Designing an app as fun as the event
(｡•́‿•̀｡) Mobile App Design
—Tools:
Figma
Miro
Google Surveys
Photoshop
—My Contributions:
Research
Prototyping
User Testing
—Team:
4 UX Designers
—The Summary
If you have ever downloaded an app for an event, it is likely you have found little to no use for it. My team wanted to change that. So, we chose to design an app for Anime Expo!
Through research, we found that users main struggle at Anime Expo was navigation, along with difficulty finding updates and hassle of a physical badge. So, the new design addressed these problems.
This was a project for school, and not associated with the official Anime Expo.
—The Problem
Post-COVID, there was immense excitement for live events. This created an opportunity to reimagine event-going experience through an improved mobile application.
How might we leverage digital solutions for long-standing problems Anime Expo attendees face?
—The Process
—The Research
Due to our broad problem, our research started broad to increase our clarity on problems users face. We created a list of assumptions and conducted user interviews to verify them. Here’s what we learned:
—The Visuals
The app is simple but playful. Our theme pays homage to the art style that started it all — manga. For type, bold Anime Ace is used in manga speech bubbles, balanced with straight-forward Poppins.
—The Sketches
—The Features
An app with 4 main features addressing users’ pain points found through research. Navigation was the focal point, in addition to live updates, online reservation, and a digital badge.
#1: A centralized dashboard with live updates and a digital badge
Why? Users wanted a reliable source for updates that were not scattered across platforms, and physical badges were a hassle.
#2: A schedule builder to optimize their experience & RSVP for events
Why? Users got frustrated when they failed to get a spot after standing in long lines, even though they didn’t mind lines.
#3: Focus on navigation offering two types of map: 2D & AR
Why? The foremost concern event-goers had was getting lost at the event due to lack of navigation tools inside the event.
—The Testing
User tests during mid-fidelity and high-fidelity phases were conducted to guide our design decisions. We assigned users with following tasks:
One of the biggest changes guided by testing was the dashboard. The original assumption that a customizable dashboard would help users was proven wrong, as users wanted to spend minimal time on the app.
