MeltingPot.
To design an inclusive omnichannel experience that fosters cultural engagement and meaningful connections among culturally diverse young adults in Australia.
Duration
13 weeks
UX researcher, Product Designer
Role
Jermaine Issa,
Ankusi Jane, Kate Mander
Team
High Distinction (85%+)
Grade
Exec. Summary
Desk-Research
Australia is very culturally diverse, yet many face cultural alienation, impacting their identity and belonging due to a lack of resources for cultural knowledge and engagement
User-Research
Users need to feel accepted in interactions so they feel comfortable forming meaningful connections to promote a sense of belonging.
Our Omnichannel Solution
MeltingPot The App addresses users’ need for resources to learn about their culture without feeling ignorant or excluded through a user-run recipes and events section + quiz feature to expand their knowledge.
MeltingPot The Interactive Table is designed for cultural events, aiming to support social connections by discussing food preferences through a voting system. Sound and haptic feedback for an accesible sensory and multimodal experience.
Problem
We begun unpacking the problem by looking at existing contexts and how people are solving cultural disconnection.
Context
Feeling connected to cultural roots (history, traditions) is key for diverse individuals to have a positive cultural identity.
People raised in multiple cultures struggle with identity because they have different cultural influences.
Choosing which culture to identify with becomes tough and complex in shaping their sense of self.
Demographic
Target demographic of 18-25-year-olds
Young adults believe that reconnecting and learning more about their culture can be beneficial
Third-generation individuals felt “isolation and lack of identity” around their heritage due to the generational disconnect (The Guardian, 2022). 50% of culturally diverse individuals in Australia are third-generation.
Existing Solutions
University Societies
Positives
• Valuable safe space for culturally diverse students
• Learn and connect with their culture
• Build community
Negatives
• Clique-based groups
• Exclusion and not being alike enough.
• Disconnection, judgement and isolation.
Learning Programs
Positives
• Meet new people from their culture
• Feel a space of belonging
Negatives
• Large time commitments
• Difficulty meeting new people
• Uncertainty around what to expect.
Cultural Events
Positives
• Learn more about their culture
• Increase cross-cultural skills
• Connect with others.
Negatives
• Large time commitments associated
• Fear of judgement
• Feelings of inadequacy
Research
A mix of quantitative and qualitative methods were used to unvail pain points through triangulation.
Online Ethnography
Analysis Method
We utilised affinity diagramming to organise our data, as it’s a ‘simple and cost-effective method’ for processing qualitative data to create an iterative approach (Tomitsch, 2018).
Findings
Challenges managing dual identities.
Struggle to define one's position within their culture.
Prevalent desire to reconnect with cultural roots.
Online Questionaire
Analysis Method
An online questionnaire was created and distributed to our target demographic to quantify each of our research questions due to time constraints. We received 59 responses.
Findings
Few participants regularly engaged in their culture's activities.
~50% saw positive impacts from social activities on their cultural connection.
~50% linked cultural connection with well-being.
Personal connections to their own culture received neutral ratings.
Interviews
Analysis Method
9 one-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with our target demographic. They targeted research questions regarding young adults' attitudes and experiences when connecting to their culture.
Findings
Cultural activities are used for a deeper cultural connection and sense of belonging.
Genuine cultural connections are crucial for them to feel a sense of community.
They prefer inclusive environments where cultural engagement happens without judgment.
Barriers faced when trying to connect with one’s cultural heritage.
How often do you participate in events related to your culture?
How connected and important cultural connection is to oneself.
Synthesis
The data was used to refine insights and inform user-centric approaches.
Affinity Diagram
Users expressed a desire to learn more about their cultural festivals, language, and traditions as this promoted a sense of cultural connection and belonging.
Users value their time, and want to participate in meaningful cultural activities.
Desired genuine cultural connections to feel a part of a cultural community.
An inclusive environment, where they can be culturally engaged without judgement.
Personas, Storyboards, & Empathy Mapping
We created personas to ‘personify patterns’ to focus on key user needs and mitigate our own biases by using objective statements and findings from our 3 research methods.
Storyboarding allowed us to quickly ideate experiences and concept problems to evaluate our insights, streamlining the visualisation process.
Empathy map based on the qualitative data collected. We mapped users' thoughts and behaviours to empathise with their motivations and frustrations. (Ferreira et al, 2015). This helps maintain a user-centered design process, focusing on key users’ needs and experiences.
