This project includes two deliverables – alpha & final solution
This is a team project. Please review the Project 2 – Team List (Instructor will post the list once the teams are created).
You will learn how to create a compelling user experience for this project utilizing two platforms, Figma (to develop a website) and Agora World (to create a Metaverse immersive experience). The deliverables for this project include a Figma prototype site and a complementary Agora World Metaverse space, both of which will demonstrate your knowledge of the basics of both platforms and User Experience Design.
Teams will work in a Hybrid Scrum Framework with defined roles and deliverables. Each team will be paired with an EY guest speaker. Each EY guest speaker is an SME and invaluable team resource. Teams are expected to establish a communication plan with their SME and meet at least once a week for feedback. .
The alpha deliverables are graded on a modified pass/fail basis. The main reason is that unless you achieve significant success with the alpha, it will be very difficult for you to do well in the final version. The only possible grades for alpha and beta are A, B, or F. If you receive an F, it is unlikely that you will get a passing grade in the final version. The final version will receive a numerical grade.
Project Scenario
Telecom Business to Business (B2B) is a rapidly evolving landscape consisting of large-cap operators such as AT&T, Comcast, T-Mobile, and Verizon are facing a complex challenge. They must not only serve their existing customer bases, but also engage in fierce competition with each other to retain and attract new customers. While most operators have established themselves and developed loyal customers within the Small and Midsize Business (SMB) and Enterprise space, there is an underwhelming amount of focus on customers that fall under the midmarket size. Amidst this competition, operators are confronted with a pressing pain point – the inability to seamlessly identify and cater to the unique needs of prospective customers who visit their websites. The existing approach falls short of meeting customer expectations and addressing specific segmentations, leaving room for innovation.
This is a dynamic project where you and your UX Design team will step into the role of consultants for one of these operators, tasked with crafting an innovative strategy to transform their online presence. Your objective is to reimagine the operator’s website and construct a Unified Digital Ecosystem that not only incorporates five novel offerings but also addresses the challenge of targeting a diverse range of prospective customers effectively. Each team will be assigned a specific operator and set of offerings to work with. The project must include a new digital ecosystem plus a Metaverse immersive experience to improve client interaction.
Key Objectives
- Hyper-Personalization: Develop a website that dynamically tailors content and offerings based on the prospect’s profile, needs, and preferences. This ensures that the right products are presented to the right audience.
- Segmentation Strategy: Devise a sophisticated segmentation strategy that categorizes prospects based on various factors such as industry, company size, and specific pain points. This will enable precision targeting and enhance the user experience.
- Prospect Identification: Implement mechanisms to identify prospect visitors as soon as they land on the website. Whether through smart sign-ins, behavioral analysis, or other innovative means, the goal is to understand the user from the moment they engage.
- Immersive Metaverse Experience: In addition to the digital ecosystem, create a Metaverse immersive experience that enhances client interaction. This could include virtual events, collaborative spaces, and interactive product demonstrations.
List of Offerings- Midmarket Focused
(may vary per operator, but overarching theme is the same):
- Cybersecurity Solutions
- Threat Detection & Prevention, Data Encryption Services, Firewall and Intrusion Detection Systems, Secure VPN and Remote Access Solutions
- SD-WAN
- Enhanced Network Connectivity and Performances, Centralized Network Management and Monitoring, Traffic Prioritization and Optimization, Cost-effective Multi-site Connectivity
- Unified Communications
- VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Solutions, Video Conferencing and Collaboration Tools, Instant Messaging and Presence Management, Cloud-based Phone Systems
- Cloud Services
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), Hybrid Cloud Solutions
- Managed Services / Security
- Network Monitoring and Maintenance, IT Helpdesk and Support, Data Backup and Recovery, Managed Security Services
- 5G Connectivity Services
- High-speed Mobile and Fixed Wireless Connectivity, Enhanced Mobile Broadband, Massive IoT Connectivity, Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications
- Customized Solutions
- Tailored Telecom Solutions on Specific Business Needs, Custom Network Designs and Configurations, Industry-specific Packages and add-ons, Integration with Existing IT Infrastructure
Additional Design Considerations
- SEO
- CRM (how do you capture data and understand who the prospect is so you can personalize the content back to them)
- Omnichannel
- Not to design, but a consideration when building out
- Personalization at scale
- how is this achieved?
