STRATEGY DOCUMENT

JOSEPHINE BREDEHOFT | 5/10/18

SYSTEM CONCEPT STATEMENT
The Fiksit app provides a long-needed alternative to the
lengthy, expensive process of tackling home repair as an
inexperienced individual. Written manuals and video tutorials
often prove insufficient to inform emergent repairs in the
moment. Fiksit uses augmented reality to recognize objects &
their parts. Next, any issues are diagnosed, and the app walks
the user through repairs using a real-time adaptive overlay on
mobile devices. It empowers amateur users with a safe and
streamlined way to resolve such issues on their own. Optimized
for use on tablets and phablets, Fiksit also offers
project-tracking and other convenient repair features through
desktop platforms. In short, Fiksit aims to relieve the frustration
and cost of facing a complex repair problem at home.
 Production Schedule
Week 6: Contextual Inquiry & Analysis
Conduct user, user proxy and SME interviews, and observation sessions.
Analyze all data using WAAD.
Create 6 personas and corresponding usage models.
Extract current system strategies from gathered user data.
Extract interactive design requirements.
Meet with client immediately before inquiry presentation on 2/22.

Week 7: Conceptualization
Construct a vision and central concepts for final interactive product.
Extract goals and metrics for user testing.
Write a prototyping and testing strategy.
Meet with client to discuss concept direction on 3/1.

Week 8: Prototyping
Create wireframes.
Create product style guide.
Rough wireframes and style guide ready for minor revisions by 3/6.
Meet with client to discuss coherence and achievement of product objectives on 3/8.

Week 9: User Testing Round One

Share outcomes with client and class.

Week 10: User Testing Round Two

Share outcomes of revised designs.
Meet with client to discuss direction of low-fi designs going forward 3/22.

Week 11: Low-Fidelity Design

Complete low-fi designs by 3/27.
Meet with client for approval of low-fi designs before beginning high-fi revisions 3/29.

Week 12: High-Fidelity Design

Complete all high-fi atomic assets by 4/5.

Weeks 13-15: Outcomes and Final Evaluation

Meet with client for final approval and eval 4/24.

Week 15: Client Summaries, Executive Summary and Additional Resources

Meet with client to review project and receive summary before presentation 4/26.

Week 16: Compile Final Presentation & Case Study

Format presentation by 5/1.
Present an overview of the project (and corresponding prototype) in larger meeting with class
5/3.
 Client Meeting Minutes
Meeting Host: Josephine Bredehoft
Meeting Participant: Paige Jones
Location: CUDN Building, Classroom 815C
Date: 1/31/18

I. Project Overview
Read & discuss client brief.

CONCLUSIONS
Project concept needs focus: perhaps help people with ease of use in a live, situation- and user-
specific context.

II. Implementation
How feasible & practical are this project’s criteria?

CONCLUSIONS
The project is feasible - go ahead! Focus on figuring out DSI/what others are doing well and poorly &
hone product’s strengths based on that

III. Risks
Is there sufficient demand for this app to warrant development?

CONCLUSIONS
Yes. This would be useful to young homeowners; could save thousands of dollars.

IV. Questions/Notes
Wrap up the meeting by answering or earmarking any remaining questions from the client.

CONCLUSIONS
Nail down a solid aesthetic.
Make final product based in visuals, not text.
Where is your information (to be used in in-app tutorials/etc.) coming from? Possibly have your
company “team up” with existing repair/maintenance manual authors or experts to source this
information
 Inquiry strategy
Primary Research:
Conduct 6+ interviews with new, inexperienced homeowners and user proxies
(apartment renters). Record these interviews in video.
Conduct 1-3 brief interviews with subject matter experts.
If possible, schedule and conduct 1-2 observation sessions featuring an
amateur user solving a real home repair problem. If these users have to call an
expert, record this as well.

System Examination:
Research home repair online & through interviews.

Contextual Insights/Analysis:
Transcribe interviews/observation sessions.
Create quick WAAD.
Create 3 user task flows.
Create 5 personas comprised of user goal, user scenario, and user task.

Secondary Research:
Review online & printed repair guides and articles by home repair experts.
USER INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS
User 1 - CS
Transcribed with pen & paper during interview due to technical issues with recording

Demographics
1. What are a few brands you use really often/favor over others?
Levi’s Jeans
Emergen-C powdered drink mix
2. What things do you really enjoy doing?
Drawing
Playing video games
Bingewatching TV
Spending time with pets
3. What communities do you identify yourself with?
Creatives
AIGA
Unity devs
Communal drawing/public studio
4. Sex
Male
5. Age
37
Questions
6. How often do you fix things around the house yourself?
Usually tries to solve problems himself before calling in an expert.
7. How often do you call in an expert?
When a problem that is risky or dangerous to fix, like electrical/plumbing/structural (foundation)
issues, occurs.
8. Have you ever had a particularly successful home repair (that you felt really good about)? Tell me
the story.
No.
9. Have you ever had a home repair project fail? Tell me the story.
Repair tasks usually end in a functional home.
10. What do you use to help you perform an emergency repair? (tutorials, guides, DIY videos, etc.)
Online manufacturer-written literature
YouTube videos
Ask a neighbor
Owner’s manual
Ask a professional
11. What bothers you the most about calling in an expert?
A lack of trust: are they honest?
Will they overcharge?
12. What do you like about calling an expert?
The security of hiring a professional
Home repair becomes one less thing to worry about
13. What bothers you the most about fixing repair problems yourself?
Time investment
Inexperience/corresponding larger margin for error
IMPORTANT: Cost of materials
14. What do you like about fixing repair problems yourself?
Confidence in building useful skills
Closing
15. IMPORTANT: Is there anything else/can you think of anything else?
ANECDOTE: This user has conducted a colossal plumbing project. This project caused mistrust in the
contractors hired, who underperformed severely. The project blew up, and an inaccurate time estimate
USER INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS
was given by the contractors hired.
User advises consultation of building codes and nonstandard vs. standard appliances for data to be
used in specialized walkthroughs.
Barriers to home repair/challenges: KNOWLEDGE and TOOLS
ADDITIONAL NOTES: As a homeowner under 40 I go straight to online reference sources, like Yelp and
Google, to find contractors. Older contractors (experienced) don't trust/don't want to use/don't need
to use some of these services for various reasons. The result is that I now distrust the online references
because of inaccuracies and disappointment in the contractors that they provide contact with.
In addition to changes in construction materials and methods, and a gap in construction
labor/mentorship, my generation of homeowners have different standards and expectations than
many contractors provide.

