Business communication desktop app — Empathise Part 2: User interviews
User Interviews
Five interviews were conducted with internal users through the MS Teams platform. The facilitator script was prepared, encompassing an agenda for the session, a consent form for recording purposes, pre-test questions, scenario-based tasks, post-task questions, and post-test inquiries.
The research focused on the following key areas:
- Calling
a. Dialpad functionality: Placing calls to external numbers and utilizing call-related functions.
b. Voice messaging: Exploring the features and usability of the voice message functionality. - Contacts
Adding new contacts and evaluating the ease of the process. - Call history
Navigating and locating different types of calls within the call history section. - Settings
Assessing the settings menu and its various options to customize the user experience.
Interview Analysis
Following the comprehensive interviews and testing sessions, an affinity map was meticulously constructed to facilitate the organization and synthesis of the gathered information. This strategic approach enabled the efficient sorting and grouping of a substantial volume of research-derived ideas, based on their inherent relationships and connections, thereby facilitating a comprehensive review and in-depth analysis.
During the analysis phase, diligent efforts were made to identify recurring patterns within the collected data. These patterns were subsequently grouped and categorized into cohesive themes, further enhancing our understanding of the underlying insights. To aid clarity and coherence, appropriate names were assigned to each group, ensuring a concise representation of the identified themes.
Design Decisions
Below are examples of user problems encountered during the research process, along with corresponding design decisions:
Problem: Users cannot view the availability status of their peers.
Solution: Implementation of manual status setting, enabling users to set “Do Not Disturb” (DND) status on one device, which will be applied consistently across all devices.
Problem: Lack of integration with other applications.
Solution: Introduction of the ability to integrate with third-party apps, plugins, and seamless integration with popular platforms like Google or Outlook.
Problem: Unclear error messages.
Solution: Implementation of a more effective error handling system, ensuring clear and concise communication of errors to the user.
Problem: Difficulty in locating the warm call transfer feature.
Solution: Enhanced visibility of essential on-call functions by displaying them prominently and consistently throughout the user interface.
Problem: Absence of voice message-to-text conversion capability.
Solution: Introduction of a voice-to-text feature, primarily to enhance accessibility for users who may require text-based message alternatives.
Problem: Lack of clarity in the call history icon.
Solution: UI improvement through the implementation of a more intuitive and easily comprehensible icon, accompanied by the use of appropriate colors to enhance user understanding.
Problem: Absence of a personalized user profile.
Solution: Incorporation of a user profile feature, allowing users to personalize their profile information and settings.
Continue reading … Business communication desktop app — User’s problems and needs definition