- Who does this successfully?
- Amazon?
- Salesforce?
- What can you do to gather data and information to personalize content for these visitors?
Glossary of Terms
(There is no universally accepted definition of the different customer segments. Traditionally, annual revenues and employee count are the key differentiators. Some sources may vary on the scales slightly, but for the purpose of the project the below will be the definitions.)
- Small/Medium Businesses (SMB): Less than 500 employees, less than $5M annual revenue.
- Midmarket: $5M- $1B annual revenue,
- Lower Middle Market: $5 – $50 million of revenue
- Middle Market: $50 – $500 million of revenue
- Companies who are scaling and growing, their purchases are not hundreds but thousands, so not doing easy transactions need to communicate several times
- These companies will not be making their purchases the first time they come to the service provider’s site. It takes several interactions, conversations, and offerings before signing a contract with the telecom company.
- Upper Middle Market: $500 million – $1 billion of revenue
- Enterprise: > $1B annual revenue
*Please be aware that these definitions are intended only for internal use. Customers won’t categorize themselves; segmentation will be based on services that suit their company needs. Avoid using these titles to organize your website; it’s like asking people to publicly disclose their tax bracket*
Portal Requirements
Each team will design a user experience portal in the form of a prototype design (using Figma) to implement the recommended solution. Deliver the experience with wireframe sketches, complimentary user research, competitive analysis, and a working prototype. The prototype must include a minimum of 12 frames.
The web site scope includes three primary levels of details outlined below:
- Level 0: This is the primary landing page for the client. It will include at a minimum a call-to-action tile for your intended user(s).
- Level 1: This is a specific page for your B2B users.
- Level 2: These are your offerings calls to action. Create complete scenarios for each of your five offerings accessed from your Level 1 dashboard.
- Take your client through the entire customer journey of each scenario.
- Example: Provide a customer support feature (AI, Chatbot, Call Center, CRM, etc.,). This would require you to track the customer through the entire process and show their entire experience.
- Take your client through the entire customer journey of each scenario.
Project Setup
Hybrid Scrum Framework
Figma Setup and Collaboration
Agora World Setup
Alpha Requirements
The alpha submission should include a status update on all of the activities and specific items listed below.
- Understanding the Problem. Create a Word Document that answers the seven key elements in the following video
- Create a low-fi landing page wireframe and then a prototype of that landing page with at least one interactive navigation button.
- Minimum of four frames with a least one interactive component
- A draft version of your Agora Metaverse “Event” Experience
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- A screenshot of your layout indicating placement, (and intended placement) of key visuals and virtual tools
- Four or more screenshots of your “Event” components included in your appendix.
Alpha Deliverables
- Submit the above as a PowerPoint document with a title slide plus presentation limited to 4-slides.
- Include the Figma prototype link as the last slide and include at least one screenshot of your site inside the PowerPoint.
- Include your Agora screenshots.
- Submit your slide deck to canvas.
- Include an appendix
- The appendix does not count toward the slide limit.
- The appendix must document examples of your team researching the problem (collaboration content)
- Include a screenshot of the “Understanding the Problem” Word document you created.
- DO NOT provide hyperlinks or documents in folders
- Every team will present. (note: every team member is NOT required to speak).
- The Alpha submission is graded on a pass/fail basis for completing the specific requirements and on the justification of the theme. The quality of the user experience is not graded.
Alpha Presentation
- The final presentation order will be posted by the instructor; however, volunteers are welcome, and requests must be received by the end of class on 11/3. Every team will present their PowerPoint.
- Note: The presentations will consist of 4-minute blocks with 3-minutes for teams to present their sites, followed by 1-minute for feedback.
Usability Testing & Heuristic Reviews
- Each team member is required to independently conduct an observational usability test with an external user utilizing both the website and Agora Metaverse “Event” Experience.
- One external user per team member, (excluding MIS (major and minor students), to participate in the usability test using the team’s adapted usability test script.
- Document your team’s process including each individual team member’s notes, plus the modified test script in your Final Submission PowerPoint’s appendix.
- Summarize the results of your teams Usability evaluation on a slide.
- Each team must conduct an heuristic evaluation of their site with another team in our class section using Nielsen and Molich’s 10 User Interface Design Heuristics.
