Sprint App

Sprint is a 3D printing services management app designed for the Jefferson University project to bridge the communication gap between students and the shop monitor, and improve printing service efficiency.

At Jefferson, management of the 3 D printing lab in Industrial design lacks reliability, has an inefficient workflow of sending files, getting feedback and communication, thus yielding students’ projects not being completed on time and students needing to venture outside Thomas Jefferson to have their printing work done.

By designing a 3D printing management system, we can help students and shop monitors improve their printing service experience.

Conducting UX Research

Designing the user Interface

Building the design system

Coding the front-end with HTML,CSS by using the bootstrap framework

Software Tools : Sketch, Figma

Duration : Three months

Background: Conceptual project designed for Jefferson campus as part of the acdamic project under the guidance of Neil Harner and Anthony Robertson.

Team: • Alison Gant & Surabhi

We went to the 3D printing lab and conducted our observations, we spoke to the shop monitors and the students and noted down the pain points, they are facing

Our research showed the need for standardizing communication and file transfers, tracking inventory, and keeping students updated throughout the process. These improvements will help to streamline workflow and enhance overall efficiency.

This product has two user types: the shop monitors and the students. For the scope of this project, we focused on the shop monitors, as they were the ones impacted by the inefficiencies.

Persona Bio : Sam Watkins is a 3D printing shop monitor and technician at Jefferson university. He is the main point of contact for students to get their 3D printing done.

Goals : Improve the workflow between students and printing services

Frustrations : Back and front with students. Inefficient method of keeping track of materials and student orders

💡 Enable the shop monitors to manage the printing files, track progress and status and improve the workflow.

We started out sketching the intial concepts of the app and ran it design critque session.

Some of the important questions raised were

How to handle mutiple orders ?

What about admin control?

What happens when the printer is out of orders.

We also created storybaords to communicate the storyboard

All the questions raised helped us critically think about the designs and the product. We took some of them forward and kept others for future consideration.

I created a component and variant system in Figma, which allows me to iterate concepts quickly and be efficient with my workflow. This design system also ensures consistency across designs.

After many iterations, explorations, and design critiques, I have designed a user interface that addresses the problems users faced. It includes the ability to track orders, check printing status, have direct communication with students, and provide a higher-level view of analytics.

Analytics has helped the shop monitors to get an overview of the prints, materials, and printer efficiency. This helps them make key decisions to save costs and make purchasing decisions.

Number of prints : The ability to track the number of prints based on the months will help make decisions such as when the shop needs more monitors and when to stock up on more materials.

Material Consumed : This feature would allow shop monitors to know which materials are highly consumed. This information would help the shop know when to buy which materials.

Printer : This table provides data on the number of prints by each printer. This helps the shop determine which printer they need to buy, if necessary.

This system allows users to track students, orders, requested materials, and print status. It reduces stress for shop monitors who manage multiple orders.

The app enables users to communicate directly with students using messaging features. This allows shop monitors to unify all conversations in one place, rather than using multiple platforms to message students.

The side navigation allows users to navigate through multiple screens, enabling them to fill out their timesheets, modify their account, track analytics, and more.

After conducting research, iterating, and designing the user interface, we developed a 3D printing management system. Its purpose is to enhance workflows, efficiency, and communication between the shop monitor and students. The app has also evolved into a cost-saving tool that helps the shop make purchasing decisions and optimize inventory. Although this product was a conceptual project, I believe that products like this will bring more value to universities managing multiple 3D prints for students.

We learned how to conduct user interviews to identify user needs, goals, and challenges.

We synthesized information to define key features for the product.

We designed the user interface by building the component and variant system.

We also learned how to work with a team and take ownership to complete a project.

User testing could be conducted to validate product hypothesis.

UI consistency could be improved.

The rest of the features associated with this app should be designed.

Through user research, UI design, and collaboration with various stakeholders, we identified a problem and designed a web and iPad app to improve efficiency in the 3D printing shop.