A breakdown of the Process
- Really Start to think of the user experience
> have this in the centre
> emotion / passion / experience etc can enhance the message you wish to communicate
- Identify problematic / negative experiences
> have this inform the design
- For web design, research can include...
> page impressions - a request to load a single page of an internet site (the number of visits to that page)
> Unique users - the number of individual users to a site over a defined period, often a month
> User flows - a diagram showing a user's journey, used to show most likely user experience
> Personas - fictitious characters that are created to represent user types
> Use cases - a description of a system's behaviour as it responds to a request
- One-on-One - person to person interviews with specific questions asked by the interviewer to gain a specific understanding of their behaviour/thoughts associated with a service or product
- Focus Groups - a form of qualitative research, a group asked thoughts on a product, service or concept
- SWOT analysis
- Questionnaires
- Marketing Segmentation - groups of people or organisation sharing one or more characteristic that causes similar product needs
Gather info from as many of these techniques as possible, this data will then inform each design decision made.
Identify WHO
Every user interface should be designed for a specific target audience
Individuals:
what is the age range ? 13 - 34 year olds
will your interface appeal more to men or women ? typically, fashion apps and websites are predominantly aimed at females, however there has definitely been a growth in men's fashion online and so the market for both genders is worth targeting.
is your interface specific to a country ? To start with, the app will be specific to the UK as the availability and postage of clothes in other countries could need come consideration.
is the target audience based in urban or rural areas ? statistically, people who live in major cities are more likely to be fashion conscious which would mean this app and website would be aimed at them. As well as this however, the app will also target people who don't live close to high street shops and brands. The app would be a way for them to stay in touch with the industry without making the journey to the nearest town or city.
what is the average income of the target audience ? Younger audiences tend to have lower incomes, however students these days are given quite a bit of disposable income and are very likely to spend a bit of this on clothes.
what is their occupation ? school students, college & uni students and people with their first / second jobs.
what devices do they use ? smartphones, tablets and laptops
Invent some fictional visitors from your typical target audience...
Then Identify WHY
Why are/would the users visit your interface. what is the specific reason the target audience would engage with your interface
Motivation:
Are the users looking for general information or do they need something to achieve a specific goal ? A specific goal to find out about and possibly buy new clothes
If there is a specific goal is it personal or professional ? A purely personal, leisurely goal
Is spending time on the interface seen as essential or a luxury ? a luxury experience that is only used when the user has some free time. should not be used in say a work place or when driving.
Goals:
Do they want general information / research or are they after something specific such as a fact or product ? the users are looking specifically for fashion content; clothes to buy, release dates, shop updates, stock alerts etc
Are they familiar with the service or product or do they need to be introduced to it ? As I am designing the app for an existing website, the user will be familiar with the name, industry etc however there will be a few features that will need to be introduced to the user when they first use it. A tutorial will be put in place to help.
Are they looking for time sensitive information, such as news or updates on a topic ? users will want to be shown whats newly released, up to date, stuff they haven't seen before and might not have without the app.
And lastly WHAT
What information do the users need and in what order to achieve their goals quickly and effectively ? The users will primarily want the app to suggest clothes to buy, favourite label releases and inspiration. After this, the user will then want to make use of other features such as what their friends, idols etc are wearing / sharing.
Will users be familiar with the subject or brand or do they need to be introduced to it ? The app will work with an existing fashion and lifestyle blog/magazine/website so the user will already be familiar with the name. The user will just be introduced to the features of the app.
What are the most important features of the service ? finding new/unseen fashion items that would interest the user based on their likes and dislikes. The secondary function is the social media side of things, seeing what people are sharing / wearing etc.
What is special about what this offers that differentiates it from competitors ? The app knows almost everything there is to know about you, your likes and dislikes, your favourite labels, idols, physical stature, any sub cultures. It is also paired with the users selected music library to give each user a personal experience. It also lets you see what your friends and idols are wearing and sharing. The app will also have a built in voice (like siri) emulating a show keeper you'd would get in a real shop, this voice would welcome you into the app and then try to help you with any query or question.
How often will people engage with your interface ? The aim is for the app to have enough features and uses that the user will want to use it on a daily basis. Social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram and snapchat are used on a daily basis, multiple times. The social media aspect of this app will give the user enough to engage with to use just as often. What will make the user engage with it more often is the fact that the more they use it, the more the app learns about them and their fashion interests.
Solution
The results from the Idea Phase, along with the brief and the research data, are compiled to create a clear design direction...
Lo Fi
- This could be a sketch of the page-types, wireframes, or an HTML prototype.
- The point is to get something sketched out, in as complete a state as possible, and begin to solve those problems as they arise
- Do it quickly and cheaply
Test and Iterate
- Testing can be done formally or with colleagues, friends or family
- The point is to get a real person using the product
Design Comps
- Design visuals are in this phase
- They focus on elements such as brand, colour & typography
- They must all coincide with the informed functions and features
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