User 2 - KB
https://youtu.be/o7OgGHc2SoM

Demographics
What are a few brands you use really often/favor over others?
Ikea, for furniture
Google, for internet (switching?)
H&M for clothing
Tor and Vigo for books
What things do you really enjoy doing?
Computer programming
Video & board games
Reading
Going out to eat
Socializing
What communities do you identify yourself with?
Local board games group
TF2 (online video game) groups
Fandom & fantasy groups
Computer programming group (hopefully)
Sex
Male
Age
31
Questions
How often do you fix things around the house yourself?
When things break, I fix them myself. Once or twice a year.
How often do you call in an expert?
I live in an apartment, so we have access to electricians and whatnot when needed. The last time I
called someone in to help was when I moved in 7-8 years ago, and the heater and oven weren’t
working.
Have you ever had a particularly successful home repair (that you felt really good about)? Tell me the
story.
I haven’t exactly had any big problems that needed fixing like that; there was a plumbing leak at one
point; the guy came in at like 2 in the morning to fix that, and Im pretty happy about that, because of
not having a leak all over the place.
Clogged toilet, etc. I fix myself.
Have you ever had a home repair project fail? Tell me the story.
Not yet, but we’ll see how the ones I’m working on will go.
I’m currently working on my bathroom; the towel rack broke a while ago, so I just drywall-patched the
wall and I’ll be drilling the new towel rack into it.
Have customized furniture & fixed partially-working oven in the past.
What do you use to help you perform an emergency repair? (tutorials, guides, DIY videos, etc.)
USER INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS
Search the Internet to find needed information. Read articles & look at youtube videos.
What bothers you the most about calling in an expert?
I haven’t had any issues; it’s a time issue more than anything else (I need to be available in the
apartment when they’re here), If I owned my residence, it would be a cost concern as well.
What do you like about calling an expert?
The expertise; for certain problems, I won’t know what to do at all. With my heater problem, the entire
device needed replacing. I wouldn’t have known that. With the oven problem, it required some
electronics work, and again, I wouldn’t have known how to do that myself. So it’s nice to have the
experience of someone who actually knows what they’re doing better than I do.
What bothers you the most about fixing repair problems yourself?
I’m limited in what I’m allowed to do as a renter; I can’t paint the walls or drill into them.
What do you like about fixing repair problems yourself?
It gives me a sense of accomplishment, because I realize I can do these things myself; it’s also
cost-effective. It’s nice to be working with my hands, and it’s problem-solving. I enjoy problem-solving.
IMPORTANT: Is there anything else/can you think of anything else?
Great to have a localized repository of information where I could just say “this drywall needs fixing,
how do I fix drywall” as opposed to having to spend a few hours researching on the Internet, making
sure I understand the entire process; which products to get, etc. It would be convenient in that sense.

User 3 - ACS
https://youtu.be/DWQTgu4BvVE

Demographics
1. What are a few brands you use really often/favor over others?
Appleton rum
Dell computers
2. What things do you really enjoy doing?
Gardening
Reading
Cooking
Traveling
3. What communities do you identify yourself with?
Longmont
Homeschooling community
Neighborhood
Flatirons Church
4. Sex
Female
5. Age
32
Questions
6. How often do you fix things around the house yourself?
Every week, at least.
7. How often do you call in an expert?
On average, every other month (perhaps every eighth repair).
8. Have you ever had a particularly successful home repair (that you felt really good about)? Tell me
the story.
We had a garage-door guy come and fix the garage door when I hit it with the car, and we were sure
we were going to have to buy a new garage door, because it was really bent. It took him about fifteen
minutes to straighten it out, and only cost (not a lot) but way less than a garage door.
The first thing we did when we bought the house was to replace the water supply pipe to the fridge
with a copper one (cause it was a plastic one; they can cause flooding really easily because they
crack) and that was the first home repair that we did and it was fairly simple, and it worked, so that
was - satisfying, but not exactly challenging, really.
What was the process like for you to fix that? Did you end up looking up tutorials, or did you figure it
USER INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS
out on your own?
Yeah, Youtube. Always.
9. Have you ever had a home repair project fail? Tell me the story.
*laughs* The pipe in the basement that M (husband) tried to fix?
Yeah, that’s a good candidate!
Oh my gosh. Yeah. Apparently, if there’s even a tiny bit of water in the line, which takes forever to drain
out (like, more time than you have)... I don’t know how professionals do it, but not like that! It didn’t
work. And we had no water, until we had to call someone on an emergency basis, which I would not do
again, because they ripped [us] the crap off.
What process did you go through from finding out the problem to get it fixed?
The pipe was leaking, we thought we could maybe do it ourselves, because M has done copper piping
outdoors before, but it was a build, not a repair (or the repair’s been easier, because you can blow a
sprinkler system out, but you can’t blow out a home pipe). Then, we decided to check out all of the
parts; wasted a bunch of money on that too, and then we tried to fix it, and it didn’t seal, and he could
not get it to seal, and he couldn’t get the joint to set, and we called a professional, because we didn’t
have any water in our house.
10. What do you use to help you perform an emergency repair? (tutorials, guides, DIY videos, etc.)
YouTube and M’s dad. If it’s something we don’t already know how to do. Which , there are things.
YouTube never hurts when in doubt - better to find out first.
11. What bothers you the most about calling in an expert?
Knowing they can lie to me if they want to and I might not know.
So a lack of trust?
Yeah. Although it depends, because there are experts we trust, too. Not many.
12. What do you like about calling an expert?
Not wasting my life.
So time, or money, or…
Time. Time. Money is worse. It’s a bad decision for money, most of the time. Although not always,
because if you try it yourself and it fails, you’ve added to your cost.
13. What bothers you the most about fixing repair problems yourself?
Time. And the potential for error, too. If you do happen to screw up, and don’t know it, you might not
know it until years later, when you have mold in your wall or something.
14. What do you like about fixing repair problems yourself?
Not forking over a ton of cash - that’s the only thing, though.
15. IMPORTANT: Is there anything else/can you think of anything else?
It’s a lot more time-consuming & money-consuming than anyone wants you to know when you buy a
house - regardless of how you do it, things break constantly. The chaos is neverending.

