Project 1 : Mobile Application Proposal
26/9/2024 - 17/10/2024 / Week 1 - Week 4
Tee Jia Ern / 0348512
Application Design I / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
Project 1 : Mobile Application Proposal
LECTURES
Week 1Why Application Design is Important?
- Smooth user experience, increasing retention, engagement, and general consumer happiness.
- Intuitive navigation, responsive layouts.
Laying the Foundation: Understanding Usability
1. What usability is defined as
2. Putting usability principles into practice
3. Testing for usability
4. Acquiring useful abilities
Importance of mobile in the digital era
- Constant use of smartphones
- Change in the way that users behave
- Utilising mobile first
- An edge over competitors
Applying User-Centered Design (UCD)
1. Research
2. Design
3. Evaluation
Benefits of User-Centered Design
- Greater user contentment
- Enhanced acceptance of products
- Diminished development expenses
- Improved reputation of the brand
Prototyping and Testing
1. Lo-Fi Prototypes
2. Interactive Prototypes
3. Iterative Testing
Optimizing for Performance
- Reducing the size of the application, making use of caching and lazy loading strategies, and improving data transmission and network requests.
- Minimize load times, preserve battery life, and guarantee that your program works properly even on outdated or low-end devices.
Week 2: The Art of User Centered Design
- UCD is the general philosophy that considers the demands of the residents (users). It offers the structure and basis needed to develop a product that is both user-friendly and attractive to the eye.
- User experience (UX) design is concerned with how easy it is to move around the house and with its layout and room sizes. UX design expands on that basis by guaranteeing a seamless and effective exchange.
- UI design is about the interior finishes and aesthetics (visual perception and interaction). The user experience is graphically brought to life through UI design.
Empathy
The capacity to put oneself in another person's position and comprehend their viewpoint and experience.
Fig 1.1: UCD Process
Fig 1.2: User Experience
Week 3: Usability: Designing Products for User Satisfaction
Usability
- Effectiveness, efficiency, and user success when utilizing a design or product
- How well consumers are able to fulfil their objectives, how fast they pick it up and how many mistakes they make
- Focused on the context and demands of the user
- Clarity and learnability
- Efficiency and goal completion
Common Usability Pitfalls
- Complex interface
- Confusing navigation
- Lack of calls to action
- Inadequate error handling
Key Principle of
Usability
1. Consistency
- Consistent = User-Friendly
- Cohesive Experience
- Intuitive Navigation
- Familiarity and Learnability
- Stronger Brand Identity
2. Simplicity
- Effortless to Use
- Crystal Clear Communication
3. Visibility
- Clarity and Hierarchy
- Focus and Attention
a. State Changes
b. Call to Action (CTA) Design
c. Well-placed icons, menus, and clear labelling
4. Feedback
- Confirmation and Clarity
- Guidance and Learning
5. Error Prevention
- Reduced Frustration
- Increased Efficiency
- Improved Accuracy
a. Input Validation
b. Clear Feedback
c. Confirmation Steps
Usability Heuristics
INSTRUCTIONS
Project 1: Mobile Application Proposal Draft
I decided to go with these 3 apps:
1. Lotus's
2. Aeon
3. Watson
In week 1, we were tasked to create a draft of the mobile application proposal. We are working to identify 3 apps and work on finding the weakness of each app. When I saw the Lotus's app, I saw a lot of places it could improve on in terms of the UI/UX. I decided I want to find competitors that are similar type such as groceries or health care products.
I had an earlier draft that wants to do social media apps like Quora, Twitter and Instagram. But they do not have inadequate UI/UX design. The apps are well designed and stand the test of time. So I decided to explore other app categories. I came across shopping mall apps and I decided that could be the category I want to focus on.
Fig: 2.1: Lotus's App Current Design
Fig: 2.2: Lotus's App Current Design 2
Project 1: Mobile Application Proposal
Final proposed app: Lotus's
The lecturer has split the content into five categories:
1. Introduction
2. Background and Context
3. Goals and Objectives
4. User Research
5. References
I then did extensive research on the choice of app that is Lotus's. My first draft I mistaken app features rather than UI/UX design flaw. After consulting the lecturer, I was given advice to use the Week 3 slide as reference on the usability analysis of the app. We were tasked to pinpoint 6 weaknesses and solutions to the UI/UX chosen app interface. I followed the usability guidelines to aid me in this task.
FEEDBACK
Week 2General Feedback: Make sure the points are related to app we are researching on.
Specific Feedback: The presented points are not related to UI/UX. It is important to recognize what points are categorized as UI/UX.
Week 3
General Feedback: Highlight the reviews for easier viewing.
Specific Feedback: Make sure the title is correct. Combine the weakness and solutions into one page.
Week 4
General Feedback: Write the summary of the app reviews screenshot.
Specific Feedback: Add screenshots of competitive analysis, compare the chosen app and one competitor similar tab.
REFLECTION
Experience: It was difficult finding an app that has weak UI/UX because most of the apps available in the app store are already well designed. Plus there is no filter to find a lower rating app. The recommended apps are mostly higher reviewed apps which makes sense considering the app store want the user to have the best experience.
Observations: I had to reference the week 3 app usability and use the points as guidelines to my analysis of the weakness of the app. I found there are multiple weakness in the home page that are mentioned in the usability slide.
Findings: I learned about UI/UX in app design. Usability is essential in a smooth experience of app using and keeps the user engaged in the experience increasing retention time.
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