OBJECTIVE

A bucket list application that connects people with similar goals. Complete the design and build process within four weeks.

A BUCKET LIST

Everyone has an idea of a few things they would like to do before they “kick the bucket.” In this age of social media, people are more inspired by others of what is possible and see what the world has to offer. But the dreams and goals that we would love to achieve before we die are 80% less likely to happen if we don’t write them down.

It also is nice to have a helping hand- whether that hand is a partner or someone giving experienced advice. The world is our oyster and too many people’s dreams have expired for one reason or another. The purpose of the Goji bucket list app is to provide hope for people to reach their goals. The application hosts a networking community that inspires people to add new goals to their list and learn from and/or with other people how to best cross the goal off the list.

MY TEAM

3 User Experience designers
3 IOS developers

MY ROLE

Interviews and Research
Gather Data
Lo-Fi and Hi-Fi Wireframing
Interactive Prototyping
UI Design 

THE PROCESS

Identify the user
Find tasks to meet users goals
Establish usable task flow
Create common aesthetic
Test solution
Refine

IDENTIFYING AND EMPATHIZING THE USER

To kick off the design process, I created a survey based on common and uncommon assumptions. Based on the answers to the survey questions, I interviewed people in person to help pinpoint the user’s story and goals.
 

43 People were asked:
 

“What motivated you to accomplish what you had on your bucket list?”

Answers were sorted as:

By interviewing people in person (mostly street interviews) I found that most people who are in their mid 30s and older are uncomfortable and not willing to meet people from an app in person.

People who were in the age range late teens to thirties said that they were willing to meet people from an app.

Everyone said they would be willing to share their experienced advice to others whether it was on a large scale platform or a direct message.

UNDERSTANDING THE USER

The user is somebody who’s bucket list is something that is personal to them- and at times private. A bucket list isn’t something they want to have on a rating system of popularity (likes, comments, etc.). But teaming up and retrieving first hand knowledge is a great tool for cutting costs and saving time.

FINDING TASKS TO MEET THE USER'S GOALS

Through the story mapping process, I was able to find how the product could best meet the user's goals:

• See the world and meet new people from other places.
  
• Feel inspired and have hope in achieving bucket list goals.
  
• Be someone with a story to tell.

Via story mapping, I simplified the product into three main sections of navigation-

1) An inspirational feed that the user could explore before having to create an account. The user will also be able to search for bucket list goals in this section.
2) A messaging inbox for the users to connect with each other.
3) The Bucket List / Profile page

After story mapping with sticky notes, I created a site map that would portray hierarchy in the product.

By creating an inspiration feed, the user will be able to scroll through to feel inspired. It also motivates the user to add something to their list.

The user gains hope once they are able to see who has done this goal and view their advice. The user will also be able to view other people’s profiles to meet new people and broaden their network.

ESTABLISHING A USABLE TASK FLOW

Site map flow has three columns of navigation-

• Inspiration
• "My Bucket List"
• Messages
  

BASIC LO-FI SKETCHING AND WIREFRAMING

Pen and paper sketches

Sketches refined on iPad

Lo - Fi wireframes created in Sketch App

THE HIERARCHY AND EVOLUTION OF THE BUCKET LIST

A main goal was for users to connect with someone that shares a common bucket list goal - and feel comfortable doing so. It was necessary for a user to have a profile and I thought that it would be best if that profile was the user’s bucket list itself. So when a user was viewing someone’s profile / bucket list, I thought that it would be best for the user to view background information such as age, where they are from, and a short bio so the user would feel more comfortable reaching out and sending a message.

The actual bucket list page evolved the most as we didn’t want the bio/profile take away from the hierarchy of the Bucket list.

USER TESTING

Key points that user testing helped emphasize in the product

Customizing a bucket list / colored tabs when customizing a goal

• User testing showed that some people would prefer categories to organize their list. But page real estate was limited and adding a color to the tab seemed to communicate well between the user and the product.
  
• The user would also be able to organize their list by moving the tabs (goals) to be in the order they want each tab to appear.

Message icon on someone’s profile

• At some point in the design phase the message button on the other user’s profile became overlooked. Testing the prototype with with other people reminded us to put it back in.
  

Icons with labels underneath vs. no labels

• Even though Goji app has 3 buttons of navigation (“ideas page”, “messaging page”, and “my bucket list”). The “my bucket list” icon and “ideas page” icon are not as common. When users tested Goji without the labels under the icons they would be guessing where they were navigating and were unclear which icon meant what. The labeled icons also help define the product.

GOJI WALK THRU

OVER ALL..

I would say that the design was a success and I would be more than willing to make changes to the app if needed. I was fortunate to work and make friends with other awesome designers and developers. Our iOS devs had a few issues on their side and have not yet finished the product yet, but when it is done I can’t wait for people to download it from the app store to collaborate on bucket lists together.

my role:

user interviews, survey creation, data gathering, competetive analysis, persona creation, user story mapping, user site map, sketching, wireframing, low fidelity, high fidelity, style guide; UI, prototyping, user testing, logo. 

2018