User 4 - MS
https://youtu.be/6IJfMd4iB5k

Demographics
1. What are a few brands you use really often/favor over others?
Vans (but not anymore)
2. What things do you really enjoy doing?
Playing guitar
Tinkering with computers
3. What communities do you identify yourself with?
Flatirons Church
4. Sex
Male
5. Age
33
Questions
6. How often do you fix things around the house yourself?
Pretty often.
USER INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS
How often monthly?
Oh, depends on as things break, but I’d say maybe… once every few months.
7. How often do you call in an expert?
Once yearly or so.
8. Have you ever had a particularly successful home repair (that you felt really good about)? Tell me
the story.
I just kept the squirrels out with the wiring (chicken wiring?) over the attic vents, and it seems to have
solved that problem, so I think that turned out pretty good!
Can you give me a narrative?
Well, we had squirrels in our attic, found out they were coming in through the attic vents, so we did
have a professional come out and look, but he didn’t actually fix the problem, but he figured out that
they were coming in through the vents, so I went to Home Depot, got some chicken-wire-type-stuff,
put it over the vents, on the outside on most of them, and secured - jury-rigged it actually - with some
metal pipe straps, Then there were a few inside the attic - I was able to get in, and I just kind of affixed
it over it with some screws and washers and stuff.
9. Have you ever had a home repair project fail? Tell me the story.
Yes, unfortunately. We had a minor leak in one of the copper pipes in our basement, and I, thinking,
since I had done that kind of thing before, successfully, on new piping, not realizing some of the factors
that go into existing piping, got it all taken apart, and was trying to solder it back together. A (wife)
says “and see how much I get through that in one day?” And it did not go well, because you have to
get all the moisture out of the pipe, or when you heat it up, the steam keeps breaking your solder seal
when you go to solder the joint. Now I know. Oh, and also, apparently, you can’t cut copper pipes with
a hacksaw or else it will be “out of round.” You have to use a real pipe cutter.
Did you learn that from an expert?
Yeah, the guy who came out to fix it was saying that was probably part of the problem.
10. What do you use to help you perform an emergency repair? (tutorials, guides, DIY videos, etc.)
Yeah, a lot of times I’ll look stuff up on Youtube, if it’s something I haven’t done before.
11. What bothers you the most about calling in an expert?
Having to pay them.
12. What do you like about calling an expert?
Not having to do it myself. Also, with a lot of things that we would call an expert in, knowing that it’s
somebody who’s done it a lot, and knows what they’re doing, and isn’t going to cause our basement to
flood, or our house to set on fire, or anything to blow up.
13. What bothers you the most about fixing repair problems yourself?
Causing the basement to flood or the house to blow up. It’s never done any of those things, thankfully.
Worrying about potential mistakes and their results.
14. What do you like about fixing repair problems yourself?
Saving the money, but it’s also pretty satisfying too, to fix something yourself and have it turn out.
15. IMPORTANT: Is there anything else/can you think of anything else?
Not really.

User 5 - KR
https://youtu.be/8SzhLM1pRXQ

Demographics
1. What are a few brands you use really often/favor over others?
Sometimes I overlook the brand; sometimes it’s a matter of if it fits, if it’s comfortable, or if it works for
me. So sometimes it’s trial and error, right?
2. What things do you really enjoy doing?
Spending time with my kid
Being creative
Being outdoors/doing outdoor stuff
3. What communities do you identify yourself with?
I’m really tight with Golden
I stay out west; I love the hills. I like being in the mountain/snowboard community.
USER INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS
4. Sex
Female
5. Age
36
Questions
6. How often do you fix things around the house yourself?
Quite often, because it’s just me and my kid, but occasionally I reach out to my father or somebody to
help.
How many times per month/year?
Something big? That’s kind of rare.
I have to knock on wood just because I’ve been lucky not to have to do much for months.
7. How often do you call in an expert?
Regularly. If I’m not an expert, I’m not going to break it. You know, I don’t have any problem at least
looking into it; calling people I know are more informed than I am.
8. Have you ever had a particularly successful home repair (that you felt really good about)? Tell me
the story.
By myself? I did a bathroom remodel. Going into it, the original plan was just to do some retiling and
stuff, but there was damage and mold in the walls, so I had to learn how to put in new greenboard,
and then go from basically inside the wall out to finishing it.
How did you learn how to do that?
Actually, I reached out to some people I knew, and I explored some online resources, and I went for it.
9. Have you ever had a home repair project fail? Tell me the story.
10. What do you use to help you perform an emergency repair? (tutorials, guides, DIY videos, etc.)
Youtube. I like Youtube because generally, you can find a video along with information. I don’t tend to
like to read about everything; I’m not the person who reads the instructions. I’d rather hear about it
through a source.
What about the people you talk to?
I do definitely talk to family, but I also have contacts in painting, remodeling & construction, home
repair. At that point I reach out and question them. Often they like to offer their help, depending on
urgency.
11. What bothers you the most about calling in an expert?
The expense. Because I don’t make a ton of money, I can’t really afford to have them come in and fix it.
12. What do you like about calling an expert?
Because they know their stuff, and the weight is off my shoulders. I know they’ll do the job and get it
done.
13. What bothers you the most about fixing repair problems yourself?
It’s an inconvenience. It’s not something I really want to have to devote time to, because I have a busy
workload.
14. What do you like about fixing repair problems yourself?
The feeling of being accomplished - hey, I did it! Look, check it out!
15. IMPORTANT: Is there anything else/can you think of anything else?
I think in some sense, home repair & home improvements are a way of creating, so I like to see
something from start to finish kind of evolve.

