Application Design I / Project 1: Mobile Application Proposal

on

29.08.2022 - 19.08.2022 (Week 1 - Week 4)
Audrey Gracia Djohari / 0348120
Application Design I
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor’s University
Project 1: Mobile Application Proposal

WEEK 1:

In the first week, Mr. Shamsul briefed us about the MIB. This module aims to broaden the students’ understanding of ‘usability’. 

A user interface has feedback and usability.

He also said there will be no coding in this module, however, we will use Figma.

SWOT analysis:
  • strength
  • weakness
  • opportunity
  • threat
Project Brief

  • Project 1: 
Find an existing app that is not presentable at all (lousy typeface design, mispositioned button, etc.) Redesign this app to have a better interface.

Students need to do surveys, interviews, market studies, and research on the selected topic. The document should also include key features of the app and provide a clear flowchart of the app. (not more than 50 respondents)

Decide the operating system: IOS or Android

Deadline in Week 4

  • Project 2: 
Similar to project I, but it's focused on UX Design. This is the extension of the proposal.

Based on the information gathered in Project 1, students will:
- Determine and verify their target audiences.
- Outline the content element of their app, and exercise the card sorting method to achieve optimum information architecture.
- Listing the app features and identifying the app's Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
- Create wireframes of the screens


The end process can be the user's feedback & review. Through this data, we update the apps.

Submission in Google Docs, can use Canva.

  • Project 3: 
Students can now create a low-fidelity prototype of the app.
Find people to test the app (minimal 3), better to do it one by one so the tester won't be biased
Students need to document this process with video 
Produce a document containing detailed analysis of this task and the solutions to the problems faced by the testers.

  • Final Project:
A) Final Project – Completed App Design – 30 %

Students will synthesize the knowledge gained in tasks 1, 2, and 3 for application in task 4. Students will create integrated visual assets and refine the prototype into a complete working and functional product
experience.

B) E-Portfolio - 10 %
Students describe and reflect on their social competencies within the design studio context, supported by evidence. Reflect on how to empathize with others within group settings, interact positively within a
team and foster stable and harmonious relationships for productive teamwork. Reflective writing is part of the TGCP.


WEEK 2:

Fig 1.0: Week 2 Lecture, UI vs UX


Why do we structure the content first?

So the users & target audience will not be confused with the organization of the contents. Designers must organize the content.

UI vs UX

UI designers focus on the way the functionality is displayed and the fine detail of how users interact with the interface.
UX designers focus on the structure and layout of content, navigation, and how users interact with them.

“If people can’t use a product, it might as well not exist,”
– Jakob Nielsen

Common Characteristics

There are a couple of standards that identify effective design across the board (regardless of media or discipline):
  • The first consideration is determining who the user is
Example: Strava, is a sports app, it is targeted at people who do not have sports watches. It has a map, it provides information about running pace, etc. Strava can connect to many other apps. 
  • The design must be as broad or narrow as necessary to accommodate the intended user
Example: If you're designing for small kids, you should find out what they are comfortable doing. How they move their thumbs, or what kind of content are interesting for them. People have many different preferences, to know about that you should gather data by conducting surveys. Through that data, you will find out the majority's preferences.

There is no recipe that’s going to make your design appropriate for all applications and users. So listen to your users and observe them interacting with your design.

In order to make a connection with the user, the design’s interface must achieve its mission of communicating information through the printed word, dispensing a product, projecting and
image or creating a space that’s easy to navigate.

Changing the focus from the designer’s aesthetic to the user’s need allows the product to
be designed in a way that helps the user succeed.
Golden Rules of Interface

Design Interface expert Nielsen identifies five usability attributes designers should heed when creating a design interface, no matter what their medium:
  • Ease of Learning ––> showing borderline of a thumbnail when the user hovers over it
  • Efficiency of Use ––> having consistent design throughout the website, simple icons
  • Memorability ––> how easy the users remember the flow of the app or website
  • Minimize Errors ––> this is very important in designing forms. example: how the browser can now saves passwords to minimize errors.
  • Satisfy the User 

"Designing an app is not designing for yourself, it's for the user. Always focus on the users."
– Mr. Shamsul

Dos & Don'ts






Fig 1.1-1.11: Dos & Don'ts of designing an interface

NOTE: 
  • use attributes (src) as additional information. example: password.
  • make things simple, not canggih.

Defining Project Goal

Category: Travel
App: Malindo Air

Fig 1.12: Malindo Air on App Store

What?
What do you want to achieve?
- I want to redesign Malindo Air app and make its interface easier to use and pleasing to see. Travel app should be simple & fast enough for people to use because no traveller would want problem with their bookings.


What is your desired outcome?
- A simpler, less confusing, and more user-friendly design for Malindo Air app. Minimized errors and easier use when purchasing the flight ticket, managing booking & checking in. I also want to make the color and icons of the app design more pleasing and modern.

