Humans thrive in communities. In today’s chaotic world, it can often be difficult for individuals to find that sense of belonging they are looking for, especially when they settle down in a new location. How can we provide people with this sense of belonging and get them closer to feeling “at home”?
Empathize
Competitive Analysis
Competitors
I looked at Yelp, Meetup and NextDoor
Why
I conducted this analysis because it gave me some insight into the advantages and disadvantages of companies similar to Acclie, and allowed me to think about potential opportunities when designing.
After conducting my interviews, I learned that the participants do not frequently use these apps. They typically use Google Maps, Facebook and occasionally Instagram. However, during my usability research, a different pool of participants did report that they used these sites.
Research Interviews
Focus
Gain an understanding of where people struggle the most when they move to a new place, what platforms they may have used to situate themselves, and what they think would have helped them.
Goal
We want to understand what challenges people are facing when it comes to exploring the new location that they have moved to.
Who
I interviewed 5 individuals between age 23-30 who have recently moved to a new location.
Key Insights
Affinity Map
Users want a platform where they can find events, classes and other hobbies that are curated by other locals in the area and include reviews.
Prior to conducting the interviews I assumed that making friends in a new location would be a much larger issue. Once I conducted the interviews, I learned that it was sometimes a problem but people were more worried about their hobbies and interests than finding friends. A lot of users find their friends at work or still live near friends.
I wanted to get an understanding for what apps or websites users currently use to find the places they are interested in. Contrary to my secondary research, most people use Google Maps and facebook groups to find what they need.
Define
User Persona
Why
After synthesizing my interview data it was time to create some personas that I could reference back to as I moved forward to keep in mind who I was designing for.
Meet Delilah & Kyle!
They are both within the age range and looking to immerse themselves in different communities. Delilah just moved to San Francisco, is a big foodie and wants to start getting into yoga classes. Kyle just moved to the suburbs, is a soon to be father and wants to get involved in an adult sports team to meet new people and do something he enjoys.
User Flow
Why
After some brainstorming, I came up with the idea for Acclie, a website that helps users find their communities or event based on user interests that are determined as part of the sign up process - encourages users to take pictures and leave reviews
I then created a feature roadmap to list all the features the site could have and then prioritize them around what features are most important to start with which helped me to start determining the Information architecture
I used a card sort study to allow my users to categorize the site's information. I gave 30 topics with 6 categories to sort the topics into. The results gave me insight into how to set up my sitemap.
sign up & register for an event were my main user flows.
Digital Wireframes
Why
With my information architecture figured out I created some sketches and then digitized them to get a visual sense of how the site would be laid out.
Design
Time for the visuals...
Mood Board
After narrowing down Acclie's core values (inviting, warm, comfy, accepting, adventurous, creative, success). I began to create a mood board. When thinking about community, I kept thinking of circles and people coming together. This gave me a lot of inspiration for the color palette and logo.
Color Palette
I wanted a warm and inviting color scheme to match my brand values. The orange has a creative and warm feel and the blueish color is calming and signifies trust. When moving to a new area, it can be intimidating. I want to convey the brand to users in a way that helps them feel comfortable when trying to get immersed in new communities. I went with montserrat for the typeface which I felt was fun & adventurous and fit my brand's values.
Logo
I had a lot of ideas in my sketchbook but when it came time to digitize I began to struggle with executing my vision. After some practice with Adobe Illustrator I came up with the “final” logo (right). I would have loved to have more time to polish it up.
Test
Usability Testing
What
I conducted usability testing using maze.co. I defined success metrics as users being able to navigate through with little to no errors or confusion.
Insights
The number 1 revision that needed to be made was the date selection in the register for an event flow. The biggest issue that I found was with registering for an event.
Users reported during follow up questions that Acclie’s interface was simple and easy to use.
Test
Usability Testing
What
I conducted usability testing using maze.co. I defined success metrics as users being able to navigate through with little to no errors or confusion.
Insights
The number 1 revision that needed to be made was the date selection in the register for an event flow. The biggest issue that I found was with registering for an event.
Users reported during follow up questions that Acclie’s interface was simple and easy to use.
Iterate
Priority Revisions
Problem
Based off of the usability tests, users were running into the most trouble on when it came to selecting a date for the event because the posted dates appeared to be clickable.
Solution
I decided to write the dates out under the event post in order to avoid confusion, this way users will know to click the register button in order to move forward.
Problem
Another issue that came up was after clicking register, the way the dates were laid out left some users confused. I realized that it should be more specific in order for users to be able to plan.
Solution
In order to make the dates list more specific, i included the dat of the week, the month abbreviation, and then the actual day., This way users do not have to think much or refer to a calendar when deciding if they are able to attend the event.
Conclusion
Next Steps
Features
While there are a multitude of features that could be added, acclie’s main mission is to help people find where they belong through a simple, clean interface that connects them with people and events. Next steps for Acclie, would include building out more features, testing, and iterating to continuously improving the user experience.
Takeaways
I am most proud of coming out of this project with new knowledge of UX design. I feel that I have a solid understanding of the design thinking model & the double diamond design process. I am excited to apply this understanding to future design briefs.
Challenges
This was my first UX Design project. I learned so much about the design process and how important each step is to creating solutions. I was given plenty of time for this brief for the purpose of learning everything, but I have an understanding of needing to sacrifice certain aspects of the process due to time constraints. It is important in a real world setting to know what steps to prioritize to work efficiently. Iteration and testing throughout the process is incredibly important when it comes to designign usable and successful products.