User 6 - AS
https://youtu.be/qvbw9uTDfj8

Demographics
1. What are a few brands you use really often/favor over others?
Tools: Durabilt, Husky, Windex, special brand of paper towels.
Don’t care about brands otherwise: “whatever.”
2. What things do you really enjoy doing?
I like hiking.
Photography.
Walking with my dog.
USER INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS
Riding my bike
Drawing
Digital art
Reading
Writing
3. What communities do you identify yourself with?
I was in band for a lot of high school and elementary. I like to do photography, so part of that crowd.
4. Sex
Female
5. Age
25
Questions
6. How often do you fix things around the house yourself?
A couple times every other week.
Any big projects you’ve had to undertake recently?
Installed a new toilet, did some maintenance work on some tile, had to fix the handle to the bathtub
the other day.
7. How often do you call in an expert?
1-2 times per month.
8. Have you ever had a particularly successful home repair (that you felt really good about)? Tell me
the story.
Yeah. We had some wiring that went bad, so we had to replace the wires and re-insulate everything,
and it worked pretty well.
9. Have you ever had a home repair project fail? Tell me the story.
Oh, yeah! (laughs) It wasn’t just me, though; it was me and my mom. So my mom was patching a wall,
and she took a hammer, and it hit and it went through the drywall. She was looking for an empty
space, and this is why we had to repair the water pipe. She ended up going through the wall and into
the water pipe. So it ended up flooding our basement. So we had to patch that up with a brand-new
blowtorch and some copper.
10. What do you use to help you perform an emergency repair? (tutorials, guides, DIY videos, etc.)
Just your standard toolkit with some electrical tape; sealant, tools.
I grew up in a family that was pretty much full of engineers and maintenance workers, but I’ll use
Youtube if I don’t know how to do something, and that helps. I grew up knowing how to fix everyday
things.
11. What bothers you the most about calling in an expert?
The cost, for sure. The money. And then the anxiety of having a stranger in the house when I’m by
myself.
12. What do you like about calling an expert?
You don’t have to do the work, and it’s pretty reliable most of the time (from their experience). They
have extra knowledge and you know you’re guaranteed if anything goes wrong that they’ll fix it again.
13. What bothers you the most about fixing repair problems yourself?
That I’m gonna get something wrong and my house will blow up.
14. What do you like about fixing repair problems yourself?
I just feel powerful. I feel like I can rely on myself to do something, and control - “argh. I can do this!”
15. IMPORTANT: Is there anything else/can you think of anything else?
I think that learning to do basic stuff could save a lot of people money, and it’s a little bit more - it
makes you feel good to know that you can do something, and if you can’t get help from anybody else.

User 7 - PJ
https://youtu.be/Y3rGom3IZRM

Demographics
1. What are a few brands you use really often/favor over others?
I almost never buy clothes. Mostly food, and I mostly buy local things. Or whatever’s closest to me, and
also cheapest. Adobe Creative Suite, so that I can continue to create the things I want to.
USER INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS
I’m the worst consumer.
2. What things do you really enjoy doing?
Drawing, digitally drawing. Adobe.
Skype with my boyfriend.
My parents pay for Netflix and I mooch off them and watch Netflix.
3. What communities do you identify yourself with?
LGBTQ community. The artist community. Concept designers (look up to them, don’t identify with
them). I don’t like buying things, at all.
4. Sex
Female
5. Age
23
Questions
6. How often do you fix things around the house yourself?
I barely vacuum. I really like having a clean apartment, because it makes me feel good. But when
things are going to take more than a few minutes for me to do, I end up not doing them because I
spend a lot of time working. So any moments that I get to myself are kind of precious to me.
How many times per year?
At my parents’ place, every once in a while, the toilet would break, but it would just be because the
metal chain that lifts stuff up would fall off or slip off - so probably 2-3 times a year, I’d have to open
that, re-hook the chain, put it down, and we’re good.
Where did you learn that?
I grew up in a family that emphasized trying stuff, and trying to figure stuff out before you give up on
something. So if the toilet was broken, I was like “I need to flush the toilet.” My dad taught me how to
turn off the water on the toilet, so I will turn that off first, and then turn it back on, and if that didn’t fix
anything, I’d try fixing the only other thing that I could figure out how to do, which was opening the
thing and seeing if there was anything wrong in there. And if that was messed up, I’d get a plunger. But
that’s usually my last resort because that’s usually not what the problem is. So, I suppose just…
realizing that it’s my stuff, it’s my responsibility, I have to figure it out, no one else is going to do it for
me. If I didn’t even try anything, then I’m going to look like a fool if my dad comes and turns off the
water and is like “fixed!” If it’s something that I think I can do, I will probably just try to do it because
it’s stupid to pay money to someone else.
7. How often do you call in an expert?
Never. My dad has only had to call maintenance twice on the house that we lived in, and it was
because it was something that he couldn’t fix because it had to do with the piping in our house (under
concrete and 50yrs old). The broken air seal in my room doesn’t bug me enough to call anyone,
because eventually my dad said he’d be able to do it for me. That’s the only thing that could be
considered non-functional for me right now.
8. Have you ever had a particularly successful home repair (that you felt really good about)? Tell me
the story.
Nope, never had to fix anything. It’s always been my dad.
9. Have you ever had a home repair project fail? Tell me the story.
I’ve never seen it fail. My dad always figures it out. He grew up in the Midwest in the 60s-80s, so he did
all the housework. He replaced a sidewalk for my grandfather at 10.
10. What do you use to help you perform an emergency repair? (tutorials, guides, DIY videos, etc.)
I’ve built Ikea furniture, so I know those tools… I’ve worked in a shop once, so I know how to use most
power tools.
11. What bothers you the most about calling in an expert?
Money. I don’t want to pay someone for something that I could probably figure out how to do myself. If
it was broken to the point where I thought that I needed to fix it, I’d try to figure out how to do it first.
12. What do you like about calling an expert?
I would see if anyone that I know personally can do it first, like [classmate], my dad, my mom. I would
ask other people if they knew how to do stuff before I called someone else. I would rather buy
someone a pizza than pay 200 dollars -
What would you prefer about talking to those (aforementioned) people?
Honesty.
13. What bothers you the most about fixing repair problems yourself?
Taking time out of my day.
14. What do you like about fixing repair problems yourself?
I’d feel good about it when I was done. If I did it myself, I’d feel accomplished.
15. IMPORTANT: Is there anything else/can you think of anything else?
I’ve had to drill holes for coathangers before. I definitely wouldn’t call in an expert for that, but did ask
my dad questions the whole way like how do I make sure it’s level! How do I make sure the hole is
straight.
If you needed to get help with such an activity?
I’d probably text my dad first, with pictures if he’s living out of the state. And while I was waiting for a
response, I’d Google it. I don’t have a go-to website. I haven’t made repairs, so I haven’t made a
decision on what’s a trustworthy website.
 USER INTERVIEW SUMMARY
ANALYSIS
The individuals I interviewed during user research varied a
good deal in age and demographic, but were all under 20 and
over 40. They also varied slightly in their level of confidence
with home repair. A few had been fixing small things around the
house (with differing levels of success) for a long time; some
others did not have to perform practical fixes often at all. Four
of the biggest concerns that seemed to be shared between all
users interviewed were as follows: 1) the cost of hiring a profes-
sional, 2) the risk associated with fixing something oneself, 3)
the time-consuming nature of DIY repair, and 4) the lack of trust
some repair professionals’ behavior encourages. All of these
concerns should be directly addressed (at least in part) by
thoughtful design of my app in the next phase of conceptualiza-
tion.

