Competitive Analysis
I kicked off the project with Competitive Research into the current landscape through an analysis of apps such as Headspace, Happify, Youper, Unmind, Talklife, Sanvello, Replika, Happier, Happy, Remarkable lives, Moodpath and Daylio. I found that while these all offer variations of health and well-being support, some focus on clinical tele-health while others community chat and even A.I. ‘talk therapy’. Some offer help with stress, diagnosed anxiety or depression, while others are more lighthearted and encourage happiness through meditation and CBT exercises. Conclusions Through understanding the brief, audience and competition, the conclusion was that a new app for loneliness should be 'helpful' rather than 'clinical'. Features should alleviate ‘feelings-in-the-moment’, and be quick, easy and enjoyable to perform. The look and feel should be optimistic, lighthearted and simple - and best serve as a first stop in your mental health and well-being journey. Functions should encourage improvement in mood through increased feelings of self-sufficiency. |
An app to help people who are feeling lonely to get 'All together now'
My goal was to help people experiencing loneliness by developing an app that provides them with features to increase connection and encourage self-sufficiency.
Loneliness is a significant problem in society today, with research suggesting a lack of of lonely feelings leading to depression, sleep problems and many other stress-related disorders. Anyone can experience loneliness, particularly during difficult times such as bereavement, relationship breakups, leaving work, starting university, moving house and of course Covid isolation. The Problem Users that are lonely need a solution to help manage their health and well-being through a tailored approach to education, advice and support because lack of management can lead to anxiety, stress and other associated health problems. |
U N D E R S T A N D I N G T H E U S E R S
User Research Surveys, Interviews & Analysis.
Next was to better understand my users and develop User Personas. To do this, I conducted one online (16 participant) User Survey, and three User Interviews. I asked a series of loneliness-themed questions specifically to learn more about:
Empathy Mapping & Affinity Mapping
Within three Empathy Maps, data was sorted into categories (behaviours & attitudes, needs & goals, frustrations). With a virtual whiteboard and sticky notes (Miro), I then carried out an Affinity Mapping exercise to synthesise the data into findings and insights. |
User Personas
Using these findings and insights, I brought my users to life for the product team and stakeholders by way of three memorable and relatable User Personas - Susan a retired widow who lives alone, Penny, a single full-time graphic designer who leads a busy life but lives alone, and Bianca, a married Mum with kids and a challenging home-life.
Using these findings and insights, I brought my users to life for the product team and stakeholders by way of three memorable and relatable User Personas - Susan a retired widow who lives alone, Penny, a single full-time graphic designer who leads a busy life but lives alone, and Bianca, a married Mum with kids and a challenging home-life.
Hypotheses
With the Problem Statement and my new Personas for context, I wrote my Hypotheses for the functions. These included the ability to get support through chat, to provide support for someone else (and feel needed), and to plan activities for self-sufficiency. I also considered ideas for a learning blog and a function for tracking progress. Below are examples of some User Stories that progressed into my Task Analysis, Journey Maps and User Flows. |
I believe that by creating an application that allows users to perform a ‘Quick Hello’, for Bianca, we will achieve fulfilling her need to make a frequent meaningful connection and lessen the feelings of loneliness that she often experiences. |
User Stories
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As a user, I want to view the ‘Be Your Own Best Friend’ activities, so I can choose some to enjoy." |
Task Analysis, Journey Maps & User Flows
I N F O R M A T I O N A R C H I T E C T U R E
Sitemaps & Card Sorting
Now I had my User Flows I could begin developing hands-on technical deliverables. A Sitemap was drawn up and then refined with the help of the Optimal Workshop Card Sorting Technique which was performed by a group of my users. Analysis of user responses provided direction for a structure to begin fleshing out into wireframes.
Now I had my User Flows I could begin developing hands-on technical deliverables. A Sitemap was drawn up and then refined with the help of the Optimal Workshop Card Sorting Technique which was performed by a group of my users. Analysis of user responses provided direction for a structure to begin fleshing out into wireframes.
