sage green wallpaper
computer printer latop interface with labeled parts

PRINTER PERSONA

A printer is a hardware device that is wired to scan, copy, and most importantly print information. It accepts text and graphic output from a computer and transfers the information on paper. Through this interface, people are able to access tangible information. The output tray, card reader, MyPrint Brown Printing instructions, MyPrint Brown Printing website, and Print Release Station website are the key components of this specific interface. The output tray physically outputs the printed information, the myPrint instructions direct the user on how to connects the printer to their computer as well as picking your prints, the card reader connects the user MyPrint account to the Print Release Station Website, the MyPrint site allows the user to decide and make any changes to the materials they want to print, and the Print Release Station Website allows the user access to their items on the printing queue. These components are synonymous with each other because the users apply the components purposes to get their printed information.

QUESTIONS

  • Is this your first time using this printer?
  • If not, how regularly do you print your items using this product?
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  • Did you know how to use the printer for the first time?
  • If yes, what component of the printer help ease the process of using it?
  • If not, what component of the printer worsen the process of using it?
  • What are your first impressions of the printer?
  • How was your experience with the printer?
  • Tell me about how the printer is relevant to your life.
  • Are there any features of the printer you do like?
  • Are there any features of the printer you don't like?
  • If you were given the power to remodel the printer, what would be one thing you would like to keep and change?
sage wallpaper

OBSERVATIONS

  • People went from one printer to the next when their item wasn't being printed.
  • People swiped their cards a few times for the computer to register their MyPrint account.
  • People used their surroundings as a place to garner and organize all of their printed items.
  • People used the website over email to print their items.
  • Some people printed a few papers while others printed a plethora of papers.
  • People would recheck their printing jobs if the items they were printing didn't come out sooner.
  • Most people would be on their phones while waiting for their items to print.
  • There are instructions on how to connect the printer to your computer and picking up prints but there are no clear instructions for inserting your items into the printing queue and then using the Print Release Station site to print your items.

INTERVIEWS

  • All of the interviewees printed their items using the MyPrint website.
  • All of the interviewees loved how they can swipe their cards to connect to their MyPrint account to the Print Release Station site and request printing jobs. One interviewee liked how they can upload multiple stuff to be printed. Another interviewee appreciated how they can queue their printing job from anywhere on campus and pick up their papers later. One interviewee also enjoyed how the card reader is attached to the computer table so the card reader doesn’t flop over when they are swiping and how they cancel cards directly.
  • There are numerous suggestions that the interviewees proposed about what features of the interface they would remodel. One interviewee wished the website to be transformed from an outdated look to being more heavy in graphics. Likewise, one interviewee also suggested that there should be changes to the MyPrint website for it to be more user-friendly because figuring out how to put their items into their printing queue and then printing it out using the Print Release Station website was challenging for them. Thus, another change that the interviewees proposed was clearer instructions on how to use the MyPrint website to print their items. Another interviewee recommended that the submit printing job button shouldn’t be so small, but instead, it should be the first thing you see and press.
  • Most interviewees relayed about how some of their bad experiences with the printer consisted of the hardware device not functioning properly. However, when debriefing the questions, the interviewees express most of their dissatisfaction with using the MyPrint Brown Printing website to print materials. One interviewee didn’t expect there to be a queue and how they had to wait for a long time to print their items. Another interviewee communicated to how having a bunch of subcategories on the MyPrint website confuse them when they had to print their items for the first time. Another interviewee spoke about how slow the process is when printing their items. Lastly, one interviewee spoke about how using the MyPrint website isn’t as intuitive as they would have liked, echoing how the layout of the website and knowing where to specifically click to submit a printing job took some time for them to be familiarized with.
  • Some people are frequent users of the interface, printing their items 2x a week. In contrast, there are others who are casual users of the product, printing their items a few times a month.
empathy map persona

EMPATHY MAP: PERSONA ONE


Frantic Fatima is a STEM student who is printing out P-sets, practice tests, and lecture slides to study for her midterms.

Frantic Fatima is a persona that represents the users of my chosen interface. This is because she’s an extreme user who prints often but is still confused on how to use the website. Her confusion stems from the problems that the personas pointed out: layout of the website is confusing, printers don’t work sometimes at the library, and the printer is slow.

empathy map persona

EMPATHY MAP: PERSONA TWO


Sandy is a business student who is printing out her travel documents to go home this weekend.

Sandy is a persona that represents the users of my chosen interface. This is because she’s a casual user who doesn’t utilize the printer often and has difficulty navigating the website. This difficulty stems from the website being not user friendly and the printer being too slow.

STORYBOARD