Why?
What needs to be solved?
- According to user reviews on App Store, there have been many errors especially in 'Manage Booking' part. The app's contents are also a bit confusing and too crowded especially in 'Book A Flight' part. And from my experience using this, it takes long for the app to load and it took me some time to find out what to do when I did the online check-in.

Fig 1.13: Malindo Air Review



Where?
- IOS

When?
How long?
- 14 weeks

Who?
Who is experiencing the pain points? 
- People who have purchased or will purchase Malindo Air tickets for traveling. The app is for managing their bookings, online check-in, and buying Malindo plane tickets.

Success Metrics
State your Key Performance Index (KPI)


WEEK 2:

Fig 1.14: Week 3 Lecture, User Experience Research

App Flow Chart

Fig 1.15: Flow Chart Example

NOTE:
  • Use the correct shape for the flow chart
  • Onboarding Screen: A tutorial page on how to use the app (this happens before signing in)
  • Sign Up or Log In Page
  • Use convenience sampling or random sampling

The 5 Steps Of User Experience Research
  1. Objectives. What are the knowledge gaps we need to fill?
  2. Hypotheses. What do we think we understand about our users?
  3. Methods. Based on time and manpower, what methods should we select?
  4. Conduct. Gather data through the selected methods.
  5. Synthesize. Fill in the knowledge gaps, prove or disprove our hypotheses, and discover opportunities for our design efforts.

“Good user research is key to designing a great user experience. Designing without good user research is like building a house without solid foundations—your design will soon start to crumble and eventually fall apart.”


The Value of User Experience Research

Product Benefits
UX research provides data about the end user of the product, how and when the user will use the product, and the main problems the product will solve. UX research is also helpful when a team has to decide between multiple design solutions.

Business Benefits
UX research brings a lot of a value to businesses. By knowing the end users and incorporating design requirements upfront, businesses can speed up the product development process, eliminate redesign costs, and increase user satisfaction.

User Benefits
One of the greatest values of user experience research is that it’s unbiased user feedback. Simply put, UX research speaks the user’s thoughts—without any influence from outside authority. It also serves as a bridge between users and the company.


Introduction to User Experience Research
  • Usability Testing
  • Interviews
  • Online Surveys
  • User Personas

Best Practices
  1. Test with Five Users. Testing five users is typically enough to identify a design’s most important usability problems. 
  2. Invite Your Team to the Testing Sessions. Anyone who is involved with how fast and how well problems are addressed should be invited to the usability testing sessions. These stakeholders may include the executive team and lead developers or designers.
  3. Keep the Findings Brief and To-The-Point. When you report the findings of a usability test, limit the comments to the ones that are really important. One good rule of thumb is to include the top three positive comments and the top three problems. The overall report should be no more than approximately 50 comments and 30 pages.
Usability testing can be broken down into a few major steps:
  1. Identify what needs to be tested and why (e.g. a new product, feature, etc.)
  2. Identify the target audience (or your desired customers).
  3. Create a list of tasks for the participants to work through.
  4. Recruit the right participants for the test.
  5. Involve the right stakeholders.
  6. Apply what you learn.

PROJECT 1: MOBILE APPLICATION PROPOSAL


Instruction

Students are required to create proposal documentation for their mobile application project. You are required to redesign an existing app that you find unsatisfactory in terms of the user experience or interface design and its subject to preliminary approval by the module coordinator. Students must do surveys, interviews, market studies, and research on the selected topic. The document should also include key features of their app and provide clear flowchart of the app. The document will determine whether or not the app idea is good to continue to the next development phase. This task is an iterative process whereby during the assignment period, students are free to get feedback from their peers and module coordinator to further refine their idea.

Finding an Existing App

Category: Travel
App: Malindo Air
Figure 2.0: Malindo Air App

Ideas & Research in Miro

Everything is here, so I might not need to rewrite it in this blog.

Figure 2.1: Miro Board

Final Proposal

Presentation Link: 

*Enter full screen & click the Grid View to jump to pages.*
Fig. 2.2: Malindo Air App Proposal by Audrey Gracia Djohari (Final & Revised)


FEEDBACK

WEEK 2:

Specific Feedback
Mr. Shamsul accepted my chosen app. 

General Feedback
Make sure the app's color is not the only reason you're choosing to redesign. Take a look at the UX as well but still focus on the UX because you're a design student.


WEEK 10:
Specific Feedback
Fix the wireframe and can refer to the visual reference and then proceed with the low fidelity prototype.

REFLECTION

Experience
This first project feels very relaxing and I could follow the timeline pretty well. Analyzing an app was not boring to me at all, I surprisingly enjoyed gathering the data, creating the flowchart, and doing the survey. Everything was doable and I didn't stress much making this proposal, thanks to the clear lecture by Mr. Shamsul.

Observation
I observed how there are many things to consider in app design. Everything matters, starting with the app flow, contents, placements, fonts, colors, and many many research about the user's performance. And usability is the most important aspect of an app, if people cannot use it, then it's a huge failure.

Findings
I discovered that studying an app requires user-centered research. The user's testimony and opinions are valuable data so we cannot depend on our own thinking from a designer's point of view.
  


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