USER INTERACTION NEEDS

My user needs an app that they can trust to get their problems
solved at low cost, without physically endangering them or their
house. In order to accomplish these goals, my app needs to
avoid overly-technical terminology or imagery to accommodate
the limited knowledge of the amateur user. It should also take
into account building & appliance codes and perhaps incorpo-
rate knowledge of specific device/appliance models to provide
the user with better instructions. This could also help speed up
the process of completing a home repair, which is another user
need expressed by interviewees. This app should be usable (al-
beit in different capacities) on both mobile and desktop plat-
forms, syncing information it gathers about past or ongoing
repair jobs to all devices as necessary. It should also be ready to
get out of the user’s way and let them work should they no
longer need the aid of the app (especially when it’s not in use, it
should not send notifications or anything similar) - repair is al-
ready a frustrating task for many users, so this is quite import-
ant.
 SME INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
SME 1 - GG
So, can you tell me the story of a repair/maintenance job you undertook recently (around your house)?
I actually can’t - the only house one that I can think of was the apartment - we took the door off its
hinges, because it was getting in the way because there was like - the way it was laid out, you would
go through the bathroom to get to the walk-in closet, and the walk-in closet was like sure you can walk
in it but you open the door and you can’t get to thalf the things in the closet, so we took the door off
the hinges and put it somewhere else.
When we stayed in our sister’s hotel, we were the first ones that had ever been in that room, so we
turned on one of the sinks and it was shooting water across the room, and we were just like “it’s cool,
we’ll just fix your luxury hotel, no big deal.”
How did you fix that?
Well the faucet comes out and there’s a little fitting on the bottom, and screwed that back on (because
it wasn’t on all the way)
How did you learn to be good at home repair?
Every house that my parents bought, we just renovated the whole thing, and didn’t have the money to
make other people do it.
So since you were little, you were helping with fixing things?
Yeah.
Is there anything you use to help you with home repair (tutorials or guides, or do you go off your own
knowledge)?
Own knowledge - if I don’t know how to do it, I’ll ask somebody, but most of the time I’ll just be like “I’ll
figure this out myself!”.
Is there any specific reason you like to figure things out yourself aside from knowing how to do it?
It’s fun.
Like, satisfying, or…
Yeah. Like, once you figure out how to do something that you didn’t know how to do, you’re like, “this is
really cool, and now I know how to do it!”

ANALYSIS
The subject matter expert I spoke with (GG) displayed a smooth confidence with the home repair
tasks discussed, and considered home repair “fun.” She learned home repair due to the fact that she
grew up with parents who fixed things themselves rather than paying to have them fixed. To quote her
while discussing the feeling of satisfaction that comes from learning to do repair, “This is really cool,
and now I know how to do it!”
 Linear inquiry
During my linear online research, I encountered many specific articles aimed
at those who often perform repairs on their own (members of what might be
known as the DIY or do-it-yourself community), but not nearly as many
educating newcomers as to the basics of home repair in general. The two
articles I selected to discuss here are the most useful examples of the latter
category, in my opinion.
My first article, “The Double-Edged Sword of Do-It-Yourself Home Repairs” by
home inspection professional Dylan Chalk, details the many pitfalls of home
repair from an expert’s point of view. This article addresses the risks faced by
amateur homeowners trying to fix their appliances or alter the structure of
their home, a concern that was brought to mind by more than one of my user
& user proxy interviews. The uncertainty & danger associated with completing
complex repairs has a definitive basis in reality; while collecting narratives
from users, I encountered cases like those described in this article
(improperly-done plumbing), etc. that resulted in disaster for the interviewees.
Chalk provides a concise list of important tips for homeowners to abide by
when attempting repairs on their own, including researching
building/appliance codes (something suggested by my first interviewee before
I discovered this article!), and using multiple online sources to ensure that
information is accurate and relevant.
A link to this article is below:
http://ashiww.org/inspections/double-edged-sword-do-it-yourself-home-repair
s/

The second article I believe worthy of notice is a blog post on howstuffworks

by Sara Elliott. This article shows the other side of the home improvement
advice/tutorial-type literature I have been perusing over the last few weeks;
practical advice for dealing with practical problems. Elliott writes in plain,
reader-friendly language about a variety of common repair tasks that include
fixing a leaking faucet and unclogging a toilet. While there’s nothing innately
special about this particular list-style post, I believe it is somewhat
representative of a style commonly found in other posts aimed at homeowners
who are not yet accustomed to repairing their own home. While the format of
my app is to be significantly different from that of a blog post or article (and
more thorough and specific), there are some good ground rules in play here
that I feel I could draw from. Information shared about a specific type of repair
must be general enough to apply to a variety of use cases, and delivered in a
way that is free from unfamiliar technical jargon or any kind of condescension
(something that the other article I referenced is somewhat tainted by).
A link to this article is below:
https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/repair/5-home-repairs-yo
u-should-do-yourself.htm
SYSTEM ANALYSIS
 USER WAAD

