MezcalDigital: ux research

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WRITINGS

Ideas, thoughts, stories, chronicles, book reviews and social media summaries, from Dr. Eduardo Calvillo with .

Showing posts with label ux research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ux research. Show all posts

  • About Dr Eduardo Calvillo

    Dr. Eduardo Calvillo Gamez

    Eduardo Calvillo Gamez is the founder and chief facilitator of MezcalDigital, a consultancy based in Berlin, Germany, that helps startups, F500 and governments develop and improve their Product and UX Strategy.

    You can check Eduardo's full CV on LinkedIn. Eduardo's likes to talk in the third person or "we" when referring to his work on MezcalDigital. But since this post is about the person, he will write about it in the first person. I wanted to add a bit of flavour here about who I am.

    I studied Electronics Engineer because I wanted to be involved in the music industry. I don't play any instrument, but I figured out that I could work in the recording or live concert business. However, after I started, I realised I did not like the physics of acoustics that much. Also, the professor in charge of the acoustics engineering program was completely irresponsible and he would not go to class or actually teach or help you learn.

    With what I know now, I would say I was not motivated enough. If acoustics or recording were really my true calling, I would have pushed through all that.

    But more than anything, I wanted to pursue a graduate degree outside of Mexico. One day I sat down and reviewed the curricula, and I realised I could finish my degree in 3 years instead of the 4-4.5 that were needed by most people. That meant I would need to focus on digital systems, which I had no problem because I enjoyed them. 

    One of the main complaints during my undergraduate years was that I was not able to have the big picture of electronics. I could do all the class exercises and if you give me a circuit to analyze or design, I could do it. But I was always missing that aspect.

    I managed to finish my undergraduate degree in 3 years and I got accepted to pursue a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Tufts University. During the last year of my bachelor, I had started reading on microcircuit design and I enjoyed the subject. So I applied to Tufts because they had a strong and upcoming VLSI CAD program.

    In the middle of my master's, which included simulations of different circuits to analyze capacitance effects on deep-submicron circuits. Working on my master's project I was focusing on the small interaction between two transmission lines, I was missing the overall view of the circuit. I pursued then an internship at Avici System (no longer existing).  I was working on the I/O port of one chip, and it was there that I discover the role of the Product Manager: the engineer who had the overall view of how all the pieces fit together. About Avici, I joined just before their IPO and I should be a millionaire now, but I am also quite stupid on business, so I am not one.

    After finishing my internship I realised two things: I wanted to do a PhD, I wanted to focus on the overall project, not on small interactions.

    On the last year of my masters, I started discovering articles on the visualization of VLSI. And it was there that I decided I want to focus on the human side. 

    I got accepted to the PhD Program at Tufts to work on CAD for VLSI, but I changed to what is called Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). It was then that I became really motivated about my work. Before that, I would get things done because I am professional, but after HCI I did them because I was truly motivated.

    I worked at first on Tangible User Interface and I got two papers published really fast on that subject. One of them actually became one of the most cited papers in the subject.

    It was then I decided to focus on UX and HCI. I pursued my PhD at UCL working at UCLIC, a research centre right in the middle of psychology and computer science. I did my PhD on User Experience and Videogames.

    I moved back to Mexico because then I got a scholarship from the Mexican government, where I was a Professor on User Experience and Innovation. I got some grants to get started on my research, but eventually, I left academia to become the Director of Technological Innovation (CIO) at the City Administration of San Luis Potosi.

    Afterwards, I moved the Germany, where I have been working on the intersection of UX Research and Product Management.

    I have been founding startups in Mexico and Germany and since April 2019 I have been consulting.

  • The Mural of UX Therapy


    The Mural of the UX Therapy Session

    TLDR: Link to the Mural Template is at the bottom of this post.

    UX Therapy helps you improve your UX and Product Strategies. The objective of the therapy is to motivate you to reflect and to make decisions about the need that your product is solving. I created a Workbook with the right questions to ask to get you there, you can download it completely free from here.

    Besides the Workbook, I offer a paid workshop to do a UX Therapy session (if you are interested you can book it here). The workshop guides you and your team to complete the information of the Workbook... and it forces you to make decisions right away.  Why? Because when we are starting up, we want to save the world with our product. We are trying to address so many things at once, that eventually, it becomes not sustainable. The faster you decide the exact need you are solving and validate it with user feedback, the better for your startup. As Eric Ries says in the "Lean Startup" book: (paraphrasing) "Startups do not starve in the desert, they drown at sea".

    I want to share the Mural Template I use for the UX Therapy Session.  You can just click on the embedded picture below and you are transported directly to start using it.. if you have a Mural Account.

    First, what is Mural? It is a whiteboard that allows real-time remote collaboration to run workshops. I don't work for them, so if you are curious about it, go and check it out. All I can tell you, it is because I find it valuable for my work, I do recommend it.

