What is Seaker?
We've all heard people say something like "Oh, none of my friends do that" and they currently don't get to do this activity very much, though it's obvious that they're interested. Seaker is a social activity app organized by areas of interest. Using Seaker, one might find completely new friends to practice circus arts, train for ultramarathon, or to play the card game, euchre!
Initial design focus - How can we help people in Seattle find friends with similar interests for social activities?
Goal - Create an iOS mobile app that allows its users to search and organize social gatherings for people who share rare and similar interests. Prioritize lowering the threshold from virtual interaction to real world activity and provide transparency throughout the process My role - Discovery research through interviews and market analysis, personas, sketching, wireframing and high-fidelity interactive prototypes, conduct online usability testing and presenting findings at an international conference Tools used - Axure, UXPin, Adobe Illustrator Stakeholders involved - UX Designer, Visual Designer |
Potential user Groups
- People who are seeking other unknown people for social activities - Ex: Students, Working Professionals and Homemakers etc.
- Third Party Authentication Applications - Ex. Facebook and Google.
- Background Check Company
- Event Hosting Companies
Identifying the problem and users... Research & Analysis
Research methods used:
- Competitive analysis - Online survey - User interviews Analysis methods used: - Customer profiling and SWOT analysis - Affinity diagramming Insights obtained: - Most of the existing applications did not provide security which may or may not impact user trust. - Most applications provide a broad range of activities, but fail to communicate through a clear UI. - Almost 90% of respondents confirmed that they would do activities more if they had an easier way to connect with people. - Online chat and Email are top 2 modes of communication people would like to use for contacting people. |
Change in design problem - “How can we provide Seattleites a credible and trustworthy way to find friends with similar interests for social activities?”
Transitioning from research to design... Personas & Scenarios
Evoking and projecting the app style - Moodboards
Sketching our ideas
Most of the activities and application features were captured through the following sketches.
Creating user conversations through Interactive Prototyping
Based on the feedback received from clients and peers, my team and I proceeded with creating an interactive prototype using the online prototyping tool called UXPin.com. This interaction was meant to capture a single user flow, covering a range of user tasks. The rationale behind conceptualizing these interactions:
- Provide improved security options for users to choose from
- Help users select and customize their activity preferences for individual and group events
- Ensure easy navigation
- Connect with people without leaving the application
Usability Testing
To evaluate the effectiveness and usability of Seaker, we tested it remotely using UXpin.com. After a brief introduction to the concept and purpose of the app users were presented with a list of tasks that they had to run through.
Each participant provided feedback for every design/ functionality issue they encountered. On this basis of their comments, I created a usability test report and formulated recommendations and possible opportunities for improvement. A detailed version of the report can be found below.
Seaker's Usability Test Report
As part of the next phase, we created a design specification document to set a criteria for the future of the project.
Seaker's Design Specification Document
Each participant provided feedback for every design/ functionality issue they encountered. On this basis of their comments, I created a usability test report and formulated recommendations and possible opportunities for improvement. A detailed version of the report can be found below.
Seaker's Usability Test Report
As part of the next phase, we created a design specification document to set a criteria for the future of the project.
Seaker's Design Specification Document
Taking the idea to the next level
Participated in the ConveyUX 2016 - Project Showcase event and presented about the motivation, research and design process of Seaker.