Arter i Norge
UX case
The Norwegian red list of threatened species showed in November 2021 that the proportion of endangered species had increased. How can we slow down this development?
In this project, I worked alone. I had to be effective and efficient in the research phase to gather sufficient information about the challenge. I conducted literature review, domain expert interviews, heuristic evaluation and a competitive analysis.
Below is an affinity map with the main findings of my research.
We need to gather more information about which species live where. This can help politicians can make informed decisions about where it is safe to expand infrastructure and housing.
There is an existing service called Artsobservasjoner where people can register species they have observed. This is an excellent way of using citizen science to gather information and gain knowledge.
However, Artsobservasjoner has some challenges. Many users have difficulties using the service, and are requesting a simpler service they can use in the field.
I created personas to get a better understanding of the users' background, motivations and needs. This helped me focus on what is most important to the users.
Using "How might we" questions is useful to explore a range of possibilities. I started formulating HMW questions on how I could build an app or website that is more useful for the users.
I started sketching an app. The app is called Arter i Norge which simply means "Species in Norway". I conducted usability testing with the low-fidelity wireframes to uncover any pain points early in the process. I iterated and improved the wireframes to cater to the users' needs.
Following the atomic design method, I started building the visual user interface. The colours are inspired by endangered species in Norway.
Check out the interactive prototype below!
In the second round of usability testing, I used Maze. Maze is a helpful tool to run remote usability testing, where you can quickly get results from a larger number of participants. I ran the test for a few days and gathered data from around 40 participants.
The results of the usability testing showed most participants found it relatively easy to navigate the app. However, a significant number of participants had difficulties with understanding the concept of the app and how to navigate in the usability testing tool.
Going forward, I should continue developing other parts of the app, such as Projects. In addition, I need to look at how we can increase the ease of use. A possible solution here could be by further simplifying the navigation and user flow.
Conducting an in-person usability test can give us deeper insight into why the users might have difficulties understanding the app.