TESTING: LO-FI GUERRILLA TESTING

WHY I TESTED NOW?

I validated the wireframes before visual polish to keep changes cheap and to verify the core promise of Dreamy in its real context: a half-awake, low-cognition first minute. My guardrails came from the research and HCI principles (Hick’s Law, progressive disclosure): reach first input fast and keep decisions minimal so recall isn’t lost.

METHOD AT A GLANCE

I ran short, mobile guerrilla sessions (think-aloud, ~8–10 minutes each, n=6). I paired them with an expert heuristic review and persona-based cognitive walkthroughs to probe edge cases (permissions, mid-recording exits, sensitive content).

Tasks (1 per persona):

  • Bianca — Morning Prompt: enable prompt and set a time.

  • Soraya — Export to Therapy: choose content to share, add a short note, send.

  • Alex — Expressive Capture: record a dream, add song link + quick sketch, pick a mood, save.

WHAT I MEASURED?

  • TFFI (Time to First Input): seconds from task start to first meaningful input (tap Record / first character typed).

  • Required decisions before capture: mandatory choices before recording/typing begins.

  • Task success: Unassisted / Assisted / Fail.

  • Errors: critical vs recoverable.

  • SEQ (1–7): “Overall, this task was easy to complete.”

  • Privacy clarity (1–5): “How clear/safe did export feel?” (Soraya task only).

Pass/guardrails: median ≤5s to first input; <2 required decisions; ≥90% unassisted success; SEQ ≥5/7; Privacy ≥4/5.

Each row is one task run; columns record participant, task, Time-to-First-Input (TFFI), required decisions before capture, success, errors, SEQ (1–7), privacy clarity (1–5 for Sonia), and notes.

RESULTS - PILOT (INDICATIVE)

· 89% task success

· 83% ≤5s to first input

· 89% ≤2 decisions

· SEQ 5.56/7

· Privacy clarity 4.20/5

HOW I ANALYZED

I logged timings and outcomes per task, then triangulated with notes from the think-aloud and the heuristic/cognitive walkthroughs. I looked for converging failure points (e.g., Morning Prompt step count) and systemic friction (e.g., discovery of secondary inputs). I used the guardrails as decision gates: anything pushing TFFI above ~5s or adding decisions before capture was a candidate for redesign.

WHAT I CHANGED

Simplified Morning Prompt

  • Consolidated to a single Notifications toggle with an optional Weekly Summary (moved out of the initial enable flow).

  • Reduced steps and tightened copy so setting a time feels like part of the same decision, not a new one.

Overloaded setup—multiple notification options and nested settings created extra decisions and slowed first input; the time picker felt like a separate task.

WHAT I LEARNED BEYOND THE NUMBERS (FUNCTIONALITY & STRUCTURE)

  1. Settings overload in the first run: people read more than I expected; putting frequency + summary options together increased hesitation.

  2. Exit anxiety while recording: closing or navigating back without a safety net felt risky—even with autosave messaging.

  3. Discovery & edit affordances: the sketch tool and some edit icons were small or visually neutral; back paths worked, but “where am I going back to?” wasn’t always obvious.

  4. Sharing ambiguity: participants wanted certainty about what exactly was sent and a way to see that later.

  5. Tone matters: gentle, plain-language microcopy reduced effort; instruction-like text increased it.

Lo-fi (before): No draft option forced a pressured finish-or-abandon decision, and the terse copy amplified anxiety.

Hi-fi (after): A gentle “Save as draft?” safeguard with an autosave cue and clear CTAs (Resume later / Continue) lets users pause safely without losing progress.

Export you can trust

  • Added explicit export confirmation and a visible “what was sent” trail in Therapy Room.

  • Introduced Mark as Sensitive state + plain-language privacy microcopy.

Micro-interactions & navigation clarity

  • Clearer back labels (destination hints) and larger edit affordances.

  • Subtle feedback on save/attach to signal progress without cognitive cost.

Save as draft (explicit safeguard)

  • Added a “Save as draft?” intercept on close during capture; reinforced autosave state with clearer feedback.

  • Reduced exit anxiety and recoverable errors.

One clear path—single Morning Prompt toggle with inline time, optional Weekly Summary moved out, instant confirmation, and a one-tap return to Home for a smoother, faster flow.

Make secondary inputs obvious, not loud

  • Surfaced the sketch affordance next to voice with clearer iconography and tap target; kept flow inline (no modal jump).

  • Kept mood chips at entry; improved spacing and hit-areas.

OUTCOME

These changes maintain the guardrails (fast start, few decisions) while increasing confidence and discoverability—setting the foundation for the hi-fi system and final prototype.