Redesigning DataCite's Harvesting Services Through a Design Sprint

In my capacity as a Senior Product Designer specialising in UX research, I led the task of re-imagining DataCite's harvesting services using a design sprint methodology. This approach was chosen due to its effectiveness in stimulating creativity, collaboration, and fast problem-solving.

Preparation

The project initiated with the formation of a focus group consisting of potential users of the harvesting services. The objective was to explore their perspectives and preferences, which served as crucial input for the design process. As part of this preparatory phase, a design sprint was planned, tailored to address the complexity of re-framing the service. The order of the activities was intentionally altered to foster a long-term vision, with the mapping activity conducted afterwards. This remote design sprint was also a response to the logistical restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

Day 1 - Defining the challenge

The first day of the sprint was dedicated to defining the challenge through interviews with seven internal stakeholders, each providing their unique viewpoints on the current harvesting services. The interviews were conducted using a bespoke questionnaire, and participants were guided to take 'How-Might-We' notes, fostering a problem-solving mindset.

Day 2 - Map & Lighting demos

Ideas for the new service were posted on the DataCite Roadmap using ProductBoard to facilitate user feedback. The platform enabled us to solicit use cases and gauge potential interest in the revamped service.

Day 3 - Vote on solutions

The third day revolved around collaborative sketching and subsequent 'heatmap voting' to decide on the solutions to progress. Some sketches needed further clarification, fostering an open dialogue to ensure a shared understanding. The voting process led to the selection of two top-voted sketches for further prototyping.

Day 4 - The StoryBoard and Prototype

The team engaged in a user test flow exercise to clarify the prototype's requirements. Following this, I created a set of low-fidelity wireframes to visualise the revamped harvesting service.

Day 5 - Validation

The week culminated in a validation session, where the focus group participants were invited to evaluate and provide feedback on the wireframe prototype. The prototype was well-received, fulfilling most user needs identified earlier.

7

participants actively engaged in the design sprint

83

How-Might-We's

8

users involved in the prototype validation phase

Britta Dreyer, Head of PID and Metadata Services, Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB)

Testimony

When we were involved in the design sprint for the DataCite harvesting service, the "How Might We" question technique supported creativity while focusing on the problem to solve for the user.
-- Britta Dreyer, Head of PID and Metadata Services, Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB)