FREE UX RESEARCH AND PROTOTYPING LEARNING PATH

WikiFree original practice workbook

The empathy studio

CASE STATUS: fictional/synthetic teaching material. Do not present the example as real research, employment experience or measured business performance.

OUTCOME
Create a low-fidelity borrowing-flow prototype, a neutral usability-test plan and an evidence-linked iteration record.

BEFORE YOU START
A pen and paper or any familiar design tool. No paid design software or prior research role.

CASE
The fictional Willow Tool Library wants a clearer borrowing kiosk. Three supplied scenario notes say: availability is hard to find; a visitor shares a phone; a volunteer needs a visible due date. These are invented practice inputs, not findings from real participants.

INPUTS
Scenario note,Design question
Availability is unclear,Where should status appear?
A visitor shares a phone,Can the flow work without personal-device reliance?
Due dates are missed,Where is the return date confirmed?


ENTRY CHECK

Question: Is a fictional persona evidence from research?

Self-check: No. Label assumptions and synthetic inputs.

Question: Should a test task tell people which button to click?

Self-check: No. State the goal neutrally.

Question: Does a prototype need visual polish to test a flow?

Self-check: No.

STAGE 1: Frame the research question

Prerequisite: A pen and paper or any familiar design tool. No paid design software or prior research role.

Instruction: Start with a behavior you need to understand: can a visitor identify an available tool and its return date? Separate supplied scenario notes from assumptions and real observations. Define who would participate in a future study and avoid collecting information that is irrelevant to the task. This exercise can be completed with clearly labeled role-play; do not report role-play as user research.

Practice task: Write a research question, assumptions list and participant criteria for a future small study.

Deliverable: A research brief with evidence labels.

Acceptance check: Every input is marked synthetic, assumed or actually observed.

If stuck: Replace invented participant quotes with explicitly labeled scenario notes.

Record your work, decisions and evidence:




Record your result against the acceptance check:



STAGE 2: Sketch the borrowing journey

Prerequisite: Bring your previous output: A research brief with evidence labels.

Instruction: Map the task from finding a tool to confirming its due date. Include an unavailable-tool branch and a route for a visitor without a personal phone. A journey map should reveal decisions and missing information, not simply decorate a happy path. Keep the first scope small enough to prototype and test in one session.

Practice task: Draw a six-step journey and a four-screen storyboard including an unavailable item.

Deliverable: A task flow and storyboard.

Acceptance check: Availability and due date are visible, and the no-phone route reaches completion.

If stuck: If every branch ends in the same confirmation, add the actual decision and recovery behavior.

Record your work, decisions and evidence:




Record your result against the acceptance check:



STAGE 3: Build a low-fidelity prototype

Prerequisite: Bring your previous output: A task flow and storyboard.

Instruction: Use plain boxes, labels and links or paper cards. The prototype only needs enough detail to test navigation, information order and feedback. Avoid making unavailable tools look selectable without explanation. Keep language consistent across screens and make the final state clear so a tester knows whether a request was submitted or merely reviewed.

Practice task: Build the four-screen flow with working or simulated navigation and a clearly labeled request confirmation.

Deliverable: A low-fidelity borrowing prototype.

Acceptance check: A reviewer can complete the available-tool route and recover from an unavailable selection.

If stuck: Do not hide a missing interaction behind a polished static mockup.

Record your work, decisions and evidence:




Record your result against the acceptance check:



STAGE 4: Write and run a neutral test

Prerequisite: Bring your previous output: A low-fidelity borrowing prototype.

Instruction: A usability task describes a goal without revealing the interface path. Ask the participant to find an available drill and identify when it must be returned. Record observed actions, hesitation and outcome separately from your interpretation. If using a friend, obtain ordinary consent for the session and avoid recording personal information; a solo role-play must remain labeled as such.

Practice task: Write three neutral tasks and an observation sheet. Run a role-play or a consented small practice session, recording what actually happened.

Deliverable: A test plan and honestly labeled observation record.

Acceptance check: Tasks avoid button-name hints and observations are not rewritten as broad population findings.

If stuck: Replace users love it with the specific observed action and the size/type of the session.

