Understanding the Problem

SECONDARY RESEARCH

Through research, I found that

• Social media use and isolation were correlated in my target population of millennials

• Depression is increasingly common, due in part to unmet needs for connection

• 90+% of users only regularly interact with fewer than 10 people on social media

• Population prefers mobile apps and user generated content

DECISIONS

Due to secondary research, I decided to

• Build a mobile app based on user generated content

• Create a connective online social environment

• Design with a small group of core relationships in mind

COMPETETIVE ANALYSIS

I analyzed Meetup, Google Calendar, and Facebook Local based on Nielson Norman Group’s Heuristics. My analysis led me to emulate the friendly aesthetic of Meetup, familiar features of Google Calendar, and search/suggestion capabilities of Facebook Local.

User Interviews & Empathy Mapping

SURVEYS & SCREENING

My goals in surveying users were to

• Understand how this age group socializes and how satisfied they are with the quality of their relationships

• Determine how much they depend on social media

• Screen respondents for follow-up interviews

From surveying users, I learned that the majority of users had fewer than 6 close friends, use social media every day, and primarily use social media to keep in touch with friends and family. This reinforced insights gained from research.

USER INTERVIEWS

I was interviewed several users met who were under 30 and were active on and disappointed by their experiences with social media.

I organized raw insights from these interviews into an empathy map of the target user.

INSIGHTS

• Users are emotionally exhausted with socializing

• Users found social media superficial but helpful for in-person events

• Users said things like “I’m strategic about how I make it all fit into my schedule.”

Creating a Persona

I created a target persona based on insights from the interview and empathy mapping stages. This helped me to keep my design decisions relevant to the type of user who would be most likely to use the app.

Emily is a millennial woman who uses the app to strategically keep in contact with a small group of friends.

“How Might We”

Next, I drafted problem statements with an understanding of my target user and their needs. My goal became designing for increased connection and decreased isolation.

How Might We…

• create engaging interactions between people who are not able to meet with each other as often as they’d like?

• reduce friction for scheduling in-person meetings?

• increase opportunities for people to get together face-to-face?

• create a more efficient and less draining way to coordinate social interactions?

Proposed Solutions

My brainstorming process for solving the How Might We questions involved identifying needs from user interviews and listing features which may meet them.

I divided these solutions into social profile and event calendar categories. Ultimately I focused on these features:

• A calendar scheduling system in which users post/ sign up for time slots

• A strategy to decrease social energy use in which the system manages invitations and responses for the users

• Suggested events: system suggests events

• Newsfeed: Users scroll a list of invitations

User Stories and Minimal Viable Product

With an understanding of user needs gained from the research process, I created a list user stories.

I then narrowed this list into a testable MVP by including only the user’s most essential goals.

Site Map

I designed the information architecture for this product to meet the essential functionality goals of the MVP and move towards prototyping. As I had determined that the app would be a newsfeed with a calendar, built around social functions (friends list, profiles, etc.), these features are prominently featured as tabs.

User Flows

Next I identified and diagrammed users’ red routes (the most essential functions of the app). These included posting ones own availability and responding to others’ availability and requests.

Wireframes

Utilizing the principles of interaction design, I created wireframes based on the red routes.

DECISIONS

• implemented Material Design standards, including cards

User Interface Design

I created a mood board and style guide to establish the app’s aesthetics.

DECISIONS

• Split complementary color scheme

• Bright and friendly tone

• Flat UI

• Humanist sans font

• Blue navigation and orange CTA

Paper Prototyping and Guerrilla Testing

I used Marvel Pop to turn my sketches into a clickable prototype.

GUERRILLA TEST FINDINGS

• Users desired privacy settings

• Users did not check calendar after accepting events

• Users were unsure of where to find their list of events

DECISIONS

• Added privacy/visibility settings

• Allowed exporting events to an external calendar

• Added events tab

Hi-Fidelity Prototype, Version 1

View prototype

Usability Testing

GOALS

• 5 moderated testing sessions with participants who are between the ages of 18 and 30 who are active on social media and express dissatisfaction with it

• Determine strengths and weaknesses of app

• Highlight opportunities for improvement

A prioritized list of issues identified during the usability testing stage:

DECISIONS

• Revamped event popup; added button

• Increased privacy options

• Increased compliance with Material Design Standards

• Minimized detail on newsfeed

• Introduced mint color

• Removed friends’ events list from user’s calendar

Hi-Fidelity Prototype, Version 2

View prototype

Second Usability Testing

The design process is never truly done. I completed my project with a second round of usability testing to determine a direction for future iterations of the design.

GOALS

• Complete second round of usability testing with five new participants

• Identify areas for further improvement

• User response to improved designs

• Users were able to click links and buttons more easily

• Users were better able to navigate events request page

• Users enjoyed streamlined design

AREAS FOR FURTHER IMPROVEMENT

• The ability to group friends according to their relationship to the user

• Increased visibility of privacy settings

• Increased functionality in messaging function

• Increased scope of functionality; expanded red routes to include a wider range of options