HAX Update

In week 6, I continued my work with user research. I am now working on user interviews to get a better perception of the users who use HAX. Some of the interviews will include students, teachers, developers, etc. I am trying to get a wide range of users so I can accommodate all of the different types of people who use HAX. Looking back, I should have done this step first and then work on wireframes, user journeys, and prototypes, but it's better late than never.

I have had complete control from start to finish during this project, which can be good and bad. Being in command lets me learn on my own and make my own mistakes. Failing and getting back up has given me a lot of confidence. Since I have had to go back, it has slowed down my productivity. For example, if I had initially started with user interviews, then maybe I would be further than where I am now. Overall I am glad that I made mistakes because I am now adequately prepared for future projects. Also, it's not just about making mistakes, but learning how to recover them is very important in whatever career you choose.

Valley Bank Update

This past week I took on a bunch of different projects. I have enjoyed my internship with Valley Bank because I can get into so many various projects and get that real-life exposure. For example, if I am interested in UX or customer experience, then they will try to connect me to people who can get me working in that specific department.

The first project I have been working on is with AP automation. This product is in the very early stages, so a lot of the past week has been attending meetings for planning the initial stages. Additionally, I did some more user testing with AP automation and added my notes to an insights board on Miro. When I watched the user testing videos, I examined why users were adopting specific accounting softwares. The first initial watch is to report direct quotes, insights, and observations from the user. During the first watch, you want to try to steer away from making assumptions. The reason not to make assumptions is that you don't want to guess at an insight without concrete evidence from the participant. We then had another meeting where we discussed our findings and did some brainstorming sessions in breakout rooms. We were assigned a specific segment and had about 20 minutes to think of their characteristics, motivations, pain points, and critical features. Going into the next week, we will be progressing this project and conducting more research.

Another project I have been working on is with Kontent. If you haven't read last week's blog post, I explained Kontent and how we're using it. I continued my work with learning Kontent and am now starting to edit the content on their local dev website. The team put together a Google Sheet with all of the fixes on the site, so over the next week, I will be assigning myself to issues that I will resolve. I am still relatively new to Kontent and will probably need some guidance, but the good thing is that it is still in the development stage and is not live. In case I make a mistake, no one will see it, and hopefully, it can be easily reverted.

Finally, the last project I am working on is with mortgages. I started this project later in the week, so I am still not too familiar with what I am doing, but this upcoming week I will be attending a lot of meetings and training to learn more. Additionally, I received some written interviews to review so I can get a better understanding.

Overall I have been busy with both internships, especially the one with Valley Bank. I am apart of so many different projects, but I have enjoyed it because I play a different role in each. All in all, I have learned so much, and I am looking forward to seeing what else I can accomplish in the next couple of weeks.