Responsibilities
UX Research
User Personas and Flows
Wireframes
Style Guide
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Final Mockups
Tools
Adobe XD
Adobe Photoshop
Usability Hub
Optimal Sort
Procreate
Challenge
Users need a way to get help from experts so they can successfully learn how to fix an issue they are experiencing.
Solution
To address users' needs, Expert provides face-to-face advice via video calls with a trusted professional through an intuitive and user-friendly app. Users can choose between a wide range of experts from various categories, guaranteeing that they will find the right professional for their needs.
Competitive Analysis
I completed a SWOT analysis on two similar apps already on the market, Intro and ProTalk, to understand my app’s competition. These analyses helped me to identify the ways I can make my app stand out, as well as understand what features to change or avoid.
Surveys
To begin my research, I surveyed 27 people from varying backgrounds. This survey gave me an idea of what kind of experience potential users have with similar services, what features matter most to users, and what fields of expertise are most important to include with Expert. Below are the most significant results of the survey, as well as the key observations I gathered from the participants' answers.
What is your age range?
Due to the majority of survey participants being between 46-55 years old or 18-25 years old, I know that the results of the survey are dominated by those age ranges. Though this shows that my survey sample is not balanced, knowing the top age ranges is valuable in understanding how the data gathered has been influenced by those demographics.
How often do you need assistance from a person with expert experience in a certain field?
With the majority of those surveyed needing professional advice at least once a week, this data tells me there is a consistent need for an app like Expert. Looking at these results, I know that there is a high probability of returning users. This can be made higher depending on how user-friendly and intuitive Expert is designed.
What categories would be most relevant for you to get help with?
These results provide a guide for knowing what categories are essential to include in Expert and will act as the basis for choosing other topics to be included in Expert.
What features are most important to you in an app?
The responses to this question show what features are most important in any app participants use, which means these features are critical for Expert to incorporate.
Interviews
After analyzing the results from the survey, I conducted 3 interviews to gain an awareness of users' needs when it comes to an app like Expert. The ages of participants in these interviews ranged from 20 to 56 years old, each coming from a different background. The diversity of my participants helped me widen the scope of my research. I used affinity mapping to help organize the answers I received from these interviews, and this helped me to determine key insights into the needs of potential users.
What is your age range?
Due to the majority of survey participants being between 46-55 years old or 18-25 years old, I know that the results of the survey are dominated by those age ranges. Though this shows that my survey sample is not balanced, knowing the top age ranges is valuable in understanding how the data gathered has been influenced by those demographics.
How often do you need assistance from a person with expert experience in a certain field?
With the majority of those surveyed needing professional advice at least once a week, this data tells me there is a consistent need for an app like Expert. Looking at these results, I know that there is a high probability of returning users. This can be made higher depending on how user-friendly and intuitive Expert is designed.
What categories would be most relevant for you to get help with?
These results provide a guide for knowing what categories are essential to include in Expert and will act as the basis for choosing other topics to be included in Expert.
What features are most important to you in an app?
The responses to this question show what features are most important in any app participants use, which means these features are critical for Expert to incorporate.
User Persona, Journey, and Flow
The information I gathered during my research helped me create a user persona, Olivia, who represents a younger community whose goals are geared toward learning rather than quick fixes.
To further understand her needs, I created user journey maps for my personas. This process primarily helped me identify the emotions and pain points that Olivia encountered. Using a journey map as a visual timeline of her experience showed me what factors needed to be a priority in the continuation of Expert’s evolution.
I created a user flow to get a better idea of how a potential user would interact with the app based on this persona. This also helped to identify any pain points or potential confusion.
Information Architecture
After identifying a persona, I had a group of 5 participants complete a card sort. The results of this study helped to heavily influence the structure of Expert, as it was a direct reflection of the most user-friendly way Expert could be organized. Based on the outcome of the card sort, I created Expert’s site map.
Wireframes
I sketched out low-fidelity wireframes to conceptualize Expert. These basic sketches provided the framework for future iterations.
After the low-fidelity wireframes were sketched, I created mid-fidelity wireframes to continue the development of Expert. The designs remained relatively the same as the initial sketches, with a few changes to improve functionality that I discovered as I was creating these wireframes.
Usability Testing
After creating high-fidelity wireframes, I chose to do moderated usability testing with 2 volunteers participating in person and 3 participating over Zoom. The ages of the participants ranged from 20-56 years old in order to establish a wider range of opinions than if I had used participants within the same demographic to take part in the testing.
This helped me to learn which parts of Expert were working well, and which parts were not. Though participants did not have many issues navigating through the prototype, the feedback I received was helpful in determining what changes I needed to make to improve Expert to make it more accessible and as uncomplicated as possible.
Final Mockups
The finalized screens for Expert!
Concluding Thoughts
Expert was my second project during my time as a student, and my first project working through the entire UX process. If I were to continue developing Expert, I would like to add a messaging feature so that users can talk with an Expert before booking an appointment, as well as giving users the ability to ask follow-up questions. I am happy with the final product overall, and I believe this is a good indication of the way I have learned to approach UX design.
