Co.Lab is an experience where one can receive feedback on creative works in order to help people improve, develop skills, learn from mistakes, and get various sets of eyes on a project. We want participation from users; striking a balance between the quantity of feedback as well as the quality of feedback.
Challenge / How Might We...
... Bridge the gap between artists and projects?
... Streamline creative collaboration?
... Facilitate feedback on creative works?
Research
We used affinity mapping to begin making connections between key ideas related to creative collaboration. We also looked into what current platforms/experiences exist that offer similar features. We looked at portfolio sites like Behance and the feedback given on creative works on sites like Reddit.com.
We decided we wanted to create an experience where users could:
After research, we began to prototype our experience.
Prototyping & Testing
During our initial testing phases, we took a fairly hands-off approach and let the users explore the interface and gave a few key instructions:
The cycle of testing, receiving feedback, and updating prototypes continued over our eight-week development timeline. It continued throughout of mid and hi-fi prototypes.
During the later stages of development, we realize that an important part of our experience, the feedback process, was underdeveloped. We performed another round of user tests, but this time, focusing on how the User will give and receive feedback.
We returned to paper testing and gave each of our Users different tools such as pens, markers, and highlighters. Then we put an example project in front of them, instructed them to speak aloud, and mark up the project in any way they felt comfortable.
Reflection
While developing this experience, our testest consistently reaffirmed their interest in using our experience for their own projects. Our testers expressed that they don’t currently have systems beyond friends, family, or co-workers to present their projects for feedback. They found it more difficult to critique their peers in person because of social stigmas. However, they found that through Co.Lab they felt more comfortable giving out critiques and receiving feedback from other users.
We also identified many other features to focus on for later, such as:
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