Rapid Design Thinking

For my DesignLab UX Academy course, I was tasked with practicing design by using a process called Design Thinking to design an ATM for kids.

What is Design Thinking you might ask? Well, it’s the primary methodology used to investigate and solve design problems in UX and uses the following steps:

Empathize

Understanding problems that a typical customer faces in order to create a product that solves an issue. Getting to the bottom of the “why”.

Define

Clarifying the details of what will be created, for whom, and how.

Ideate

The design starts to be laid out on paper. The IA, Sketches, wireframes, user flows, screens and interactions are used to further understand the design.

Prototype

An interactive prototype is quickly built in order to have a product for customers to interact with so data can be gathered.

Here I’ll lay out my process as I thought about a problem and how to solve it using these steps.

The problem I started with was, how would you create an ATM for kids?

EMPATHIZE

For the empathize phase of the process I wanted to begin to understand what an ATM is.

That’s clear enough but I needed to dig deeper into what functions it has for adult users. Maybe by laying out everything I know about an ATM, I could begin to see what features would be useful for kids.

Functions of an ATM:

I feel like I have a better understanding of how an ATM works but why do we use it?

Then I looked at these functions of an ATM from the perspective of what a kid 7–11 years old might need. When does a kid interact with money? What are difficulties that might come up when a kid interacts with money? What could a kid learn from interacting with money? How could an ATM help with these issues?

Why would a kid use an ATM?

DEFINE

Then I used the information I had gathered to brainstorm how a kids ATM would work and how it would incorporate these solutions.

How would a kid use an ATM?

They would use the ATM to retrieve a regulated allowance or pocket cash without having to ask their parents for permission. This would allow them to access allowance more conveniently and promote the importance of saving and how to spend money responsibly.

Now that I had the basics of what the ATM would do I needed to layout the features on the ATM that would allow the kid use to use the ATM in these ways.

Things to be aware of for kids:

What are the possibilities or features a kid may need on an ATM?

I also started to think, kids like using something because their friends are. Kids will be more likely to save their money or donate to charity if they see their friends are doing the same. I think it would be important to the educational aspect of encouraging kids to save and spend wisely to be able to see how their friends are saving and spending. I would like to incorporate a way for kids to interact with their peers through the ATM.

Social aspect for kids:

IDEATE

Now I started to put pen to paper and began to sketch out a very quick, very basic user flow.

Once kids log-in they will be taken to their home page which will include a social feed of how their peers are saving and spending. They will have button options to “Get Cash” or “Add to Account”. Getting cash will give them limited amounts they can withdraw. They will also be able to add what they’re using their money for with a description or emojis which will be shared with their friends. A summary at the end can easily be emailed to them and their parents with a click of a button.

The ATM will feature a tablet-like touch screen, a QWERTY keyboard within kid’s reach. Cash and coin withdrawal and deposit slots low and within reach for shorter kids.

PROTOTYPE

Next I created some more detailed wireframes in Sketch to start looking at how a couple of the main screens might be layed out:

The very first screen will prompt a child to enter their username and password in order to access their account on the ATM. I chose rounded edges for a more friendly feel!

Once they log in they’ll have access to their home screen where easy buttons prompt them to get cash or add money to their account. I put these important buttons at the bottom so that kids of all heights are able to reach them. They can also scroll down the social feed by using the touch screen.

Of course this is all the beginning of the process and, as is the point of the rapid design process, as things are tested things will change and there will be continued iterations.

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