Final: App

Creating my Final App Design:
Prototype

Studio Feedback 2

Feedback on Recent App Prototype:

Empathy / Test

I showed Tristam my app prototype on Invision and I got a lot of feedback.

• The welcome page automatically forces the user to sign up instead of giving the option to sign up or sign in if you already have an account
• Instead of having the register page not filled out and next the register page filled out, have the information page already filled in for the user
• Write a request page: Make less confrontational -try using drop down menus, don't use the word 'problem'
• Only rate your well-being if you are sending out a request, not if you are a supporter
• When rating your well-being use emoticons to choose mood, not words (less confrontation) 
• Tap to end walk -make more obvious (write that under the button)
• How did they not help you? -change to How could they improve next time? Not as harsh
• People near you page, include in their info their gender/sexual orientation
• Don't have a follow button on other peoples profiles, something like "Keep in Touch"
• Label buttons at the bottom of profile pages

It was good to get all this feedback and a positive reaction. I will make all these changes on paper first then make them digitally on Photoshop. 

Studio Feedback

Feedback on my App Logo

Empathy / Test / Prototype 

I got some feedback on my logo:  seems very hierarchical because the male symbol and the trans symbol are on top of the whole logo whereas the female symbol is on the bottom. This logo is a mix of astrological symbols of genders. 

I decided to recreate the logo without changing the original gender symbols' placements (because this would change the meaning of the symbols. So I researched more symbols and added the appropriate ones. The symbols flow from the top to the bottom so it doesn't feel so divided now. 

Original Logo:

Developments:

Final:

Meeting

Set meeting with Tutor:

Empathy / Ideate / Test

I had a meeting with Tristam about my most recent ideas to get feedback on them and where to go from here. Tristam wasn't completely sure about the event idea and suggested looking more deeply into the app concept - flesh it out more and think of other design concepts that could link to it more fully. We discussed how to make my app more appropriate for supporting and getting support from other users within the LGBTQ community. 

We came up with the idea of an app where you sign up as either a supporter or someone who needs support and through meeting people on the chat and then walking with them, people get support and help as well as gain friends within the community from it. After a person has gained a lot of support and their well being is back on track, they can change their settings to a supporter so they can pay it forward, and help other people in the community. 

I was struggling before with how people would come to understand the app before they downloaded it so we thought of making a quick 30 second video that communicates this. This could also be a PowerPoint or a storyboard. 

This would help the audience understand the app more easily with the visuals and voice over to guide them. This is a more fun way to make people interested in the app. 

Other Designs to help the Users Journey

Looking into Website and Events:

Empathy / Define / Ideate / Test

From my feedback from Tristam I decided I needed to look into what would make people aware of the app and make the user journey more interesting. LGBTQ people research online where they can find support and other information so I thought a website was appropriate to help them be informed. The website would give give them a short speech of how it is not uncommon for LGBTQ people to feel alone or need help and friends. Then the website would advertise a day where the LGBTQ community comes together for either a walk, picnic, activity day etc. If the user cannot make this event or want to continue meeting people after it, the website also introduces the app and explain its use in detail. If people don't research into this issue online, I was thinking of having stickers that would advertise the event also. 

I felt like these ideas expanded my ideas and gave my app more meaning. I feel like having the event helps people become more comfortable around new people and they wouldn't be intimidated by meeting new people one on one. 

Studio

Studio and Feedback:

Empathy / Test

I showed my tutor my app concept and got some helpful feedback. He told me to nail my concept before mocking it up digitally. He suggested introducing maybe a pamphlet or website to introduce the user to the app. He suggested changing how the questions towards the end of the app are written, for example instead of writing "Did you swap contact info with ____?" use "Did you want to swap contact info with ____?" The timer at the bottom of the page while walking should have a clock icon or commas instead of fullstops so we know that its a timer and not the date. 

I've decided to look into maybe a website to help lead users to my app. The big idea of my app is to meet new people and gain support through new people. From my survey I found out quite a few of people meet LGBTQ people through apps and websites so I think this would be very effective. 

One on One in Studio

One on One with Tutors:Ideate / Test 

I talked to Tristam about my app concept because I was worried about my app not relating to too strongly to LGBTQ. 

Tristam likes my app idea and gave me helpful feedback on it. He said to flesh out the start of the app (the profile part to organizing the walk part). He asked me questions which made me think of how I could improve my app. Some of his questions were: What happens during the walk? What happens after the walk? How are you going to make it safe for users? Why are you making this app - Is it for support within the LGBTQ community, education for within and out of the LGBTQ community or both? I will think about this and work on my ideas further. 

Deciding my Final Idea

Finalization of my Idea:
Ideate / Test

I thought about it and decided on continuing with my app idea. I don't want to carry on with a project that I know I won't have the time to execute well enough in my small time frame. Although I had decided on my app concept, I was worried that it didn't directly link to the LGBTQ community. Right now, it seems like an app that is only out there to meet new people. 

I emailed Tristam and he said he liked my app idea. I will talk with him next class on how I can link it more strongly into the LGBTQ community. 

User Testing in Class

Getting Feedback from Classmates and Tutors:
Test / Prototype 

I missed last class on Thursday so I felt I had a lot to catch up on. I showed my some of my class mates my concepts and got various different feedback. For my installation the feedback was very positive and people thought it was a very different and thoughtful approach. However one of my friends said my muscle prototype looked like a skinned human... That seems more threatening to the LGBTQ community rather than encouraging...

If I do carry on with the installation concept I need to think of ways to make this idea not look like a dissection of humans but actually get my message across appropriately. 

I ask Tristam what I should carry on with for this project because of the time etc that I have to worry about. He said to sit down and think about it over the weekend and get back to him. 

IND Prototyping part of my Installation

Prototyping Muscles:Prototype / Test

I like the idea of making a muscle person from fabrics so I decided to try it. I bought some cheap rough, plasticy feeling fabric, drew onto it a life size human outline and then cut it out. From there I drew where the muscles would be and added fabric to those areas to build them up. 

I would have worked better if the fabric was different tones of red so it would be easier to see the layers. It's far from a final piece so I'd definitely need to keep working on that.

 

EXCHANGE

Getting Feedback from Other Disciplines:

Exchange / Empathy / Define / Prototype / Test 

I went to Exchange to pitch my installation concept to my group. However, none of them were there so I joined another group to get feedback from them. I got a lot of feed back from them. 

The most helpful feedback I got from them was, how do I make this installation more clearly about the LGBTQ community without it being very obvious. They suggested subtle pride colours and colours from flags within the community to hint at this. 

Prototyping our Ideas

Mocking up our Ideas in Class:

Ideate / Prototype / Test 

We had studio time where we where timed on our making of our prototypes. We were rushed into quickly mocking up some of our ideas and then testing them with our class mates.

Because we were timed, we only managed to put down in our prototypes what was the most important parts. I want to do an installation so I didn't know how to prototype this concept. I asked Tristam and he told me to draw up my different rooms of the installation onto A3 paper then pin them up on the wall. This helped me get a feel for how big my installation would be. 

Sharing Ideas in Class

Presenting our Concepts in Groups:

Empathy / Ideate / Test 

In class most people hadn't mocked up any prototypes so we shared our ideas and gained feedback from our discussions. 

It was good seeing everyones different topics and approach to their topics. Giving feedback was as helpful as receiving feedback. Receiving feedback helped me take my ideas further and gain new ideas.