High-Impact
Personal Combined
Safety diagnosis
Ordering tools
& repair
Substantial & parts in-app
Trust
manufacturer-
approved data
repository
Minimal waste No
Low cost of personal time
user-powered
research

Expected Unexpected
Video
Highly
tutorials
customized,
adaptable fix
Situationally
walkthroughs
non-specific
tutorials

Low-Impact
Social Model 1: Living Alone

Experienced
Family/Friends Online
information
providers

No time for
Conflicting research
schedules
User

Cost/mistrust
Repair
Professional
Social Model 2: FULL HOUSE

Experienced
Family/Friends Online
information
providers

Kids
No time for
Conflicting research
schedules Kids
User

Kids
Cost/mistrust
Repair
Professional
APP Task Flow 1: EMERGENCY
APP Task Flow 2: NORMAL
 Personas
AIDEN SMITH, 27
Lives with his wife and two kids. Likes Vans shoes & going
to church.
Extremely inexperienced; toilet at his house overflows
often and he’s only fixed it himself once.
Task: Fix his toilet.
Goal: Save money by not calling a professional.

Rebecca Scott, 30
Likes the outdoors & spending time wih her pets.
Lives with her dad in a small house that needs frequent
repair. Studies full-time and works a lot outside of school.
Task: Fix malfunctioning wiring in her walls.
Goal: Minimize cost incurred by calling profession-
als/buying materials.

Sydney Saint-Saens, 22
Likes to save money so she can eat out.
Lives with a roommate. Usually calls her mom when she
needs help fixing something; has a nonfunctioning
window that she hasn’t fixed for months. Lives an ex-
tremely busy student life.
Task: Fix her window so it can open again.
Goal: Squeeze the repair task into her busy schedule.

Kenny Barton, 31
Likes to play video games & hike.
Lives alone. Inexperienced with repair but confident in
his potential for being skilled at it. Lives an extremely
busy student life.
Task: Patch a broken spot in his drywall.
Goal: Avoid calling in maintenance; finish task well.

Dorian Sartoli, 36
Single dad living with two kids under 10.
Inexperienced with repair, but wants very much to learn
so he can teach his kids.
Task: Fix the stuck closet door in his son’s room.
Goal: Finish the task without wasting too much time or
money on materials.
tASK FLOW CARD SORT
 usage scenarios
Persona: AIDEN SMITH
Aiden Smith is almost ready to take his wife and kids to church in the morning, and
everyone’s excited to go. He doesn’t know the way very well yet since his recent move to a
new neighborhood, and is a bit worried about making it in time. Just before leaving, he
discovers that his toilet is overflowing. In a bit of a panic about making it to church in time,
he tries unsuccessfully to plunge the toilet, but it doesn’t fix the problem. He doesn’t make
enough money to consider calling an expert as a first resort, so he turns to Fiksit. Holding
his phone camera in front of the toilet, he allows Fiksit to diagnose the problem. It gives him
a suggestion - open the tank lid and look for an unhooked chain inside. Aiden puts the
phone down in the simple fold-out stand that came with the app, and moves to fix the
problem. The toilet stops overflowing. Once he returns to the phone, it tells him that the job
is complete. While washing his hands, he tells it “it’s fixed!” The app asks to log the job and
mark it as “finished,” and Aiden confirms this. Finally, Aiden lets a relieved sigh loose and
leaves to get in the car.

Persona: Rebecca Scott

Rebecca Scott has a problem. The old house she lives in with her dad and two dogs needs
fixing often, but she’s never been as good at it as he is. This week, he’s out of town on
business, and the light in her room won’t turn on. She’s smelled something odd coming
through the walls, too - it makes her rather uneasy about leaving the house. So late one
night after coming home from work, she takes out her tablet and downloads the Fiksit app
to try and figure out what’s wrong. She points it first at the ceiling, then at the wall. Fiksit
tells her that it can’t figure out the problem without a clue. She selects “bedroom” then
“lighting” from the list of options it provides her with, and it adjusts to the new parameters,
providing her with instructions. She unscrews and replaces the lightbulb, but the problem is
still present. Her tablet then flashes a warning message, asking if she wants to call in an
electrical expert. She tells Fiksit “no” and continues to attempt to fix the problem. Fiksit
walks her through the problem until she’s too tired to work, at which point she pauses the
repair and goes to bed. In the morning, she gets on her desktop computer to do homework
and Fiksit reminds her on startup that she has an unfinished job. Recalling the urgency of
the task, she returns to the job and successfully fixes the faulty wiring in the light fixture.
Fiksit logs the task as complete upon Rebecca’s confirmation.
 usage scenarios
Persona: Sydney Saint-Saens
Sydney Saint-Saens has a simple repair task to complete within the next month: the only
window in her bedroom is stuck. The problem wasn’t as urgent during the winter months,
but as spring approaches, she finds herself wishing for fresh air on the occasions that she
does have time to spend studying in her room. She opens Fiksit on her tablet and sets the
device on the collapsible stand she ordered with the app. After a quick tug at the window
with no result, Fiksit realizes that it is stuck and walks Sydney through unsticking it. Once
the job is complete, Sydney, satisfied, confirms it as done.

Persona: Kenny Barton

Kenny Barton wants to be able to fix things - not to be a compulsive home-improver like his
mom back in Illinois was, but to be competent enough not to have to call his apartment’s
maintenance staff regularly. He breaks things every once in a while in his apartment, and
usually the minor fixes required are easy enough to learn on their own. But while hauling a
heavy new lamp to his room a week ago, he severely dented the drywall of the hall that
connects his living room and bedroom. Now, he wants to fix it on his own over the weekend.
After opening Fiksit on his phablet, he uses its viewfinder to diagnose the problem with the
wall. Fiksit suggests three tools & materials he’ll need, none of which he has yet. Kenny
orders spackling, paint, and a spreading tool from the local supermarket’s delivery service
as it is routed through Fiksit. When the items arrive an hour later, Kenny returns to the wall
and follows Fiksit’s simple instructions to complete the repair. Once the repair is done, he
marks it as complete and goes to his kitchen to make dinner, happy with what he learned.