    The template has the instructions to run your own workshop. The workbook plus the template can help you run your own UX Therapy.

    Why do I give it for free?

    1. Times are though due to the Corona / COVID19 crisis. I want to help with what I can.
    2. I think it is valuable for you. My interest is to help you improve your UX Strategy. 
    3. Something I can not pass on the free material is my expertise. The ability to think on my feet or adapt according to the circumstances is not there; granted, yours might be also great, and even better, but it is not mine.
    4. It might inspire you to create something amazing, and who am I to stop it just to expect a few bucks?
     #productstrategy #uxstrategy #servicedesign #uxresearch #designsprint #ux #uxresearcher #productmanagement #uxdesign #userexperience #productmanager #uxdesign #uxtherapy


    UX Therapy Template Template by MURAL

    Open to create a mural from this template in your workspace. Powered by MURAL

  • What is UX?

    What is UX?

    I know it is 2020 and we see that term everywhere, but it still baffles me that several professionals still think that UX is just a coat of paint applied at the end of the development process.

    UX is "User eXperience". It is about understanding the user, the task at hand and the context of use. It is at the core of any product you are building. It is not a coat of paint you apply at the end.

    UX starts when you are defining what you are going to build. Who is going to use? What is that person going to do? How is that person doing that? Where is the person using your product? Which values do you want to transmit? Which emotions do you want to elicit?

    Those are the key question when you are dealing with UX, not the colour of your screens.
    What is really UX? Check the explanation below 👇, where I talk about UX, plus you get to see a picture of a chicken with a wearable computer 🐔. I know it is 2020 and we see that term everywhere, but it still baffles me that several professionals still think that UX is just a coat of paint applied at the end of the development process. I want to take the excuse of the new year to create a series of post to explain UX, User-Centred Design and other terms. So stay tuned for future posts. ✍ Find it useful? Share it, like it or hit me up with any comments. Are you developing or improving your Apps and need help improving your UX processes? Get in touch for a free consultation. #userexperience #productdesign #userexperiencedesign #uxdesign #chickens #apps #pet #designthinking #ux #designsprint #innovation #uxresearch #berlin #berlinstartup #startup
    A post shared by MezcalDigital (@mezcaldigital) on

  • Review of Hövding


    Review of Hövding


    Disclaimer: 


    1. I have been a Hövding user for the last 2 years. 
    2. Hövding has no influence on this review 


    Which need is Hövding solving?

     It provides increased safety to cyclists... compared to wearing a helmet



    How is Hövding solving the need? 

    They are providing a better way of covering the head against impact if the person falls off the bike.

    What is Hövding providing to solve the need?

     It provides an electronic airbag for urban cyclists. The airbag is stored on a pouch around your neck together with a motion sensor. When you need it, the sensor pops the bag open and it protects you. 

    The Usability of Hövding 


    • It is easy to put on and activate/deactivate. 
    • You can tell its status when you activate it or deactivate it: you can see a green light or hear a beep, the latter better when ridding. 
    • When it needs charging, it tells you with time so you can charge it. 
    • It charges like a phone. 


     The UX of Hövding


    • You feel safer... Because you saw the TED video and read the studies. 
    • Your hair doesn’t get messed up, like it does with a helmet. 
    • During winter you can wear a hat and not be cold (but too hot for a scarf) 
    • During summer, your necks is boiling, but not too bad, similar to the helmet. 
    • But.... 


    The Dark Side of Hövding 


    • Last summer, while biking in Berlin a torrential rain started. Really heavy. Beforehand, it was sunny, afterwards, sunny and rainbows. But I needed to bike during the rain, like others who were wearing helmets, but I had my Hövding.
      Unbeknownts to me, Hövding stopped working sometime during my ride. Thankfully, I did not have an accident as I was not protected. I got a replacement Hövding. 
    • Last week, I am riding my bike and I hear a loud and awful beep coming from my Hövding. I stopped and deactivate it. I am far from home. Connected it again, no sound. I rode without protection, got home and charged it. Green lights. Test it, it worked. Try to use it for next ride, awful sound again, red light. And then no more life. Hövding is dead again. 


    When you are providing safety, 1% fail rate is not good! 
    • A helmet might be less safe than Hövding, but it is active 100% of the time! 
    • What is the point of having the best safety measures when I can not use it in the second that my life is in danger? 
    • The helmet does not stop working midway during your ride. And you don’t need a replacement helmet in case one stops working. 
    • When you are riding, there is no way of knowing if it is active. Only when you activate it or de-activate it. 

    Summary


    • Great engineering and science behind it. 
    • But it does not solve the need it is targeting. 
    • 🤮🤮🤮 Three too much mezcal.