Conclusion

Based on the tests, the test person and the process to create an exclusive design, there are a number of conclusions that I have drawn that I can take to the next project.

Conclusion

About Marijn

All in all, I found working with Marijn to create an exclusive design very educational and fun. In the two times that we had Marijn tested all our work, I found out that he has a lot of humor and can even be a bit cheeky (rightly so) who just happens to be suffering from a motor disorder. What I personally learned from him as a designer / developer is to really think carefully about the work you create. Especially the edge cases, as I loved seeing how he tried to break the prototype on everyone. Actually, for all the work you create as a designer / developer, you need someone like Marijn to make your work edge case proof!

Testing with Marijn

By testing with Marijn, I learned that as a designer / developer you don't really know very well for whom you are really designing, until you see someone using your work immediately. For me it was the first time that I had someone test my work who uses the internet / setup differently than I do myself. At the beginning I of course had a number of assumptions about what Marijn would be like, but what I soon found out is that I was very wrong.

First of all, I found out that not everyone who uses their keyboard for navigation also uses the tab key. Marijn never uses his tab key because 1.the focus state of the tab key is often not properly coded and 2.the tab key only goes one way, while the navigation he uses (VIM keys / arrow keys) can also go back. This is definitely something I'll be taking to other projects: Do not assume that a user is only using the mouse or a tab key to navigate through a site..

In addition, I have learned to make something simple, but even simpler. Of which I myself had the idea to make an extra step (a confirmation step), this is an extra effort for Marijn, whereby the confirmation step was actually unnecessary. What I can conclude is: Make it even simpler than you might initially think.

Of course it is always important to listen carefully to your test taker, but in the case with Marijn, I can conclude that listening to your test taker is even more important. Because Marijn has a motor disorder in a serious form, it was extremely difficult to understand him. I did not expect this at the beginning, as there are also many people with a motor disorder who are easier to understand (another assumption that was immediately invalidated during testing).

Remote testing

After having tested remote three times (of which twice with Marijn) I can conclude that I did not experience the remote testing as very pleasant. Of course it is better for the test results that you cannot directly influence your test taker, only I noticed very much that I find it more pleasant to stand with my test taker and actually see what he or she clicks or looks at. I also noticed that, in Marijn's case, I was also quite dependent on the translation of Vasilis because the sound online is still worse than if I had stood next to Marijn. This also made for even more difficult communication. But this was certainly an experience that I can take to the next test moments.

Process of creating an Exclusive Design

At the beginning I found it especially difficult to think about how I would design the prototype for specific Marijn. I first wanted to test what he liked best to work with his keyboard, while I could have put a little more focus on what he liked to use as a person (the principle of prioritize identity). I also feel that I got less from my own tests than from the feedback from the other students.

In retrospect, I am of course disappointed with this. However, I also noticed that I only found testing twice with Marijn herself a bit too little. Once I already had a reasonable prototype for testing, it was already the last test moment. I personally think that at the beginning I should have put a little more focus on the study situation principle so that I could really focus on the prioritize identity principle in the last test moment. I am also someone who is really a perfectionist. I really noticed this during testing. I actually found it almost annoying to have to show a bad thing, while this could have yielded more insights.

Despite these points, I have experienced testing an exclusive design with Marijn as extremely educational. The insights I have gained from this is definitely something that I will include in the upcoming projects!