One case study: interviews, a flow, a test, and what broke

The situation

Pick one process people around you actually go through — paying a bill, enrolling in a course, booking an appointment. Interview five real people about the last time they did it, map the flow with its failure paths, sketch and prototype the key screens, test with five people while saying nothing, fix the two worst problems, test again, and write the case study that most applicants do not have.

What you'll be able to show

• Learn from real people's last real experience, not from what you expected
• Map a flow including failure paths and remove a step safely
• Run a usability test without helping, and sort problems by severity
• Write a one-page case study with before and after

What you need

• Paper and a pen for sketches
• Figma or any prototyping tool
• Ten people in total: five to interview, five to test (two fresh ones for the retest)

Tasks

1. 1Five interviews
   Ask five people only about the last real time they did the process. Record three repeated problems, the words they used, and the workarounds they invented. Before you start, write what you expect to find; compare afterwards.
   A correct result: Interview notes, the three problems, the users' own words, and your expectation vs reality.
2. 2The flow, with failure paths
   Map the complete flow including every failure path you can think of. Count the steps to the goal. Produce a second version with one step removed and one error state properly designed. Explain in one line why the removed step was safe to remove.
   A correct result: Two flow maps, a step count for each, and the one-line justification.
3. 3Sketch, then prototype
   Sketch every screen on paper with real words and no decoration. Rebuild the three most important screens digitally and link them into a clickable prototype. Keep the paper.
   A correct result: Photographed sketches and a prototype link.
4. 4Test, silently
   Five people, one at a time, one clear task, and you say nothing while they work. Record where each got stuck. Sort the problems by severity.
   A correct result: Five test notes and a severity-sorted problem list.
5. 5Fix two, test again
   Fix the top two problems. Test with two fresh people. Record whether the problems are gone and what new ones appeared.
   A correct result: Two fixes, two retests, and an honest before/after.
6. 6The case study
   One page plus images: the problem, the five interviews, the flow, the wireframes, the usability test and what broke, the changes, the second test.
   A correct result: A one-page case study a hiring manager could read in five minutes.

What to hand in

The case study page with its images, the interview notes, the two flow maps, the prototype link, and the test notes from both rounds.

How it is marked