Role
Role
Lead UX Researcher
Timeline
Timeline
10 weeks
10 weeks
Skills
Skills
User research
Personas
User interviews
Wireframing
Tools
Tools
Figma
Miro
Google Suite
project overview
For my IN4MATX 132 course project at the University of California, Irvine, I worked in a team of designers to identify a common problem and design the UX and UI of a potential solution to the problem.
For my IN4MATX 132 course project at the University of California, Irvine, I worked in a team of designers to identify a common problem and design the UX and UI of a potential solution to the problem.
Our team addressed the challenges of making friends in an area as a new resident by designing a mobile application, Eventure, that encourages people to go to local events based on their personal hobbies and interests.
Our team addressed the challenges of making friends in an area as a new resident by designing a mobile application, Eventure, that encourages people to go to local events based on their personal hobbies and interests.
As the Lead UX Researcher, I performed user interviews, created user personas, and participated in wireframing, mockups, and prototyping. Using the findings from our research, I narrowed down the scope of the problem to focus the team’s design process around.
As the Lead UX Researcher, I performed user interviews, created user personas, and participated in wireframing, mockups, and prototyping. Using the findings from our research, I narrowed down the scope of the problem to focus the team’s design process around.
Kickoff
THE PROBLEM
How do I make new friends here?
How do I make new friends here?
How do I make new friends here?
Many people who move to a new location often struggle to find connections with other people and things to do simply because they are unfamiliar with the area and have no motivation to explore on their own. We want to encourage relationships and connections between people who share the same common interests.
Many people who move to a new location often struggle to find connections with other people and things to do simply because they are unfamiliar with the area and have no motivation to explore on their own. We want to encourage relationships and connections between people who share the same common interests.
Problem statement
To guide our research’s direction, our team came up with a problem statement. This was based on assumptions that we had and therefore the problem statement was iterated on throughout the research process. The final iteration is below:
To guide our research’s direction, our team came up with a problem statement. This was based on assumptions that we had and therefore the problem statement was iterated on throughout the research process. The final iteration is below:
How might we help residents in a new area find events or locations to connect and form relationships with other community members?
How might we help residents in a new area find events or locations to connect and form relationships with other community members?
Having a problem statement to focus our research plan, I delved into documenting first-hand user experiences.
Research
user research
Understanding the problem
Understanding the problem
Understanding the problem
I conducted a competitive audit and 12 user interviews, sampling the viewpoints of individuals who had recently moved to a new area, those who have moved before, and native residents wishing to connect with their community members.
I conducted a competitive audit and 12 user interviews, sampling the viewpoints of individuals who had recently moved to a new area, those who have moved before, and native residents wishing to connect with their community members.
My team and I seeked to address the following aspects: moving experience, social connection strategies, and activity preferences.
My team and I seeked to address the following aspects: moving experience, social connection strategies, and activity preferences.
We identified common trends through synthesis
Uncomfortable online
Participants are hesitant to meet up with someone that they’ve only met online, citing safety as their main concern.
Trouble finding events
Participants stated that they would like to go out to events, only if they knew where to find them.
Forced interactions
People meet friends through mutuals and by going to locations they frequent. By seeing and interacting frequently, friendships form organically.
Uncomfortable online
Participants are hesitant to meet up with someone that they’ve only met online, citing safety as their main concern.
Trouble finding events
Participants stated that they would like to go out to events, only if they knew where to find them.
Forced interactions
People meet friends through mutuals and by going to locations they frequent. By seeing and interacting frequently, friendships form organically.
defining goals
People want to make connections organically through participation in common interests.
People want to make connections organically through participation in common interests.
People want to make connections organically through participation in common interests.
This then proposed questions that helped focus our design decisions.
This then proposed questions that helped focus our design decisions.
HOW Might we…
Help people get out and engage with their local area?
Help gather a group of people with similar interests?
Help people foster organic connections through social events?
user personas
Understanding our end users
Understanding our end users
Understanding our end users
Now that we had a general understanding of the main pain points our users had, I created user personas to help team members build empathy around two potential user groups. This established consistency when making design decisions as a team.
Now that we had a general understanding of the main pain points our users had, I created user personas to help team members build empathy around two potential user groups. This established consistency when making design decisions as a team.
We prioritized the features of the product based on the main goals of these two personas.
