SciLi Charging Stations User Analysis - Personas and Storyboarding

Background

To practice conducting user interviews and storyboarding, the phone charging stations in the basement of the Sciences Library (SciLi) were observed and analyzed. This library at Brown University is a popular study location for students and many students use the phone charging station while working in the SciLi. The charging station features 8 lockers that can charge many different phone types and a touchscreen for entering inputs.

Interface

What happens when you click CHARGE and pick locker #3

Observations

By working in a study area with the charging stations in full view over a few days, I was able to watch many students use the phone charging station.

Generally, people were leaving the phones inside for between 1 and 3 hours, though sometimes they put it back after a short break.
Compartments get filled up from top to bottom
When issues arose, users tried a different locker or walked away and gave up
Twice there was a phone alarm going off while a student was working in a different area, with no way to tell whose phone it was

However, most people seemed to use the interface pretty smoothly and only spent a couple minutes operating it, with swift and confident button presses.

Questions

I approached four people using the chargers and asked for a second of their time and asked the questions below:

1. Is this your first time using this? How did you know what to do?
2. What are your main reasons for using the charging station?
3. Do you have any complaints or compliments for the interface?
4. Have you run into any issues or experienced confusion?

And here are the main points I gathered from them:

Two people were frequent users and reported appreciation for the simplicity and clarity of interface
One user reported confusion during their first time using it as they ignored the screen and went straight for the charger compartment, trying to pry the door open, another was worried about locking phone away and forgetting password
All users expressed using the chargers to help minimize distractions, some actually needed charging and did so for a few hours
Though most users appreciated the color coded compartments and corresponding faded touchscreen buttons, one struggled slightly to match the empty lockers to the touchscreen selection
Few people complained about broken chargers and not being able to tell if it is working unless they bend down to look at phone or close the locker and see the screen says no phone detected.

Personas

Forgetful Fran

Fran is a relaxed senior CS student whose favorite study spot is the Sciences Library. She frequently uses the charging stations, because she usually does not bring her charger with her and she passes it on the way to the CIT often. Though she knows how to operate the interface pretty confidently, she reminds herself to use the same easy password for the locker pin since she has forgotten the passcode before. She also sometimes forgets to turn her ringer or alarms off when putting her phone inside the charging locker. Fran represents a frequent user of the charging station that actually needs to charge her phone. These users may have a few small issues with the interface but are generally content and come back to use it.

Distracted Dylan

Dylan is a first year who is not very used to doing long, dense readings and is a bit addicted to his phone. When he remembers the charger station he passed on the way to sit down, he decides to use it to keep himself focused. It is his first time and is drawn to the light up lockers and tries to open one to no avail until he finally reads the screen and presses the right buttons. Dylan represents a newer user who just wants a break from their phone and a bit too eager to try using the charging station, but uses it for a long duration once they figure the interface out.

Templates and icons from figma

Storyboard