Application Design 1 - Project 2

 21/10/2024 - 1/12/2024 (Week5 - Week 10)

Teu Yu Tian / 0371923
Application Design 1 | Bachelors of Design (Honour) in Creative Media | Taylor's University
Project 2 - UI/UX Design Document

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1. LECTURE:

ment

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2. INSTRUCTIONS:

Requirement:

Introduction 

• Purpose and Scope: Explain the purpose of the document and what it covers. 
• Target Audience: Identify the intended users of the app.
• Problem Statement: Describe the problem the app aims to solve. 
• Weakness of the apps: User experience and user interface.

User Research

• Survey questionnaire and interview: Provide detail analysis.
• User Persona: Include detailed personas representing the target users.
• User Journey Map: Provide a map outlining the steps users will take while interacting with the app.
• Research Insights: Explain how user research influenced design decisions

Information Architecture

• Card Sorting Method: Explain the card sorting process used to organize content and its outcomes.
• Information architecture map: Outline the main content and features of the app.
• User Flow Chart : Describe how content will be structured for optimal usability.

MVP (Minimum Viable Product) Features

• Feature List: Detail all app features.
• MVP Identification: Identify and highlight the features that will be included in the MVP for initial development.

Progression

Week 6:

Card sorting: 

I first started with listing out the card in the existing app, then rearrange and add some other function that i think is good to have.

The new categories are differentiate with red colour and the new card is in navy blue colour.

Week 7:

Survey and interview questionnaire:

The survey is designed for current and potential app user so that 2 different opinion could be gathered. The interview questions are mainly focus on the first time experience of the interviewees. Question related to first experience, opinion on overall interface or design and further suggestions will be asked.

Week 8:

Survey distribution: 

It is hard to find ParkEasy user from my original network, so I tried to reach out ParkEasy Facebook followers and distribute the survey through some EV car/EV charging station group and ask them for help to fill in the survey. Some of then filled up the survey form. The form has also been share through my Instagram and WhatsApp. The data collection process took a long time as the response were slow.

Link: Google Form

Week 9:

Interview, User personas, and card sorting. 

Interview were conducted both physical and online, the process were recorded in audio form.

As there are 31 card from the original planning, i decided to do 2 round of card sorting due to the limitation of Optimal Workshop free trial version. The results shows some of the cards were categorised into 2 different categories, some categorised under same category but different from my initial planning. It was a good practice as I was able to identify the potential confusion of the users and consider more when comes to the function planning part. 

Link: 

Card Sorting Phase 1 (Optimal Workshop)

Phase 1 Result

Phase 2 were conducted with 20 cards sorted from phase 1, a clearer insight has been observed. 

Link: 

Card Sorting Phase 2 (UXtweak)

Phase 2 Result

Week 10:

Data analysis, user journey, information architecture, user flow chart, MVP. 

User Flow Chart

Final Submission:

Link: Application Design-Project 2

Presentation Video

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2. Feedback:

Week 6:

• Card sorting: use different colour to differentiate the initial and new added card.

Week 7

• Overall good and nothing much to change.
• Interview questions: Not much to change. Just make sure you add the introduction as well.
• Survey:
• How easy or difficult was it for you to start using the ParkEasy app?
• Improvement: This question is clear. Consider adding a rating scale for better quantification.
• Revised: "On a scale of 1-5, how easy or difficult was it for you to start using the ParkEasy app? (1 = Very difficult, 5 = Very easy)

• Ensure that all response options are consistently capitalized and spelled correctly. Currently, some options use lowercase letters while others use uppercase.

• Card sorting: use different colour to differentiate the initial and new added card.

Week 11

• Add line spacing for the text in presentation slide, it looks too packed.
• Give some explanation for the card sorting.
• Use different shape for then last step in user flow chart.
• Others are fine.

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3. Reflection: 

Experience

UI/UX research documentation is a long and redundant process for me. I went through the process of gathering users' perceptions, analyzing the current app and competitors, as well as analyzing the data gathered. After that, I started compiling the results and opinions and came up with user personas and user journeys to highlight the goals and pain points of the users. Card sorting activities are a good way to identify improvements I can make for the current planning, and finally, I completed the information architecture map as well as identified the MVP for the app. This process further enhanced my skills in conducting UI/UX research as a professional UI/UX designer, though it is tougher than designing based on my own opinions, as I am not particularly skilled at data gathering and word documentation.

Observation

Researching takes a lot of time, and planning must be concise to ensure useful data is gathered within a limited set of questions. While the process can feel tedious, it was both interesting and insightful to understand how people think and feel about the app. I also observed that users are more focus on either usability issues or their immediate needs, which helped me prioritize areas requiring attention, as sometimes the app design does not actually meet the users need. Feedback from new or potential users was particularly valuable, as it reflected their first impressions and highlighted areas for improvement.

Findings

I feel my interview skills need enhancement to conduct sessions more smoothly and extract meaningful feedback from interviewees. Sometimes, I found it challenging to dive deeper into their responses. Analysing data from surveys and interviews taught me the value of cross-verifying insights to identify patterns and validate my assumption. This experience has shown me how important user-centered research is to building a structure for meaningful and effective design decisions.