- Watch this video for additional insights on how to create your team’s heuristic evaluation(s)
- Teams be partnered together to conduct a heuristic evaluation of each other’s site (see the Team Paring list below).
- We will provide class time during Week 13 to conduct your evaluation.
- Each team will collaborate to conduct one (or more) heuristic evaluation(s) and include the results in the appendix.
- For each heuristic criteria, write no more than a two or three sentence rating and explanation. Use bullet formatting.
- Teams must submit their heuristic evaluation(s) to one another for inclusion in the final PowerPoint submission.
- Summarize the results of the heuristic evaluation(s) on a slide.
- Discuss how you will improve the design based on the Usability and Heuristic tests/evaluation(s).
- List what you changed from the alpha version and why.
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Studio Group # Team Parings A 1 & 2 B 3 & 4 C 5 & 6 D 7 & 8
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Final Submission Requirements
- 8-minute presentation that summarizes the project. This includes a brief PowerPoint presentation plus a “live” walk-through of your website and Metaverse Experience.
- The presentation should involve two or more team members and include:
- The problem and goals of the site including its overall affordance.
- The intended user demographic and how your site will support that demographic (minimum of two personas).
- A live demonstration that highlights using Norman’s terms specific items you improved as part of the usability tests and how you achieved the call for action elements listed in the requirements
- Create a Word file that includes the following:
- A one-page reflection that includes a list and justification of how your site applies the six-concepts listed below and how you improved the design. A significant part of the grade is how well you use specific examples that are unique to your problem and site for the justification. Avoid using generic examples, such as pointing out the affordance of a menu or button, instead use items specific your design, which reflect choices you made. For example, I used XXX color to signify YYY action required by the site goals, or my site has a fun affordance because it uses XX YY ZZZ.
- Affordances
- Signifiers
- Constraints
- Conventions
- Knowledge in the head vs. the world
- Mapping
- A one-page reflection that includes a list and justification of how your site applies the six-concepts listed below and how you improved the design. A significant part of the grade is how well you use specific examples that are unique to your problem and site for the justification. Avoid using generic examples, such as pointing out the affordance of a menu or button, instead use items specific your design, which reflect choices you made. For example, I used XXX color to signify YYY action required by the site goals, or my site has a fun affordance because it uses XX YY ZZZ.
- Team member evaluation: Please follow the instructions provided within the evaluation link listed under deliverables.
Final Submission Deliverables
- Submit the above one-page reflection as a Microsoft Word document (to canvas)
- Summarize your Design Process in a PowerPoint document with a title slide plus presentation limited to 7-slides.(to canvas)
- Include the Figma prototype link as the last slide and include at least one screenshot of your site inside the PowerPoint.
- Include your Agora screenshots.
- You may use the “notes” section on PowerPoint to add more detail and justification
- Bibliography – including any precedence you used to inform your design.
- Include an appendix that lists the major improvements and changes you made to the design (site and Metaverse), going from alpha, to final.
- The appendix does not count toward the slide limit.
- The appendix must document examples of your team addressing all of the Project 2 Requirements.
- Include the details of the usability tests and heuristic evaluation within the Appendix slides (do not submit links to documents).
- Include screen shots of any content that documents your work.
- Include documentation showcasing your Hybrid Scrum Framework
- DO NOT provide hyperlinks or documents in folders
- Points will be deducted for not meeting these minimum requirements.
- You may ultimately determine through your Usability Tests and Heuristic Evaluations that some of these features do not meet your users’ needs and should be “archived”.
- Design the PowerPoint presentation assuming that your ‘clients’ are a team of senior-level managers (CxOs), but not necessarily in the Information Technology function.
- Team Member Evaluation
Final Presentation
Your presentation and digital demonstration should run no longer than 8-minutes, with 3-minutes at the end for a brief question and answer session (11 minutes total time per team).
- The final presentation order will be posted by the instructor; however, volunteers are welcome, and requests must be received by the end of class on 12/4. Every team will present their PowerPoint, Figma prototype and Metaverse experience.
- Complete and submit the Team Member Evaluation (listed above) by 11:59 PM on December 11, 2023.
- Include your Agora Event Code in the Appendix.
- Resend your final Figma Prototype link to Tari and Sclarow.
The final submission is graded on a numerical basis focusing on the user experience and on applying the course concepts.