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UXD and UX Strategy - Case Study

CASE STUDY -To-Do Reminders

USA

Campaign Interaction Occurances Reporting

A connected experience with native synced reminders in mobile.

The Problem

The design challenges we were asked to solve for in this project pertain specifically to a mobile application or a group of entrepreneurs who have already launched a product that is currently available on both Google and Apple app stores. The existing product offers organizational Solutions however are designed for the bare minimum.

The company, Reminder X, has asked to come back with new and interesting ideas to assist and take them and their software platform to the next level. They've asked for out-of-the-box thinking with no limitations. Some of the current restrictions and constraints the existing app are that the app does not sync with any other apps on a user's iPhone. Additionally many of the screens are quite simple and could offer more functionality in a more unified design solution.

Project Micro-Summary

Target audiences

Our goals are simple. Act as one unified solution to all organizational requirements, first and foremost, via Native iPhone platforms and ecosystems. Additionally, to engage users through a unified organization HUB known as To-Do-Reminder.

Design interaction goals

Our goals are simple. Act as one unified solution to all organizational requirements, first and foremost, via Native iPhone platforms and ecosystems. To engage users through a unified organization HUB known as To-Do-Reminder.

Business Objectives and Design Strategy

Our business objectives are as follows. Accurately provide free unified organizational solutions to users across the iPhone ecosystem.
In time offer paid for services as an upsell option to our subscribers and push the boundaries of their native applications and hardware.
Listen to our users by converting their ideas, via feedback, into monetized solutions that bring users JOY.
Deliver award winning UX and UI solutions that take the thinking out of the equation for the user and unify (Sync) applications with no frustration.

Supporting research - To be supplied by client and addressed in previous research buy Omni UXD

Related target persona snapshot - See Below

The Approach and Actions

Our current plan was to collect user information from a small sample of existing users to utilize the platform. We formed a Target profile and from that Target profile found participants. Our 4 participants all used mobile devices specifically iPhones. Several of our users in fact fell into our Target person at age bracket of 60 years old and older.

We found that users in this age bracket utilize mobile devices heavily for organizational assistance. Quite a bit of feedback was found in our formative discussions with our participants. Additionally comma several iterations of design wireframes by hand were constructed by paper for further engagements with our participants. An incredible amount of fantastic feedback was collected.

From the feedback we've collected from engagements with our participants we've moved on to final wireframes that are more polished 4 last round of Engagement with our participants on ideas based on our initial interviews.

User Interviews

Interview questions were composed and formed around the discovery of how to build trust and value in an app that people already had other apps they used to solve their organizational needs for on the iPhone ecosystem.

Participants were sampled and interviewed. Participants consisted of three female and one male. Immediate similarities were that two were similar in age, (70+). Both of these two women have very opposite exposure to technology although both of them had iPhones and used many apps for organization. This was a qualifier for our interviews.

One woman's exposure was far more limited in terms of her access to funds to allow her the most recent types of Technologies and mobile devices. The others were cutting edge. The younger participants were both very similar in age. Only separated by 2 years both in their 30's. Both are advanced users of mobile apps and mobile devices. The interview was quite extensive (45 minutes) and both of them elaborated on the types of technologies they prefer when accessing and using devices and applications they perceive trust and value in.

Other findings can be found below in the link.

Participant Interviews - Other similarities and findings

Initial hand wireframe examples used in participant research

A series of hand developed wire frames were constructed specifically for user interviews and final hand wire frames were crafted to assist the client in a co-creations manor. Participants that were interviewed were given the opportunity to fold the paper mock up in their hand and act as if they were utilizing a real mobile app on their device. This implied interaction experience allowed us to iterate very quickly with participants during interviews on a

