Understanding the problem and researching the users

• The Founders, Jenny and Jess were recent MBA grads and approached me with an idea to provide a solution to the process of buying and selling clothes easily within a community.

• I researched and learned about the target audience, value proposition, and pain points to help develop the user goals and flow for the mobile app. 

Main user: Angelina Quach

Angelina is a 4th year biology student at Cal Poly and one of our users. In addition to her studies, she works long hours at a local restaurant every day. However, she is still barely able to pay off her rent each month. To make some additional cash, she began selling some of her unused items in her closet through a facebook group, and when she needs a new outfit, she reaches out to her peers in the facebook group before buying from the store.

User map

In collaboration with the founders, I created a user map to define an initial set of screens to create an MVP

I used the user map to create the screens needed to demonstrate the app value in a start up pitch, then for the developers to build the app once we received funding. 

MVP

The MVP app was created and used for testing with an initial set of users.
I mocked up a rough demo with After Effects to give developers an idea of each interaction as well as defining the overall story we wanted to tell.

User testing

After we had a working MVP developed, we interviewed students at Cal Poly, where we went to school, as well as people in the local community that fit our target audience. We observed them completing buying and selling tasks within the app and gathered feedback for improvement in our Beta app

Based on the feedback, some of the changes I made were:

• Updates to branding, many didn’t understand the goals of the app from the logo

• Added the ability to add multiple images

• Editting iconography and colors to be consistent with the overall look and feel

• Quick onboarding to ensure users understood what happened when swiping left or right

Rebranding

The first logo did not resonate with the users we interviewed, many commenting that it wasn’t clear what the app was about. After gathering this feedback and reorienting myself with the purpose and goals of TwentySeven, I explored some more options. After a couple of rounds of ideation with the team, I refined the logo and defined a new brand styleguide.

Beta app design

Based on the brand styles, I developed the look and feel of the app, working closely with the developers to implement and with the founders to ensure the graphics aligned with the vision

Onboarding

We added onboarding illustrations to help users understand the app quickly.

Demo

The app was presented at San Luis Obispo's Demo Day, the culmination of the three month accelerated program at the SLO Hothouse. 

Reflection

What I learned

• How to communicate with both front-end and backend developers

• Utilize user stories, user maps, and wireframes to make sure an entire team is aware of the app structure and can provide feedback

• Understanding a target audience’s painpoints

• How to create a product that provides measurable business value

What I would change

• Test early with clickable prototypes to gain more insightful feedback before building the prototype with development resources

• I would refine some of the app designs, some iconography and typography can have higher contrast and more refinements in padding/margins

• Involve more designers — being the sole designer responsible for both marketing graphics and user experience was difficult and could have yielded better, more refined results with more than one designer