Persona: Dorian Sartoli

It would be an understatement to say that Dorian Sartoli is a busy dad. With an
eight-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son to raise alone, he is constantly kept on his
toes even when he isn’t at work. His son Jaden’s closet door recently got stuck in its metal
track, and won’t close at night. Jaden is scared of the monsters he thinks will come out of
the closet at night, so the problem is fairly urgent. When Dorian settles down to fix the door,
his son and daughter both crowd around him and ask how he plans to fix it. Realizing that
he doesn’t know how, Dorian fetches his tablet and pulls up Fiksit. Holding the viewfinder
over the closet door and moving it back and forth as far as it will go allows Fiksit to provide
the stuck-door diagnosis. Dorian is able to quickly fix the problem, and his kids are
delighted to see how to fix the door. While Dorian marks the job as complete, his daughter
happily remarks that she thinks she’ll be able to fix the door again if it gets stuck in future,
now that she knows how.
 User testing strategy
Goals:
•Achieve a usable prototype (few errors per user test & favorable
survey results) from 2-3 rounds of agile revision.

•Ensure that prototype brings user closer to designer’s mental

model.

Strategy:
•Create wireframes

•Conduct paper tests on specific benchmark tasks

•Collect & analyze results from benchmark tasks & accompanying

surveys

•Create revised prototype & repeat step three

•Collect & analyze results from benchmark tasks & accompanying

surveys
 user testing metrics

user class UX Goal UX measure instrument metric

New user; in a Safety & ample Initial user BT1: Fix a drywall Average time on
casual situation information performance; first hole task
provided impression

New user; in an Safety & speed of Initial user BT2: Fix an Average number of
urgent situation repair performance; first overflowing toilet errors
impression

Returning user; in a Continuing user User concerns & Customized QUIS Average rating
casual situation satisfaction/ease of interest in and SUS across users and
picking up where continuing use questionnaires, questions
left off on a repair taken after each
task test.
PRODUCT IDEATION: sketches
Conceptualization exercises 1
Conceptualization exercises 2
 Key takeaways
Desired Outcomes:
Gain a better idea of users’ mental models as my peers envision them. Acquire a
grasp of a few high-level aesthetic and quality-of-life concepts to use in the iterative
design/prototyping phase.

Research Questions:
What known elements should I prioritize in aesthetics, copy, etc. as I enter the design
phase?
What are some heretofore unconsidered ways to solve my users’ most trying UX
problems when performing home repair?

Conceptualization Templates:
Affinity Mapping (idea triangulation focused on aesthetics) & Brain Writing (focused
on both aesthetics and ancillary features).

Session Challenges:
While everyone in the group(s) to participate in the conceptualization exercises I
chose put in their full effort and attention, the way in which I articulated my app and
its purpose rendered some of their comments partially or completely invalid. In
future, I intend to find a way to more clearly define what my product should and
should not do without placing unfair demands on my fellow designers’ time.

Tangible Outcomes:
Copy
Feedback from designers participating in these conceptualization activities largely
encouraged a concise, minimal-copy approach to the text used in-app. This
minimal-text approach will also result in casual, but not overly familiar (using slang,
referring to the user as a friend, etc.) language in microcopy within the app.
Visuals
While most feedback on visuals was somewhat vague and general, some useful
insights were gathered through this phase of conceptualization. Specifically, data on
the types of atomic elements that might work well with Fiksit’s existing task structure
was gathered. Color coding (to differentiate separate types of information), use of
diagrams & illustration (this might come in particularly useful when showing the user
hidden elements of the applicance/object they’re fixing), and use of neutral colors
throughout the app’s main features was suggested.
In a brief color survey done among a few fellow designers during this time, I
gathered a few opinions about which color schemes from a preselected list might
work best for my app. From the schemes displayed under Conceptualization
Exercises 1, most users seemed to prefer 3 and 5, citing the yellows and oranges as
most appropriate for the app.
 style guide: COlors

Out of 3 users surveyed in context, 1 preferred color scheme #6 for

its more intense colors, 2 preferred #2 (describing it as “clean” &
evocative of “not having a lot to do”), and 1 preferred #4 (describ-
ing the combination as “clean cut, comforting & casual, & nice con-
trast”). Designers surveyed during an early conceptualization ses-
sion chose schemes 5 and 3 as most appropriate. Based on this in-
formation, the color scheme displayed on the next page was
chosen.
 style guide: COlors & FONTS
HEADERS
Nimbus Sans Bold,
white in all use cases.
No orange text on blue,
or blue text on orange.

MICROCOPY
Nimbus Sans Regular,
white on #98BEFF for
positive “continue”
conditions, and white on
#E89C2E for negative
“stop” or error conditions.
No orange text on blue, or
blue text on orange.
style guide: COlor variations
#E89C2E #F0C07B #F9E5C9

#98BEFF #AECCFF #C3D9FF

#4A71A8 #7A97BF #AABCD6

#AD772F #C0965F #D3B58E

style guide: atomic elements

Buttons
Yes No

Continue CTA Destroy

Progress indicators

DIalog boxes

Fix this. Urgent!

style guide: MOODBOARD
style guide: logo usage
USE LIKE THIS

NOT LIKE THIS

style guide: mobile grids

instructions
instructions

camera
pull-out
context
menu
instructions

instructions
instructions

camera
overlay
pull-out
context
menu
instructions
style guide: desktop grids
filter search
task
filter

filter

filter

filter
task
filter
task
task
task
task

search
collapsed filter bar

individual task with description and images

task
task
 Client Meeting Minutes
Meeting Host: Josephine Bredehoft
Meeting Participant: Paige Jones
Location: CUDN Building, Classroom 815C
Date: 3/13/18

I. Project Updates
Briefly review all materials to date, including style guide and existing wireframes for approval for first
round of user testing.

