PRODUCT DESIGN COMPLETED HCDE Sep - Dec 2023
Terrific Teamwork! Designing for Team Cohesion
First quarter of our Master's program. Unfamiliar people, dreaded group projects, anxiety. How might we set our peers up with the tools they need to succeed in teams?
Role
Project Manager
Research Lead
Timeline
4 months
Team
4 designers
Methods
Field StudiesSemi-Structured InterviewsSecondary ResearchPersona DevelopmentModerated User Testing
Project Outcomes
8
User Testing Sessions
3
Design Iterations
47
Template Downloads
4.2/5
Feedback Score
Research Activities
3
Student Interviews
In-depth conversations about group work experiences
4
Field Studies
Observational studies of team collaboration
5
Research Articles
Academic literature on team dynamics
Key Research Insights
Communication Anxiety
CRITICALStudents experience significant anxiety about initiating contact with unfamiliar teammates in high-stakes academic contexts.
Tool Fragmentation
HIGHTeams struggle with scattered communication across multiple platforms (Slack, Discord, email) leading to information silos.
Role Ambiguity
HIGHUnclear responsibility distribution creates confusion and duplicated efforts, especially in early project phases.
Design Solutions
Feature
Description
Validation
Structured Icebreaker Templates
Pre-designed conversation starters and team introduction frameworks to reduce initial interaction anxiety.
Tested with 8 HCDE students
Centralized Project Dashboard
Unified workspace combining task management, communication, and resource sharing in a single interface.
Prototyped in Notion + Figma
Role Assignment Wizard
Guided process for defining team roles, responsibilities, and individual strengths based on project requirements.
Validated through scenario testing
User Testing Results
Testing Protocol
Participants: 8 HCDE Master's students across different quarters and project types.
Scenarios tested:
- • New team formation (cold start)
- • Mid-project role reassignment
- • Communication tool integration
Validation Results
"This would have saved us so much time in the first week. The icebreaker templates actually make it less awkward to reach out."
Critical Feedback:
"The role wizard is helpful but needs more flexibility for non-traditional project structures."
Project Demonstration
Final Deliverable
Notion Dashboard Template
Modular design allows teams to enable/disable features based on project complexity and team size.
View Template →Database Structure
- • Team Member Profiles → Role assignments + contact info
- • Project Tasks → Status tracking + responsibility matrix
- • Communication Log → Meeting notes + decision history
- • Resource Library → Shared files + reference materials
Key Learnings
Research Insights
Generative research revealed that team formation anxiety was a more significant barrier than previously assumed. Students needed structured frameworks, not just tools.
Design Process
Rapid prototyping in existing platforms (Notion) enabled faster validation cycles compared to custom development, allowing focus on interaction design rather than technical implementation.