Record your work, decisions and evidence:




Record your result against the acceptance check:



STAGE 5: Prioritize and iterate

Prerequisite: Bring your previous output: A test plan and honestly labeled observation record.

Instruction: Link each proposed change to an observation or an explicitly stated assumption. Prioritize problems that block the task before cosmetic preferences. Make one or two changes, then repeat the relevant task on the revised prototype. A small test can reveal a problem; it does not establish a universal success rate or eliminate the need for further research.

Practice task: Create an issue list, revise two screens and document a before/after task comparison.

Deliverable: An evidence-linked iteration log.

Acceptance check: Every change has a reason and a retest result or an explicit not-yet-tested status.

If stuck: Do not claim an improvement was validated merely because the new screen looks cleaner.

Record your work, decisions and evidence:




Record your result against the acceptance check:



WORKED CASE
A useful iteration might move availability beside the tool name after a tester repeatedly opens unavailable items. The report should state exactly what happened and how the revised task went, while distinguishing role-play from real participant evidence.

FINAL PROJECT
Deliver the research brief, flow, prototype, test script and iteration record. Add a due-date misunderstanding scenario and show how the interface and retest address it.

REQUIRED CRITICAL CHECK
Synthetic inputs, assumptions and real observations remain clearly distinguished throughout the case study.

SCORING
Score each of the five stage acceptance checks from 0–16 (0 missing/incorrect; 8 partially supported; 16 complete and evidenced). Score the final integrated project from 0–20 (0 missing; 10 incomplete handover; 20 complete, reproducible and consistent with the case). Target: at least 80/100 AND the critical check must pass. A total score never overrides a failed critical check.

SCOPE LIMIT
This is a focused formative UX exercise, not a statistically representative study, finished visual design system or job guarantee.

SOURCES AND ACCESS
Assigned public videos can be watched free. Complete the original case in a text editor, on paper or in a spreadsheet you already have. No paid course, exam or provider certificate is included.

Free UX Design Course: Research to Prototypes by Google
WikiFree: https://wikifree.com/courses/google-ux-design-free-video-course/
Official source: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTZYG7bZ1u6oHnGp4Ib3n0y-CmFQdTW6r
Why selected: Google public UX lessons support research, storyboarding, low-fidelity prototyping, testing and iteration. Paper prototypes avoid dependence on a particular paid design tool.

Stage 1 selected lessons:

7. What is UX Research? (23:00)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ_6faxhyIw&list=PLTZYG7bZ1u6oHnGp4Ib3n0y-CmFQdTW6r&index=7

8. The Importance of Empathy in UX Design (36:48)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqNAWyOOVfw&list=PLTZYG7bZ1u6oHnGp4Ib3n0y-CmFQdTW6r&index=8

Stage 2 selected lessons:

10. From Storyboarding to Drawing Wireframes (34:46)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyXTT30YFjI&list=PLTZYG7bZ1u6oHnGp4Ib3n0y-CmFQdTW6r&index=10

Stage 3 selected lessons:

11. How to Design Low-Fidelity Prototypes (41:53)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F4mWr1cY-8&list=PLTZYG7bZ1u6oHnGp4Ib3n0y-CmFQdTW6r&index=11

Stage 4 selected lessons:

15. UX Research & Prototype Testing (41:02)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ2hchA4Jvg&list=PLTZYG7bZ1u6oHnGp4Ib3n0y-CmFQdTW6r&index=15

16. Usability Testing Tips and Examples (1:03:37)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYCJTea1AUQ&list=PLTZYG7bZ1u6oHnGp4Ib3n0y-CmFQdTW6r&index=16

Stage 5 selected lessons:

14. 2 Ways to Share UX Research Insights (22:26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reDUTXNV7jU&list=PLTZYG7bZ1u6oHnGp4Ib3n0y-CmFQdTW6r&index=14

20. Testing, Iterating, and Finalizing Prototypes (31:37)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5SPB4pwNJc&list=PLTZYG7bZ1u6oHnGp4Ib3n0y-CmFQdTW6r&index=20

REUSE
Original WikiFree teaching text and synthetic fixtures are supplied for personal learning and adaptation with attribution. Provider lessons remain on their original sites and retain their own terms. No provider certificate is included.