Defining +One
+One helps users make friends in a new way. Find a +one for any event, formal or casual. Whether it's a wedding date, or you just want to grab coffee + make a new friend.
I led the project end-to-end through ideation, research, testing & iteration.
My role: User Interface, User Experience Design
Methods: Market research, User research, Interviews, A/B Testing, Usability testing, Sketching, Wireframing, Prototyping
Tools: Figma, Adobe Photoshop
Duration: 3 weeks (Agile)
To make this unique concept exciting to users + viable it was important to apply a strategic process; research, creative choosing features, + listen to users.
Research
Market Research & Competitor Analysis: Although I was working in an Agile process, I wanted to quickly study the market because I knew there must be an app out there like this, because, well it's 2021. Thankfully, there wasn't a boatload of competitors.
A couple apps were similar; their user experience was not great according to reviews; and one app did have some usability concerns which would be easy for us to improve upon. After a bit of digging on multiple platforms I made notes of what their users disliked about the apps as a preliminary step to my ideation & user research process.
Preliminary User Research: I studied users' behavior to learn more about how they interact with each other online & meet each other through conducting surveys, interviews, looking at research & data, and of course, good ol' Reddit. I wanted to make sure people were still willing to use apps like this to meet strangers.
Key Findings: I quickly learned the market for this app isn't too competitive; competition out there was similar but very easy to improve upon; and that users nowadays (Covid aside) are willing to explore new technologies to meet new people and make new friends.
Ideation
User Persona: Our user personas are:
1. People who are looking for a +one for a more formal event (wedding, party.)
2. People looking for a +one for something more casual (coffee, lunch.)
3. People looking to make new friends & be somebody's+one.
Key takeaways: our user personas include people who are friendly & open to making new friends online; as well as people who may be more introverted & want to use the app as a way to make new friends more easily. Many of the users will be people who are single; and are looking to casually date, make new friends, or just explore what's out there.
Key Features: Key features I've included on the lo-fi wireframes include: a tab for finding a +one, a tab for being somebody's +one, specific controls as to who you are, who you'd like to meet, what events you are interested in, a "like" button as a friendly way of letting somebody know you're interested in their event, messaging options of course, and links to your socials to learn more about people, develop trust, (and verify they're a real person, of course.)
Key Findings: I learned that our user personas will include a variety of personalities, looking to gain distinct things from the app, and how we can go about catering to fulfill each of their needs easily.
I selected these colors because I wanted colors that were bright, pleasant + optimistic. I went with gradients of green with a hint of blue, paired with a slightly darker green & a tinier hint of yellow. This color scheme is not very common in apps; I wanted to give the app a unique vibe + feel.
Later on, I would like to include a feature where the user has different gradient options for their background, as well as a dark mode. I like to build my design around a long-term strategy- even though I may not apply all my ideas immediately (especially since many of my clients have very quick turnaround times,) I get excited about my projects & still plan ahead for the future.
Prototype
As we were working in Agile, I wanted to begin prototyping as quickly as possible so we could test & repeat.
To be absolutely honest, the prototyping process is crucial to me- not only because it's a necessary part of the process, but because while I am seemingly mindlessly, actually creating the product, making endless boxes, playing with gradients & zooming in down to the pixel to analyze the organized combination of colors, shapes & type, I realize details or interactions we may not have thought about yet.
This part of the process is when I gain some of the biggest insights to the functionality & user experience of the product. Such as, what issues the user may run into, what features would be innovative & highly useful & any other details; I often gain insight that wasn't discovered during the ideation, research or user testing processes. Prototyping, to me is an underrated part of the discovery & learning process.
These are the screens the user sees when first experiencing +One. The Splash screen, Login page, User Information page + Create Profile page.
1. The Splash screen shows the logo with the gradient colors. The logo is simple + to the point, combining "+" and "One" into one as a symbol connection.
2. The Login page has the user login using an email & creating a password. Features a variety of people having fun at both casual & formal events.
3. The User Information page is meant to learn a bit more about the user; who they are, what type of people they would like to meet, and what types of events they would be interested in to improve their experience. It also includes inclusive self-identity options for diverse people, which is important based on the market research I conducted.
4. The create profile page gets users to upload a profile picture, tell the user a bit about themselves & add links. My market research showed people like to "know" somebody a bit more before they can trust them enough to meet them in person. These features help put a friendly face to a stranger, get to know their personality more through a short self-description, & links to social media help users see that you're not a bot, and learn more about who you are.
Once the user is in the app, these are some of the main pages & features:
1. Find a +One for your event
2. Find Events by people
3. Find Local Events by switching the tab at the top of the events page
4. Notifications are right where the user expects them
These are the other supplementary screens- the Messages, Settings, & Profile screens.
1. Message other users to connect, get to know each other & make plans.
2. Settings to edit your preferences, privacy & profile.
3. Profile to show users a bit about you.
Test
Once the prototypes were done it was ready to begin testing the initial product version (the MVP) with users.
I tested using:
-Usability testing: through giving the user tasks, observing them and noting any issues
-A/B testing: giving users 2 options & having them select the most tangible
-Interviews: asking users feedback on
-overall look & feel of the application
-overall usability
-what features they liked/disliked; why/how they could be improved
-Tasks:
-Customer feedback: asking them to use the application & note any issues they came up with; or features which they found most useful; & features it lacks which could improve the experience
Iterate
Originally, the application was intended to help users find a +1 for events such as weddings, or parties.
I however, saw more potential. Knowing users & their behavior helped me see past some of the possible implications. Although I chose to work with this project because I found the concept innovative & interesting, I quickly realized it could become an app that people use every few months- or worse, use once & then forget about.
To solve this problem, I advised stakeholders to extend the app's features to include more casual, frequent events to increase engagement- such as dinner, or coffee. This would not only help people find a +One for formal events, but would give them an opportunity to meet new people & make new friends
This was a good point to run user research to confirm (or defy) my hypothesis; I conducted UX research through interviews, user testing, A/B testing, running tasks, + just observing, speaking to, learning from (+ about our users.) My solution seemed to improve usability.