Calenday App
Springboard UX Design Capstone Project
This project was to obtain my UX Design Certification at Springboard. We had to identify a problem and go through each of the steps of the UX design process – from research to a fully designed product mockup – to create an app that solves the problem of our choice.
Calenday is an app that helps users get their schedules organized and plan events on a single, centralized, and social platform. Please read on to view highlights of my process creating this app.
The Problem
What Problem Does Calenday Help Solve?
A common problem I have found with myself and many others around me is the struggle of time management. It feels like there is so much to do in a single day and not enough time to do it. People use many different methods to try and keep themselves organized. They may use post-it notes, a planner, an online calendar, or maybe a mix of all of the above. Then there are those that attempt to just remember everything and hope they can keep track.
When one is trying to balance all the different tools (or lack there of) for scheduling alongside a busy schedule, it's easy for chaos to ensue.
User Research
Understanding How this Problem Affects People
In order to get a better understanding of this problem and a potential solution, I held interviews with 3 individuals. Each person provided valuable information on what their schedule is like and how they work to keep themselves on track.
Equipped with the information I gained from the user interviews, I continued conducting research by putting together a survey to dive deeper into the needs and priorities of potential users. 21 people responded to the survey.
Overall, the research conducted provided me with a deeper understanding of the scheduling and event planning trends of others. It verified the problem at hand and provided me a greater idea of how to structure a potential solution and who would benefit from it most.
Details of my research process and analysis can be provided upon request.
Personas & Empathy Maps
Who is the Target Market?
The next step was to identify the user personas that would likely use my solution as well as the thoughts, priorities, and concerns each user would have. Below are the Persona Profiles of the 3 personas I identified following my research.
User Stories & MVP Features
Based on my research and personas, I identified features of my app that would benefit my users. I created a total of 20 user stories and identified the importance of every story for each of the personas. From there I was able to put together a list of features that would belong on a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) for my app.
Card Sorting
With the picture of my app getting clearer and clearer in my head, it was time to dive into the information architecture. To begin my Card Sort exercise, I chose 3 participants based on the three personas that I had created. Equipped with items from the user stories as well as additional items I was able to identify, the users were ready to sort.
Sitemap
Based on the information gathered from the Card Sort, I was able to craft the sitemap for my app. The categories in the Card Sort showed that users prioritized their Calendars, Events, and Friends. The sitemap was built with this in mind.
User Flows
Once my sitemap was created and I could visualize how my app would be structured, I next had to consider how my users would interact with this structure. I identified 3 tasks that a user would complete while using the app that aligned to the priorities I identified earlier and created a user flow for each one.
Additional details about the components above are available upon request. This includes: User Stories table, MVP features, Cart Sort/Similarity Matrix, sitemap, and user flow diagrams.
Hi-Fidelity Wireframes & Prototype
Bringing it All Together
I began by sketching out low fidelity wireframes by hand. I then moved on to creating a high fidelity version digitally using Adobe XD. Once this was done, I set up the interactions between screens and crafted my prototype. I used this prototype for Usability Testing.
Would you like to try the prototype for yourself? Do so here:
Try the PrototypeVisual Design
The Grand Finale
And so, I reached the last step in my app design process. I decided to call my app Calenday and created a logo for it. Following this I created a style guide identifying a color palette and choosing my fonts. Finally, I laid out the app based on this guide.
Update: This project was initially completed in 2019. I revisited it in 2022 and improved on the final product to better reflect my design abilities as they are today. I have replaced the original final product with my updated redesign below.
Conclusion
And What a Journey it Was
Overall, this was an exciting experience start to finish and I learned a tremendous amount through the process. Based on the comfort my users had interacting with my prototype, and the data I have gathered of user need for scheduling and planning apps, I believe my app would obtain a high level of interest if it were to be produced. I developed it with the original problem, and more importantly, the user, in mind. Thus the app is optimized in its capacity to solve said problem and in a user-friendly and engaging way.
Thank you for taking the time to view my journey. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like additional information.
