CUP OF SUGAR
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Client: AngelHack 2016
Team: Eunice Do, Ara Lawrence, Julie Sakalys, Jo Chong, Me Duration: 24 hrs Deliverables: 20 page clickable prototype made with Axure My Role: UX Designer, user flow, sitemap, sketches, wireframes, InVision prototype |
CHALLENGE: AngelHack 2016 provided many categories available for entrance, such as using Amazon Web Services, or . It was very important to come together and fix a problem
SOLUTION: Redesign the current festival app to fit the needs of the user, emphasizing the "day of" needs rather than the planning. We also wanted to utilize the features of an iPhone such as the accelerometer.
WHAT I LEARNED: Small, complicated icons do not read well and cause confusion in the navigation.
SOLUTION: Redesign the current festival app to fit the needs of the user, emphasizing the "day of" needs rather than the planning. We also wanted to utilize the features of an iPhone such as the accelerometer.
WHAT I LEARNED: Small, complicated icons do not read well and cause confusion in the navigation.
PROCESS
Research
Understanding all aspects of our client's and user's needs was a large portion of work. We placed extreme importance on this and divvied up the research responsibilities into three main components. Katie and Rachel tackled the Competitive/Comparative Analysis and the Domain Research while I focused on the user directly. I created the Interview Plan, Screener and Script and headed a large portion of our interviews.
Script
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Interviews
We interviewed 7 people in total, and found some interesting corollaries. People that have used festival apps preferred the ease of the paper program. It has more readable real-estate than a 5.5" screen, allowing for quick access to needed information, especially maps and showtimes. Even though Bumbershoot is a lot more than just a music festival, the main reason for attendance is, assuredly, the live music.
Affinity MappingWe took these main points from each interviewee and created an affinity map, grouping the data into larger core categories, voicing frustrations and loves.
These points brought me to make the persona of Jonathan Jacobs. It was very important to me that JJ embodied the music festival enthusiast, the one who cared the most about what would happen at Bumbershoot. |
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Meet Jonathan Jacobs
BIO
Jonathan loves his music. He often finds himself in record stores shopping for vinyls of his favorite artists and hunts for ones he hasn’t heard of before. He has blogs he watches and lots of friends in the music world. You can find him at local bars when shows are going on, but he loves going to major festivals. He’s usually the one organizing the trip and friends jump in.
Jonathan loves his music. He often finds himself in record stores shopping for vinyls of his favorite artists and hunts for ones he hasn’t heard of before. He has blogs he watches and lots of friends in the music world. You can find him at local bars when shows are going on, but he loves going to major festivals. He’s usually the one organizing the trip and friends jump in.
STORY
Jonathan recently had to make big changes in his life after a major breakup. He found a new job in Seattle and recently moved here from Nashville, TN for a fresh start. John was able to meet up with some friends he met a few years ago at Osheaga and knowing that he could use something to occupy his mind, they told him about the upcoming festival, Bumbershoot. “That’s just the thing I need right now.”
Jonathan had never been to Seattle until he moved here a week ago, and he’s excited to dive into the local music scene. He’s got the lineup and has made a list of artists he can’t miss and ones who he’d like to see. The Seattle Center is big and new to him. Johnathan needs something to help him explore without having to carry a bulky map.
Jonathan recently had to make big changes in his life after a major breakup. He found a new job in Seattle and recently moved here from Nashville, TN for a fresh start. John was able to meet up with some friends he met a few years ago at Osheaga and knowing that he could use something to occupy his mind, they told him about the upcoming festival, Bumbershoot. “That’s just the thing I need right now.”
Jonathan had never been to Seattle until he moved here a week ago, and he’s excited to dive into the local music scene. He’s got the lineup and has made a list of artists he can’t miss and ones who he’d like to see. The Seattle Center is big and new to him. Johnathan needs something to help him explore without having to carry a bulky map.
GOALS & PREFERENCES
- Have reminders set for next planned band
- Discover new bands/music
- Meet up with friends for drinks
- Easy to follow map to food and stages
BEHAVIORS
- Gregarious - invites people he just met to events
- Goes to music festivals and local shows
- Searches for new music
- Collects Vinyls of favorite albums
- Researches line-ups for festivals before going
- Goes with friends but isn’t afraid to diverge when who they want to see is different from their friends
PLAN
Navigation
This was such a large portion of how the app would look we worked closely together on a whiteboard. Most of the pen work was mine, but we often switched places to share ideas. We spent most of our time in this planning mode to make sure we got it right.
It was here that we decided that this would be an app devoted to the show dates only and not those leading up to them. We gutted the current app and marked the most important features along with adding what Johnathan Jacobs (our persona) would most benefit from. The interface needed to be simple, and allow for simple navigation of the festival.
The map was the center of what the app is all about, which is why it became the main page. Swipe left and you get large buttons that will navigate the user to the closest bathroom, food cart or beer tent.
It was here that we decided that this would be an app devoted to the show dates only and not those leading up to them. We gutted the current app and marked the most important features along with adding what Johnathan Jacobs (our persona) would most benefit from. The interface needed to be simple, and allow for simple navigation of the festival.
The map was the center of what the app is all about, which is why it became the main page. Swipe left and you get large buttons that will navigate the user to the closest bathroom, food cart or beer tent.
DESIGN
Wireframes
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When setting up the project in Axure, I created a style guide so we would not get too locked into design. We also needed to allow for future color schemes to be implemented as they change each year.
I Frankenteined icons to match our button needs and each of us put up our mid-fi wireframes. There is a small sampling showing the main icons needed to interact with. |
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When creating the layout and look of the app, we sat around a table and used an ideation technique called a Design Studio, shelling out ideas of anything we thought of in respect to each users flow. From there, each of us took a different user flow and fleshed out basic wireframes which eventually moved to mid-fi.
TEST
This is always the most exciting part for me. I was able to facilitate all usability testing and let the user guide me through their thought process. The tasks and script were set out by Rachel, and both Rachel and Katie took notes and added in other questions.
What we did well
- User Flows were clear and delightful. Each user responded with "Oh wow! That's great", or something close to it.
- The app had features that were beneficial to the user. When testing each one, they enjoyed the options available and they fulfilled desires for their festival experiences.
What we can improve
- Though the flows were understood and useful, getting to the flows was difficult expressly because of the names given to the buttons and the icons paired with them.
- There was some confusion about which icons were indicating where the user was. On the map screen, expectations were to have the user centered in the screen.
- A missing piece, which didn't come up until testing, was the need for a quick route to an emergency area, like the closest med kit. It should be located with the Amenities menu.
NEXT STEPS
During the testing process we had already updated some of the icons and were met with positive results, especially how we indicated where the user was on the map.
We've begun to explore solutions to our naming of our buttons, since that was the main issue we encountered. We are excited to get back together and iterate on this project to make it a leading presence in the Festival Market.
We've begun to explore solutions to our naming of our buttons, since that was the main issue we encountered. We are excited to get back together and iterate on this project to make it a leading presence in the Festival Market.