Redesigning an app made as a school project using UX research, testing, wireframing, and prototyping skills learned in class.
Figma, Maze
Personal Project
I took a UX Research and Design Class in the Spring of 2020. The final project was to create an app using all of the skills learned in the class, from the beginning stages of researching and doing interviews, to making wireframes, user testing, and finally a working prototype. This project coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the switch from in person to online schooling, and while the version I submitted was good, I knew it could improve. 5 months later and with more design experience, I took on redesigning this project.
I began my project by brainstorming. I had many ideas that were narrowed down to the following three:
I chose the first option as it seems like something that doesn't yet exist but could be useful.
The next step of my process was to look into competitors and to figure out what kind of user I was catering to. I looked at Giftagram and Gyphto, which both had elements I really liked.
Giftagram had a wide range of categories, but it did seem like it was for an older audience. Gyphto had more of a social element to it, and I really liked its design and usability.
This helped me decide what kind of person I wanted using my app, and I created a user persona reflecting that.
At first, my vision for this app was that it would have a lot of customization features and even assist with selecting gifts using a personality quiz. In the next stage a lot of that was cut down to save on time.
The user flow mapped out the Signup, Login, Event Calendar, Add Gift, Dashboard, and User Profile sequences that I would be creating in my wireframes.
Due to time constraints, I jumped right into Figma to start designing and prototyping. I included a lot of gradients, and limited the color palette to mostly white, mint, and blue. I looked at other apps I used and at Dribbble for inspiration while creating it. The process was very quick, which is why I wanted to return to this idea to spend more time on it. Looking back on it after many months, it is easier to see that a lot of elements were included mostly to be visually appealing instead of functional, and that was something I tried to work on in the redesign.