Problem Statement
Cattle producers find their current data systems inefficient, which slows down their communication with buyers, impacting the cattle producers' means
of support.
of support.
Target Users
The intended users for the initial development of Counting Cattle are cattle producers or people who raise cattle for a living. It's important for cattle producers to easily input data into their system and efficiently share data with consignors.
Contextual Inquiries
These contextual inquiries were set up in order to observe the target users using current data systems. The goal of these observational interviews was to gather pain points to understand the goals of the application
Lyndsey Inouye, 22
Animal Science Student, Assists with Cal Poly Bull Test Program
Animal Science Student, Assists with Cal Poly Bull Test Program
In-Person Interview, 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm, 11/6/23
Main Task
To record bull sale statistics into current data system
To record bull sale statistics into current data system
Findings
•Uses Excel to set up new data sheet for each data entry period
•Uses Excel to record and calculate bull data
•References numbering system for specific statistics, such as bull shoot
scores from a downloaded pdf
•Uses Excel to set up new data sheet for each data entry period
•Uses Excel to record and calculate bull data
•References numbering system for specific statistics, such as bull shoot
scores from a downloaded pdf
Zach mcfarlane, 33
Cal Poly Assistant Professor, Beef Cattle Production
Specialist Animal Science Department
Cal Poly Assistant Professor, Beef Cattle Production
Specialist Animal Science Department
In-Person Interview, 10:30 pm - 11:30 pm, 11/7/23
Main Task
To record bull sale statistics into current data system
To record bull sale statistics into current data system
Findings
•Uses Excel to set up new data sheet for each data entry period
•Uses multiple sources of collected data to combine into one Excel
doc for recording and calculating
•Must download data sheet and email each consignor individually when they want updated information on bulls
•Uses Excel to set up new data sheet for each data entry period
•Uses multiple sources of collected data to combine into one Excel
doc for recording and calculating
•Must download data sheet and email each consignor individually when they want updated information on bulls
Empathy Map
I created an empathy map to sort the thoughts, action, quotes, and feelings that my interviewees were alluding to or showing. Feelings of frustration were common, boredom was a common occurrence, and tedious input was happening more than once. This map helped me better understand the user and the problem.
Impact/Effort Matrix
Creating an impact/effort matrix allows me to sort which features would be the most impactful for my application. The matrix also forced me to consider how much effort it would take to include in Counting Cattle. A few features that I included are the menu tabs to separate data type, data entry button, a bookmark button, and an info button to explain the different statistic types.
Main Task Flow
Select consignor → Select bull profile → Select data entry feature → Input data
