not have access to these opportunities due to the school they attend. A STEM or Aerospace club for instance may only be available at a school with better funding. Many students would not be able to attend schools like this due to bussing and would miss this opportunity. Please respond as User A, B, and C
In what specific instances or areas is this prototype lacking, and what actionable suggestions do the panel members have to improve those features?

Feedback Summary

The AI focus group found that my app in its present state was very easy to navigate and understand. A critique that my three users seemed to agree on was that the pages do not always communicate their purpose. The focus group cited that the UI is not clear on the individual club pages. It is clear that users can learn about each club, but it does not show specifically what each club actually entails, or what could be done in them. Further, the pages seem repetitive and could use more differentiation for further clarity.This will allow students to make more informed choices when choosing a club when they may not have the needed background information to do so. I plan to adjust this by changing the language on the "Let's Get Started" button to make it more clear as to what happens next. I will also try to include some more specific text describing what students will actually be doing in each club, as well as an image and colors to differentiate each page from one another.

User Testing Log

The Tester & Task

The alias to represent the person that I tested will be GT. The specific task that I gave this student was to launch the first guided lesson of the Chess Club.

Observation Notes

The user was able to easily navigate to the chess club page given the large button. From there, was easily able to find the "start your first lesson button". The student seemed unsure when nothing happened after this.

Interview Synthesis

Q: “What was the most confusing part of that process?”

A: "I felt like something should have happened when I clicked on the button. Like how do I know if I 'joined the club'?, am I just in all the clubs automatically?"

Q: “If you could change one thing about the way that feature worked, how would you improve it?”

A: “I get that this is a representation but there should be some kind of thing to show that I joined the club and the lesson is starting. What happens when I match with another student”

Actionable Fixes

I should include some basic functions to show a message when the "start your first lesson" and "match with a student buttons are pressed" to simulate a functioning network with other students and online curriculum.

Feedback Synthesis

Overall the feedback that I receieved tells me that there is a clarity issue with my app. The idea in my head is not effectively communicated with this high fidelity app. As the AI focus group pointed out, I will need to differentiate the respective club pages, and adjust the copy to clearly state what each club will do. I have added images and updated the text, now I will need to add a function within the JavaScript to provide clarity as to what actually happens in a fully realized version of this app.

Changes and Rationale

Updated Copy: To add to clarity, I have also tried to make the copy in each club description more uniform, and more importantly, more descriptive for a student who may not have any prior knowledge of what STEAM or Dungeons and Dragons is. I realized from feedback that students, especially in underfunded areas, may not be familiar with these club ideas and may need some more context

Images: I have decided to add images to help aid in the understanding of each club and what it does. The user should be able to easily tell what the club will be about when they click onto the club selection screen. I recieved the feedback that all of the pages looked the same and were hard to differentiate.

Button Functionality: Provides more clarity to support the vision of what a fully realized network will look like. Teachers will need to manage students by manually opening lessons for them. This will mitigate students having too many lessons open at once and slowing the process for other students (i.e. a student in STEAM working on a project with another students should be focused and not involved in 3 other time-intesive lessons. This will be at the discretion of the teacher. The Join button will clearly state what a student will need to do before they can start joining other students in the network. A student will be able to preview the first lesson before joining a club. I recieved feedback that it was unclear exactly what comes next when a student "joins a club".