Wireframing & Prototyping
With rapid prototyping and mobile first design, I began creating mobile and desktop flows of the functions. Shown below are selected wireframing and prototyping examples as they progressed in fidelity towards the interactive clickable prototypes. Initially, I made paper wireframes with sticky notes which was a super helpful method for nutting out exactly how the flows and navigation might work. I then used a number of applications including Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch, Invision and Balsamiq to create the mid to high fidelity prototypes.
With rapid prototyping and mobile first design, I began creating mobile and desktop flows of the functions. Shown below are selected wireframing and prototyping examples as they progressed in fidelity towards the interactive clickable prototypes. Initially, I made paper wireframes with sticky notes which was a super helpful method for nutting out exactly how the flows and navigation might work. I then used a number of applications including Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch, Invision and Balsamiq to create the mid to high fidelity prototypes.
U S A B I L I T Y T E S T I N G
Moderated Remote Usability Tests
Now that I had mid-fidelity prototypes representing my initial hypothesis (on how I hoped to solve the initial problem statement), I needed to test them with my potential users! Using Moderated Remote Usability Testing, I asked six participants to perform tasks using key app functionalities. I also asked them a single Function Satisfaction Question using the SEQ 7-point rating scale. During testing I closely observed and recorded their task performance and responses. Usability Testing Goals Learn how easy the app was for users to use for the first time, whether users understood the key functions (and how to use them), and whether users found them helpful. |
Usability Test Report & Next Steps
Interpretation of test data began with Affinity Mapping conducted using sticky notes on my office wall. By going through my recordings, I noted down on a colour-coded (personalised) sticky each notable remark and observation. I then physically categorised these concepts / information under either Observations, Positive Quotes, Negative Quotes or Errors. Visualising these really highlighted patterns and hierarchy. I then ordered the errors into categories according to a severity scale and a 'Rainbow Spreadsheet' was populated to keep track of all the data - and consider next steps. With the majority of problems attributed to better communication of guidelines, too much copy, or too small copy size, I had a clear path to iterate the app and was able to move on with refining the design. |
R E F I N I N G T H E D E S I G N
Visual Design
After iterating my app and updating UX Copy, I began refining and enhancing it's visual design. Referencing earlier research, I concluded that the feel of the app should be optimistic, lighthearted and simple and I wanted visual design to imbue these qualities. I integrated colour and illustration throughout and then progressed the design into a Styleguide and Visual Language. This allowed me to document the UI I'd created, and also provide a toolkit to reference for future development. I wanted to ensure a consistent user experience if the app was iterated by other designers or new functions added. |
Design Collaboration
I shared my app for Design Collaboration with design peers. Reviews made during this collaboration in Adobe XD 'Design Review' were analysed and integrated where helpful to improve the design. The issues that were highlighted lead me to increase contrast on secondary buttons, add 'Explore as Guest' and 'Sign-in with Email' options to sign-in and a 'conversation starters' link in chat. I also enlarged the activity tiles and added 'click and drag' symbols. Design Accessibility
After assessing the design for common impairment accessibility issues, I iterated to add form labels and symbols on the sign-in screen, increase button contrast, increase size of some UI elements, add a pinch-zoom function, add alt copy, text to speech, universal symbols, and add an accessibility widget on desktop. These iterations addressed the needs of users with one or more of the following: Vision-impairment, blind or colour-blindness, motor & cognitive impairments, new and infrequent users, older users and distracted users. Aiming for my app to be of at least AA-level requirement according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), it is now ‘very helpful to a large portion of users’. Continued Iteration
Now that I have a polished Design Mockup, I’m at the end of this case study - but that’s not the end of development for the app! By continuing with a process of iteration through observation, hypothesis, testing and analysis, I am aiming to achieve an even more useful and usable product over time. Please join me on a quick 3 min tour of the app's functionality
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