Design Engineering
Showcase 2020

By working at a startup, I gained a new appreciation of the interdisciplinary skill set required by each member. I learned about the variety of tasks and fields of work that take place at startups including research, marketing, finances, advertisement, UX/UI and front and back end development.

Within the field of UX/UI, I employed Design Engineering methods in my research and used the appropriate tools to communicate and deliver my work. In the initial stages of my placement, I conducted research and user testing to develop a deep understanding of Nettoken’s users. Methods such as creating personas and use case scenarios helped to define user needs and identify opportunity areas.

I developed proficiency in new programs like Sketch and Invision to communicate UI concepts with my colleagues. Sketch enabled me to quickly and effectively mock up UI screens, ultimately allowing me to communicate my ideas on a much more detailed level than my sketches could. I then learned to use Invision to create ‘click through’ mockups of the Nettoken mobile app. This program proved to be particularly useful when demonstrating concepts remotely as it could communicate sequences of actions when using the app rather than simple still screens. Furthermore it helped generate deeper insights when used for testing as users could directly interact with it as if they were using the app.

My placement with Nettoken took place from June to September, my role being their UX/UI Intern. My tasks were varied within the field of UX/UI from developing insights, to user testing, to developing UI concepts and other graphic features for Nettoken’s phone and web app.

The main focus of my work with Nettoken was to progress their new sharing feature. At the time of joining in June, the Nettoken phone app was at its MVP stage. I was therefore tasked with exploring sharing behaviours and using this to inform new UI concepts for the phone app.

The initial stages of my work thus included interviewing users, exploring existing sharing apps, and outlining a set of tasks that needed to be facilitated by the app. With these new insights, I could ideate the necessary tools and UI features in Sketch.

The outcomes that I delivered include redesigned interfaces to communicate more information through visual cues, more touch points whereby users could gain a stronger sense of control and new features that enhance organisation. On the ‘Accounts’ page, subtle cues such as incoming and outgoing symbols help reinforce which accounts are shared and by whom. New touch points include an ‘Expiry’ toggle which allows users to limit the timeframe for which their account is shared. The new ‘Sharing History’ log also provides users with a sense of organisation and security whereby they can view receipts of accounts they have shared.

Although my original placement plans were affected by COVID19, I have certainly gained experience in the field of UX/UI that I could not have learned from an internal university project. By working so closely with my colleagues and receiving continual feedback, I was able to progress my skills quickly. Ultimately, I feel prepared to develop professionally in my future career given the new confidence in UX/UI that I have taken away from working at Nettoken.