Responsibilities:
Discovery
User Interviews
Journey Mapping
Personas
Wireframes
Prototypes
Usability Testing
Role:
Individual
Timeline:
5 weeks
Goal:
The goal of this case study was to develop a solution to a never-ending problem in the world of social apps: how do we get people to actually attend events? The initial concept was a social app centered around events to bring people together, and I set out to figure out a structure and design to increase attendance to events and lower barriers to entry.
Making friends is difficult at any age! How does anyone organically meet someone who wants to go on long hikes with them, or is always down to go for all you can eat sushi? Finding friends as an adult is complex, and can lead to many people feeling isolated.
Problem:
Solution:
Connect aims to help users meet other like-minded individuals in an organic, and low anxiety format, and to increase user engagement with events planned through the app
Discovery
I chose to interview 5 people to gather a large volume of information on why people did not use the existing platforms, what would increase engagement, and what they would want to see from a new app
”I went to a running interest group, it was nice because I already had things in common with the people there and an activity to ground the interaction, so it was easier to meet people” - Female, 24
“I have used meetup before because people recommended it, but never really found any events interesting, and the ones I did had like 2 people attending so I didn’t go” - Female, 28
“It’s hard to use these kinds of apps because they’re targeted towards women” - Male, 26
Key Takeaways:
Existing platforms are a bit clunky and inorganic to use
There is some stigma regarding using apps to meet friends
Some people experience social anxiety around attending an event where they don’t have any idea who else might be there
Action Items:
Find ways to make the app feel like a more natural experience
Develop a format that is similar to existing platforms to decrease stigma
Increase user engagement by giving users more information about other attendees for events
Information Architecture
I chose to put together 2 main user flows based on the insights I gathered from user interviews: creating a profile, and joining an event. The idea here was that by creating a profile and having the ability to see other profiles, this would increase likelihood of joining and attending events.
These flows helped me navigate what exactly I wanted the app to look like, and how to organize it for a premium user experience.
Wireframes
Entry Point
For the initial screen, I chose a simple sign in screen allowing multiple sign in options to create a frictionless experience
Onboarding
To create a profile, I struggled with what should be included in the screen, and what information users would be interested in learning about others
Home Screen
In designing the home screen, my initial concept was to have an interface similar to dating apps, as this was mentioned in user interviews. The idea was that users could swipe on people and events that they were interested in and “connect”
Joining an Event
I also created an event screen to indicate how event pages could help generate actual interest and attendance by showcasing user profiles
Remote Moderated Usability Testing
I decided to conduct remote moderated usability testing with 5 individuals in order to get comprehensive feedback and opinions on the current concept and user flows. What I found was:
Users did not like the profile creation page, and wanted something “less overwhelming”
Users did not really have a good understanding of the purpose of the app from the onboarding process
Users wanted more clarity on how to join an event, and what happened after they chose to join an event
Style Guide
In designing my high fidelity wireframes, I first made some key decisions about the color palette I wanted, and my iconography and fonts
I chose to center the color palette around a dark blue, as blue is often used for social media apps and would be familiar to users. I made the blue darker and more purple tinged to differentiate the color palette
I kept my icons simple and self-explanatory for an easily understandable and minimalist interface, and kept the color scheme at simple blacks and grays
High Fidelity Wireframes
In developing my high fidelity frames, I kept the same flows as my wireframes but made some key changes:
Clarifying the purpose of the app
Streamlining the onboarding process for a more seamless experience
Developing the event-joining process to be cleaner, easier, and more efficient
I spent a lot of time trying to be as thoughtful as possible about this initial screen. Because this is the first screen users see when they download the app, I wanted a clean interface that included a polished logo, information about the app’s purpose, and log in options. I also included Terms and conditions information in line with other apps.
For the home screen, I decided to pursue a different direction to promote a more inclusive approach to socializing online. While my initial concept was to model the app after Having users swipe on other users felt too much like a dating app, and was not what I had in mind conceptually. Rather, I wanted a platform that would help foster organic connections.
After feedback that the event joining process was still confusing and had a displeasing design, I completely changed it to model after other social apps, where once you join an event you can participate in a group chat with other attendees
Final Prototype
Entry Point
2. Onboarding
3. Joining an Event
Reflection
While completing this project, I learned some really valuable lessons about how to create a social product, particularly one that would facilitate genuine human connections:
In addition to figuring out how to choose iconography and a color palette that would be comfortable for users, it was equally important for me to spend time thinking critically about how people would interact with this product, and what I wanted users to get from their experience.
Even after having a full laid out concept and wireframes, starting from scratch might be necessary to execute your vision correctly. I was near the end stages of my project when I realized that I didn’t really like the flow or layout at all, and wanted to make changes to get closer to what message I was trying to convey to users.