CONCLUSIONS
Focus solely on tablet version of prototype during testing.

II. Implementation
What can be changed in the wireframes & testing parameters to improve initial test results?

CONCLUSIONS
Don’t let what the user sees in wireframes distract from the actual atomic elements of the interface.
Replace camera contents with simple icon.

III. Questions/Notes
Wrap up the meeting by answering or earmarking any remaining questions from the client.

CONCLUSIONS
Can’t read what’s going on in wireframes; lowers quality of presentation
Five personas may be too many/lower the quality. Makes communication with other designers more
difficult - three personas fit better within the attention span of the average reviewer.
 WIREFRAMES: ROUND 1

Target Users Benchmark Tasks

Paper Testing Round 1: 3/18/18

Preliminary:
• Freeform
Results:
• Terminology, instructions, and error correction could be
improved.
• More intermediate screens (particularly during the main mobile
task flow) are needed to immerse the user in the task flow without
the proctor having to explain each step.
• Onboarding should be improved & streamlined. Too many
screens to go through.
• Some kind of ecological “wild card” should be added to each test
to cause users to think in new ways. (your kid shows up with an
emergency!)
WIREFRAMES: ROUND 1
WIREFRAMES: ROUND 1

C0965F
F9E5C9
WIREFRAMES: ROUND 1
WIREFRAMES: ROUND 1
 WIREFRAMES: ROUND 2

Paper Testing Round 2: 3/20/18

Preliminary:
• Mobile: Fix an intermediate-level emergency problem [most users
will not know how to do this]. Give all users a “pause” prompt
halfway through.
• Mobile: Complete a “paused” fix task from a list of current
problems.
• Desktop: Review list of past problems
Results:
• Terminology/semiotics used to describe the “pause” command
was not clear enough for edge case users; they were not able to
pause a task when necessary.
• Task flows should be further “bulked out” during mid- and
high-fidelity prototyping.
• Allow for post-process error correction based on information
stored in Fiksit’s desktop application.
• Ensure that users do not have to spend a large amount of time
reading the app’s walkthrough overlay.
• Add “purchase item” screens for materials/tools requisitioning.
Clarify materials/tools list to ensure users are aware of and/or
conditions (i.e. you need drywall patching material AND paint)
WIREFRAMES: ROUND 2
WIREFRAMES: ROUND 2
WIREFRAMES: ROUND 2
 HIGH-FI PROTOTYPE

LINKS INCOMING IN FINAL DRAFT

HIGH-FI SAMPLES
HIGH-FI SAMPLES
Heuristic Evaluation
Heuristic Evaluation
Heuristic Evaluation
RITE Evaluations
 Outcomes
The Fiksit project provided ample opportunity for learning in a
variety of areas. Over the course of this project, I have gained a
practical knowledge of the contextual inquiry process. While my
initial sample sizes for interviews & tests were small, I made an
effort to be thorough and efficient during every session. Rather
than depending exclusively on getting to know my audience
through online channels (surveys administered online, etc.), I
acquired as many in-person and over-the-phone interviews as
possible. This allowed me to gather qualitative data about the
user’s emotions & feelings on the subjects I needed to learn more
about. Carefully-built question lists drew from my observations of
the course text and ancillary sources to extract the most useful
information from my interviewees.
After contextual research, initial prototyping & user testing,
final heuristic eval & RITE (Rapid Iterative Testing & Evaluation)
sessions with my peers proved the presence of a few issues I had
spotted earlier in the process. Reviewing my prototype in a
pre-structured manner with peers was invaluable to learning more
about the way my app was to function; however, beginning these
evaluations earlier would have been far more useful, as mid-fidelity
designs were already in place by the time these evaluations
occurred. In light of the information received during this research
phase, I adjusted my designs to give the user more feedback
during each task flow. Some aesthetic changes were also made
during this final round of revisions, as I upgraded my mid-fidelity
prototypes to fit the project’s style guidelines. Finally, I placed my
prototypes in InVision to provide a functional example of my task
flows. After formatting this case study and accompanying
presentation, the project was complete and ready for executive
evaluation.
 Client Summary
In all, client interactions with Josephine Bredehoft, digital
product designer for Fiksit were generally pleasant. Our meetings
were often brief and sporadic, dictated by the few moments we
often had with each other before other engagements. She was
incredibly flexible and polite throughout our interactions, though
not entirely receptive to client input or feedback. The final product
Fiksit could be profitable, however, the client still has concerns
over the safety of the user and the liability that we, the app owners
may face if there are any injuries or damages to the home. Overall,
as far as formalities are concerned, Miss Bredehoft was far more
engaged and pro-active than the owners had expected, and we
were pleased.
 PROMO VIDEO

A promo/app pitch video was created to

accompany the finished Fiksit prototype.

Static link: https://vimeo.com/267485485

 TABLET STAND MOCKUPS

These 3-D mockups of physical tablet stands were created to be

featured alongside the app. This stand is malleable yet firm when
left untouched; moldable to any space in which the user would
need to perform repairs. It contains a rigid magnet-locked holder
to prevent fall damage to the tablet.
 Executive Summary
Home repair is a tricky business for newcomers to the art. For
new homeowners, a repair task can be costly, time-consuming, or
even physically dangerous. To help alleviate the issues posed by
trying to find solutions on one’s own, I have designed an
augmented-reality application that diagnoses issues, solves them,
and summarizes repairs performed by the user. This allows the
not-so-handy to learn new repair tricks, as well as taking the
guesswork out of approaching the problem in the first place.
From rough, early conceptualization through pen and paper to a
series of more polished digital prototypes and mockups, the Fiksit
app has been aimed at providing a solution to the aforementioned
issues. Time management and user testing subject availability both
posed challenges to the project throughout, but Fiksit’s major goals
were reachable nonetheless. A final interactive prototype, along
with a promotional video & mockups of a physical tablet stand, cap
off this phase of development & provide a material output for the
research and conceptualization completed earlier in the process. In
its current state, Fiksit provides a design framework for an
augmented-reality app geared towards helping amateurs quickly
fix anything from common household appliances to plumbing.
•