Ceramic Boxes
Research at the crossroads of UX and ceramics
The context
• What? UX research applied to ceramics
• Role: User research, ideation, mid-fidelity prototyping
• Duration: 4 weeks, 2020
• Context: self-employed Designer
• Process: user “homework”, user interviews, affinity map, pictures map, sketching, cardboard prototyping
• Tools: Audio recorder, Skype, Google Suite, InDesign, Photoshop, sticky-notes, pens and paper, cardboard
Applying UX tools to ceramic design
For the past year, I’ve been making ceramics in my little studio in Berlin. I love to experiment with graphics, texture, shape, and be rather spontaneous with it.
I had the project of making ceramic boxes in the back of my head for a while but I somehow didn’t know how to tackle it, and the project never came to life:
“What type of container can I make? To store what? Of what size, shape, opening system, texture?”
I realized that conducting UX research on that topic (which isn’t the traditional way to go in that field) would allow me to define precise use and characteristics for those containers, and make sure it responds to my clients’ needs.
The research goals
- What are people’s motivations to have an organized home?
- What are the tidying solutions they are satisfied with or frustrated about, and why?
- Which categories of objects offer room for improvement?
What is the methodology?
I recruited 7 participants.
Prior to the interviews, I asked them to send me 5-10 pictures of tidying systems they use to organize their things: the ones they prefer, the ones they are not satisfied with, and maybe some home-made solutions they came up with.
Then, I conducted individual interviews in person or remotely via video-call.
Which solutions are satisfying? Or frustrating?
I organized the data from the interviews in an affinity map. I put the focus on people's main motivations and the concrete characteristics of satisfying tidying systems.
During the interviews, I asked people to comment on the pictures they sent me. Then, I made a map with the most insightful quotes associated with their pictures. I sorted them by category of objects and satisfaction level (red sticky-notes represent frustrations and green ones satisfaction). I found 3 big categories:
- Toiletries, makeup, and jewelry
- Pencils, office supplies, and DYI items
- Kitchen items, food...
What would the ideal container be like?
- A solution for everyday objects
- Most frequently used items to the front
- A clear overview of the content
- A container tailored to a specific use
- Compartments of different sizes
- Modular: separate elements that work as a whole
- Flexible: its limits can be pushed
- Texture and material serve a purpose
- A visually pleasant object
Sketching and prototyping
Among the 3 big areas I outlined in my research, I chose to focus on things that are used on an everyday basis, where the need for an efficient tidying solution isn’t currently fully met:
- Toiletries, makeup, and jewelry
- Pencils, office supplies, and DYI items
From those insights, I started sketching a bunch of ideas and I chose to work on a unique container that could be used in both contexts. The object is made of 3 parts that are working as a whole or as individual units:
- A) A lid/tray
- B) In the middle, a container with compartments for medium and small objects
- C) At the bottom, a big container for bigger items that are used less often
In addition, I’ve been working on the texture of the surfaces to add more flexibility to the different elements:
- A) The lid also acts as a tray, whose wavy surface allows to leave some objects that are in transition and need to be accessible easily (a necklace, pencils...)
- B) One side of the middle unit is pierced with holes to pin some small objects (earrings, pins..)
- C) One side of the bottom unit includes a groove to slip other kinds of items (small scissors, cards, tweezers…)
Then, I built a mid-fidelity prototype in cardboard to refine the dimensions:
The box in context
To finish, I put the prototype in context (in both an office and a bathroom environment) to try out its features:
Takeaway and next steps
- Sending the picture homework prior to the interviews was very insightful. It allowed me to get an idea of what to expect and so to tailor my script for each participant. I'll definitely use that method again.
- Next time I'll allow more buffer time during the interview planning process to send reminders, and repeat clear instructions of what is expected.
- A next step would be to make a prototype in clay, make some texture and glaze samples, and test it!