Participant Interviews - Similarities and findings

Interestingly, I had set up the interview to be segmented in terms of questions depending on what I discovered of their exposure or use of Technology. For instance I had questions prepared for those who had smartphones, laptops, computers or desktop computers, and no technology at all. Each of the participants fell into the first category. This was something I'd had not planned on discovering. All the participants utilized new technology and mobile devices released in last 3 years by Apple Computer.
Each of the participants had college + degrees.
Each of the participants had used multiple ranges of mobile apps in the past several years and continue to investigate solutions.
Each of the participants preferred large companies organizational applications such as iPhone Calendars (iCal) and note taking apps like Notes.
Each of the participants had at some point in their lives exposure to Microsoft Office and office organizational applications for accomplishing tasks like keeping track of bookkeeping or spreadsheets. Interest was expressed in syncing with those investments and entries.
Each of the participants Utilized handwritten notes in some capacity way shape or form to remember lists like yellow sticky notes or grocery lists. This was unexpected. In fact both participants in their seventies used extensive handwriting skills for documentation of important meeting agendas and note taking. One of those women went even further with this type of approach and alphabetized her handwritten notes overtime.
Several of the participants relied heavily on word processing platforms that were connected to the cloud like Google Docs. Expressed an interest in attaching those docs to a reminder.

Other findings can be found above in the Google doc link.

Participant Interviews - Other similarities and findings

User Quote

A User Quote was established from one of our participants, a teacher, to help formulate an understanding that described the users at their core. This effort was made to assist the client, ReminderX, in the beginning to relate emotionally to their user base. Understanding the core of the users and what they believe, we believe, will assist a ReminderX to develop features in their application that will resonate deeply, build trust, and value.

The Vision Statement

A Design Metaphor was used with the client to help them see the larger vision of what was possible.

"Like airplanes transport passengers from across the globe to HUBS, so to will ReminderX’s application act as a data and organizational HUB for users. No longer do you need to open and access three or more native apps for organization. To-Do-Reminder will act as a HUB Spot for all entries both in and out iPhone Native applications such as Calendar, messages, Notes, & Reminders."

The Design Tenets

Organization should be FREE

The use of our platform should cost you nothing to download and nothing to use.

Integration with other platforms instills confidence
Our goal is to ultimately integrate with other organizational software platforms to deepen the trust of our users and broaden our connection to new users with existing habits on other platforms.

Feedback is our friend

As software developers and designers we are always looking for user-based feedback to ultimately build a far better experience for everybody utilizing our product. providing that feedback mechanism for users as one of our number one concern. Additionally, offering feedback to our users as part of the experience and she'll to also be a high priority even when the feedback is negative.

Safety, trust, and security are our primary focus with users information

Our users have consistently mentioned trust is important to them. Assisting our users to enable trusted us with their personal information and offering bulletproof privacy is at the core of our product architecture. Enabling this kind of trust with, minimal requirements and constraints on the user, is something we strive to improve upon

Magic is possible, We like to make people say wow!

Magic is special. We want our users to say we had everything we built. Power wow factor is our bar that we set for ourselves.

Organization is for everybody

Everybody no matter what age or nationality should have access to and the ability to understand and use our applications. This means solving Localization.

Remembering deepens relationships

We are in the business of remembering. Expanding on the different ways people can be reminded of things that are important to them whether personal or business is at the core of our product. Cross platform and multi device features and functionality are what make us tick!

The Design Tenets

Our current plan was to collect user information from a small sample of existing users to utilize the platform. We formed a Target profile and from that Target profile found participants. Our four participants all used mobile devices specifically iPhones. Several of our users in fact fell into our Target person at age bracket of 60 years old and older.

Our Target Persona

A target persona was developed that encompasses a general feel for the majority of the existing user base the To-Do-Reminds application currently services. Additionally our target persona focus is also on the sample audience a participants we interviewed.

The Results

A series of hand developed wire frames were constructed specifically for user interviews and final hand wire frames were crafted to assist the client in a co-creations manor.