Pain Point 1
Judgement
Users need resources to help them learn about their culture as they dislike feeling ignorant and excluded.
Pain Point 2
Identity
Users need a way to feel accepted in cultural communities because they want to maintain their individual identity.
Pain Point 3
Belonging
Users need to create meaningful connections with others from their cultural background to promote a sense of belonging and security.
The Solutions
From the synthesis, we ideated two solutions.
The Activities
We evaluated the value of each idea for the customer to use through a decision matrix to evaluate the best parts of each idea.
The Solution Concept
The mobile app concept addresses insights surrounding the need to build awareness and save time, by providing resources for individuals to efficiently learn about their culture. In the app, educational and discovery features were applied in the form of a quiz, recipe and event section to promote positive cultural engagement.
Our interactive table concept addresses insights regarding the need for acceptance and meaningful connections, by providing a space for cooperative community-based interactions. Our final idea adopted a voting-based game on an interactive table as a unique omnichannel device for supporting social interactions.
Lets Validate the Solutions
We wanted to validate the solutions and some additional assumptions we had made by testing the following two concepts.
Testing Methods
Think aloud, Cognitive walkthrough, SUS survey, Heuristic evaluation
Mobile Design Considerations
For the app, we repeated design patterns across the recipes and events UI for memorability. Progressive disclosure in these sections allowed for utility, learnability, and organisation, to avoid visual crowding.
Table Design Considerations
For the interactive table, we considered size, utilising a large scale for text and buttons. We also repeated navigation patterns from the app to create consistency between interfaces to enhance memorability.
Iteration 1
Reasons for the design features we chose and testing are highlighted below.
Mobile App Wireframe
Method
Tested 13 features
Merged cognitive walkthrough and think-aloud testing data.
Interactive Table Wireframe
App Findings
Combine iconography with text for enhanced clarity.
Switching to carousels for notifications instead of 'click to expand.'
Introducing quiz categories and an edit option for cultures.
Implementing a 'saved' banner and providing filter feedback.
Adding light shading to the food tile background for enhancement.
Table Findings
Enhanced instructional copy and call-to-action buttons for better learnability post-recipe selection.
Replaced recipe section with nearby restaurants due to user feedback suggesting a lack of immediate need for recipes.
Improved the interactive table to facilitate meaningful connections among diverse cultural backgrounds.
Iteration 2
Pain points from user testing are quoted below along with the issue and solution implemented.
Method
Face-to-face heuristic evaluations
6 experts
3-4 tasks to complete
App Findings
Users desired tabs for streamlined navigation, minimising page transitions.
Requested a 'continue' option for quizzes to resume where they left off instead of restarting.
System status visibility required clear button animations and revised text for better context comprehension.
Table Findings
System status visibility was a significant issue.
Worked on creating clearer visual interaction points for an unconventional table.
Developed progress indicators for better user guidance.
Iteration 3
After implementing feedback from round 1 and testing again, new pain points arose from users.
Method
12 participants
3-4 tasks
Unmoderated think-aloud (first-click and standard testing) followed by SUS survey.
App Findings
Improved button differentiation for clarity.
Added information icons for new user sign-ins.
Identified and removed duplicate features to enhance app purpose and effectiveness.
Table Findings
Added instructions for gameplay guidance.
Integrated two new features based on user emphasis on community and session results.
Made minor color contrast adjustments for better visibility.
Introduced a red tab to indicate the active state of a tab.
Iteration 4
After implementing feedback from round 2 and testing again, new pain points arose from users. This ended with a 79 SUS user satisfaction rating.
Final Product
Have a look around the Figma file, you’ll notice extra screens for animations + components and additional design assets next to the device sections.
Solution Next Steps
Real world considerations for potential next steps to take this beyond just an assignment from university.
Determine feasibility during the concept phase.
Create a high-fidelity design with clear labelling of functions for engineers to build and ensure high-quality implementation.
Measurable success metrics.
Continue to iterate to improve customer experience where required.
Personal Reflection
I wonder how the app UI could be more refined through a more defined design system and aesthetic i.e. reducing the floating tile effects and overly rounded corners + reducing colour usage to be more modernly aligned.
Clearer labeling of Figma components
More efficient ways to animate interactions and sequences