We prioritized the features of the product based on the main goals of these two personas.
design goals
Push event recommendations to users — who don’t have a solid network — based on listed interests
Let users who are more established see what events are available and who, from their friends, is attending them
competitive analysis
Recommendations, but no push
Recommendations, but no push
Before starting our own designs, we looked at 5 similar apps to identify gaps and common design patterns that we can improve on. Through the analysis, we noticed that many apps did show locations to go to, but lacked features that would incentivize someone to go out.
Before starting our own designs, we looked at 5 similar apps to identify gaps and common design patterns that we can improve on. Through the analysis, we noticed that many apps did show locations to go to, but lacked features that would incentivize someone to go out.
Design Solution
The solution
Introducing - Eventure
Introducing - Eventure
Introducing - Eventure
A mobile application that drives organic relationships through common interest activities — all in one place.
A mobile application that drives organic relationships through common interest activities — all in one place.
Personalized event recommendations
Personalized event recommendations
Personalized event recommendations
Have choice paralysis? We push event recommendations based on your hobbies straight to your home feed, giving you more time to focus on seeing who’s going to the event instead of what event to choose.
Have choice paralysis? We push event recommendations based on your hobbies straight to your home feed, giving you more time to focus on seeing who’s going to the event instead of what event to choose.
Find local events and view attendees
Find local events and view attendees
Find local events and view attendees
Browse local events directly on a map or using a powerful search feature. Tap pins to see what kind of event it is, and who amongst your friends has already RSVP’d.
Browse local events directly on a map or using a powerful search feature. Tap pins to see what kind of event it is, and who amongst your friends has already RSVP’d.
Wireframes
wireframes
Quick sketches, quick feedback
Quick sketches, quick feedback
Quick sketches, quick feedback
All team members sketched low-fidelity wireframes based on the feature list and the best designs were voted on to elevate to high-fidelity mockups.
All team members sketched low-fidelity wireframes based on the feature list and the best designs were voted on to elevate to high-fidelity mockups.
I was tasked with sketching potential designs for the User Profile page.
I was tasked with sketching potential designs for the User Profile page.
Low-fidelity helped the team come up with a wider breadth of layouts quickly in order to make a more holistic design decision on the layouts.
Low-fidelity helped the team come up with a wider breadth of layouts quickly in order to make a more holistic design decision on the layouts.
high-fidelity
Creating the MVP
Creating the MVP
We chose a color palette and typography, then created our high-fidelity mockups. The mockups were then prototyped in Figma, which you can interact with at the bottom of the page.
We chose a color palette and typography, then created our high-fidelity mockups. The mockups were then prototyped in Figma, which you can interact with at the bottom of the page.
obstacle
Wait… where's the testing?
Wait… where's the testing?
Wait… where's the testing?
A constraint that we had to work with was the course structure itself, which did not allow enough time to perform user testing.
A constraint that we had to work with was the course structure itself, which did not allow enough time to perform user testing.
If I had the opportunity, I would’ve liked to perform moderated usability tests on our low-fidelity and high-fidelity wireframes with 5+ participants to ensure the proposed layouts helped address the problems that were identified during research.
If I had the opportunity, I would’ve liked to perform moderated usability tests on our low-fidelity and high-fidelity wireframes with 5+ participants to ensure the proposed layouts helped address the problems that were identified during research.
Prototype
Play with the prototype below
Play with the prototype below
Play with the prototype below
Or click here to open the prototype in a new tab. (Recommended)
Or click here to open the prototype in a new tab. (Recommended)
Reflection
learnings
Working collaboratively
Working collaboratively
Working collaboratively
Working in a Lead role pushed me to make sure everyone was included throughout the entire research process. I learned the best insights whenever I consulted with my teammates, as hearing different perspectives helped me approach my thinking process from a different angle.
Working in a Lead role pushed me to make sure everyone was included throughout the entire research process. I learned the best insights whenever I consulted with my teammates, as hearing different perspectives helped me approach my thinking process from a different angle.
Future plans
Testing and iterations + launch
Testing and iterations + launch
Testing and iterations + launch
I would like to perform usability testing for the high-fidelity prototype to make informed iterations to our design. I would also like to reach out to a developer to create a launch an MVP of the product to see it be used by real users.
I would like to perform usability testing for the high-fidelity prototype to make informed iterations to our design. I would also like to reach out to a developer to create a launch an MVP of the product to see it be used by real users.