Initial Design hand wireframes examples

A series of hand developed wire frames were constructed specifically for user interviews and final hand wire frames were crafted to assist the client in a co-creation manor. Participants that were interviewed were given the opportunity to fold the paper mock up in their hand and act as if they were utilizing a real mobile app on their device. This implied interaction experience allowed us to iterate very quickly with participants during interviews on a

Final design ideation - Hand wireframes

A series of hand developed final wireframes were constructed specifically for ongoing user feedback and client engagement presentations. These were crafted to assist the client in a “co-creation manner” as well as to simulate real world ideation and visually see the process we had traveled with the sample participants. Participants were given the opportunity to continue to use the final designs and offer suggestion. The wires were presented in a more “flat layout” so as to see the "entire experience", it's feature impacts, and working functional notes.

Sync with native apps phase

Main and sub pages

Subpage navigation solution

Recieve a reminder UX

User feedback loop

Main and subpage simplicity

During interviews with participants, it was noted that the simplicity of the product design and the familiarity from sub page plus a page in terms of the layout structure was received very positively. Due to this discovery further simplification was approach and the product design pages. For instance, the crate last and set date pages are identical. The differentiator is the use of color on the two pages and with the corresponding entry is generated from those pages on the ""view all" screen shown below. Color is used as a means of organization a crossed the product. If a user generates a list the list entry will show up in purple for instance. And the view wall section under lists all entries will be utilizing purple as an organizational tool.

Subpage use of tabs to organize lists, dates, and reminders

Shown below, the use of tabs with in the construct of a single page to organize list, dates, and reminders set within the system. Additionally, color differentiation shown and gray variances are used to assess the user and quick visual recall. Grays are used due to wireframe in however real product solutions would include colors similar to colors used on the existing product, for instance, blue, yellow, red, and green.

Lessons Learned

Many powerful and insightful lessons were captured in this project. Our participant's ideas and creativity allowed us to co design solutions with them based on our formative studies and feedback. The desires of the Target Persona were quite demanding on the application design in terms of the kinds of features surfaced during interviews. These new ideas could be powerful but also potentially time consuming should they be developed.

With that said, in our design revisions and wireframing phase we presented these ideas back to the user. A lot of Joy and surprise was experienced during the reception of the presentations. Many participants were surprised that we had incorporated their ideas. We also discovered that a feedback mechanism and feedback loop from the company to the user help to build value, trust, and an ongoing idea stream for the company to continue to ideate on new features and functionality was particularly valued by both the client and the user.

The Design Metaphor of the “airport HUB” being the app that spoke to all native apps as a means to input and “Control” all reminders, was a powerful selling point a toll for getting all parties on board to the production required. Additionally, Partnerships with third-party companies such as, Microsoft Outlook, where inspirational outcomes of the design ideation sessions with the client.

The User feedback solution was quite invaluable. Many users spoke to the fact that value and Trust were Paramount in their decision making in terms of how to utilize a platform that's not native with their iPhone applications. All participants mentioned during interviews that they were not willing to give up their native apps. This massive learning challenged us to look at the business model and construct a Vision Statement Design Metaphor for the client that would help them to see value outside of their existing business model. These formative interviews generated many of our forward-looking viewpoints for future Sprints for the company. We feel as though ReminderX will have their hands full in the coming 12 months with features that will deliver considerable value to the user and open a chain of communication for new ideas to come.

Hand Wireframeing phase

Digital Wireframing in Sketch 3 - The Sync Phase

Now that the hand rendering and wires are complete we can move on to digitial wires. Show are the beginning of the digital UX process still in a rough format and using some Lorum ipsum instead of real content.

Hi fidelity UX and UI Wireframing in Sketch 3 - The Sync Phase

Now that the Basic approach digitally has been accomplished in Sketch we can move on to establishing our final user interface as well as wireframe functionality details all laid out in the appropriate position within the wireframe.

Creative Direction

Concept campaign and copywriting.