Agile
WE ARE HERE FOR ALL YOUR MOVING AND SETTLING NEEDS!
-Conceptual solo project | 2023
Introduction
Moving to a new place is very difficult. This is where Agile comes in. Agile, as the name suggests, "able to move quickly and easily", Agile provides all the information in one place so that users can complete the moving and settling process as quickly as possible, and do the things they like.
Tools- Figma, Miro, Zoom, Google forms
Problem
Moving and settling in a completely different country is very challenging. The lack of information makes it even more difficult for new immigrants.
Solution overview
Agile is a one-stop platform that provides up-to-date information on moving to California for all the people who are about to move or have recently moved there.
Design process
I used a 5-stage Design Thinking model proposed by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (the "d. school"). The stages of this Design Thinking process are as follows:
Empathize
01
Secondary research
After research, I was unable to find one particular app or website which provides all the information users might need before and after moving to California. Even the resource website that does have some information on a topic, is only providing general, superficial details about the topic. Regardless of the source you may find information in, there's a chance it could be outdated or incorrect.
HOW ARE PEOPLE FINDING THE INFORMATION?
Google search
Word of mouth
Surveys & Interviews
I screened my participants through a survey (using google forms). Then, I interviewed five people (Those who have moved to California within the past year) for my project. I did user interviews with each participant remotely using Zoom or Skype. After talking to all my participants, I picked the users' similarities, patterns, needs, and requirements.
Affinity mapping
After the interview, I grouped and categorized the data into an affinity map which enabled me to have a clear understanding of the user requirements. click here to view the whole affinity map.
After Interview Analysis, I clustered information by following Labels:
-Reason for the move
-Feelings (before, during, and after the move)
-Tools used
-What helped them?
-What actions were taken
-Challenges faced
-User comments
-What people miss here(in California)?
OBSERVATIONS & INSIGHTS
4/5 users said understanding and settling up legalities is a challenge and too time-consuming
5/5 users extensively researched before, during, and after the move.
5/5 users talked to people for information before, during, and after the move.
4/5 users felt overwhelmed and by themselves after the move.
3/5 users said finding the right or updated /useful information is a challenge.
Personas
Condensing user Interviews and Affinity map helped me build a user persona- Meet Ram, an IT professional who recently moved to California.
Empathy mapping
Affinity Map consequently helped me to create an Empathy Map which enables me to step into the shoes of the user.
Click here to view the full empathy map.
How might we questions?
The insights I gained from synthesizing the research led me to form the following how might we- questions to try to answer or solve:
Define
02
User stories
In order to better understand Ram's goals, how he would want to interact with the app, and what he would want to accomplish by using it. As a result, I was able to prioritize which functions were essential to the app and should be included in the MVP. Following are some screenshots from user stories and click here to see full user stories.
After ideating on the user stories following are my MVPs:
1
2
3
03
Ideate
User flows
After knowing about Ram’s struggles and needs, I was able to create three flows of what he would want to accomplish as a user. With the flow, I had an idea of how users would interact with each screen and navigate through the app. Click here to view the full user flow.
1
3
2
04
Prototype
Sketching
It was time for me to grab my pencils and pens and begin sketching my ideas on paper since it is less time-consuming and less expensive. During sketching the red routes I was able to organize and present my ideas in a visual format.
ONBOARDING
TO-DO LIST & CONNECT
INFORMATION
Note: Initially, homepage was included in the app but it no longer serves a specific function.
Guerilla usability testing
I did my Guerilla testing on the above sketches. Through guerrilla testing, I was able to identify user expectations and the areas in the app which needed more attention. This helped me improve upon those elements in future iterations. Following are the Findings:
Wireframing
After incorporating the learnings and synthesis from Guerilla testing into my wireframes, I began to see the app as a more realistic product. This enhanced my ability to envision what I wanted the final product to look like.
ONBOARDING
TO-DO LIST & CONNECT
INFORMATION
Style guide
Then, after wireframing and wireflow, I had to figure out how the app should look and feel, so I started creating a design system.
Mood board
Brand personality: Agile is a daily dose of care and empowerment. I want users to think moving is not as hard as it sounds. Throughout the entire moving process, we are there for them.
Brand Attributes: Care, Empower, trust, connecting people, time-saving
Color Palette
Font Family
UI Elements
Logo
Icons
High-fidelity version of red routes
It was time to bring Agile to life by making its high-fidelity designs. This transition went much smoother thanks to all of the knowledge/experience that had been accrued throughout the process and of course the style guide.
05
Testing
Usability testing
Once my high-fidelity designs are done it was time to do the usability testing. My high-fidelity design improved and evolved through two rounds of usability testing.
These tests took 30-60 min and were held remotely.
TASKS
To find a list of tasks before the move.
Finish a task.
Search for information related to living in California.
Know other users' driving test experiences.
Talk to other users.
FINDINGS
I performed two sets of Usability testing with 5 users each time. After each usability test, I revised the designs to address any challenges that arose. In addition to this, here are all of the minor and major issues encountered during the tests.
Note: I am providing both sets of usability test screens for better comparison. Here Before indicates the app screen during usability testing Round 1 and After indicated the app screen during usability testing Round 2.
Issue 3: The user got confused and tried to find(search) the information on the to-do list. 1/5 user was facing this issue.
Solution: When asked to search for information(task 3)user tried to first find it on the Todo list page rather than the Search page. The user was confused about where everything was at first, due to the fact that it is a new experience for them. It took some time for them to get used to all of the features and navigate around.
BEFORE
AFTER
Issue 2: Forum icon is confusing. 4/5 people were facing this issue
Solution: Users were having difficulty locating the forum as the icon was pretty incoherent to most users. So I changed it to a more comprehensive icon.
BEFORE
AFTER
Changed the forum icon
Usability testing TAKEAWAYS
What to do next?
-A majority of users advised adding a verification layer for all interactions, with the idea being that only verified users can contact another user with an option for restricting unwanted users.
-An event alert feature would be helpful. If the app is successful, it could add more places to its database of locations for people who are moving or settling down in another place than California.
Lesson Learned
Agile is a working prototype that allows users to access reliable, up-to-date information quickly.
Agile being my first UX project, I learned a lot from these above-mentioned 5 steps which help me develop my design and observation skills. Following are my key learning.
- Be calm and trust the incremental iterations.
Incremental iterations not just helped me refine my designs but also helped me to look at the product from the user's lens. I was learning various things with every iteration, which was pretty exciting.
- Keep it simple silly!
I have always believed in this motto all my life. While working on Agile, I realized that this motto works well for the app's UI. The simpler the app's UI and language, the easier it is to learn and understand.
- Either you run the day, or the day runs you
Time management is key in the design process. The better you know how to manage your time, the better you can manage your results.