Application Design I - Task 1: Mobile Application Proposal
Zhao GuanMei | 0363166 🎀
Application Design| Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative
Media
Task 1 : Mobile Application Proposal
INDEX 🧸
Lectures
Lecture 1: Introduction to Mobile Application Design
Lecture 2: The Art of User-Centered Design
Lecture 3: Usability: Designing Products for User Satisfaction
Task 1: Mobile Application Proposal
Research
Proposal Drafting
Presentation
Final Mobile Application Proposal
Feedbacks
Reflections
Further Reading
INSTRUCTION 🪩
Small Recap:
This assignment required us to create a proposal documentation
for the mobile application project,
We need to conduct surveys, interviews, market studies, and
research on the selected topic. Redesign an existing app that we
find unsatisfactory in terms of user experience or interface
design, and submit it for preliminary approval by the module
coordinator.
LECTURES 📃
Lecture 1: Introduction to Mobile Application Design
Effective mobile app design is vital for seamless user experiences,
improved performance, and standing out in the market. Investing in
quality design upfront saves time and resources, enhances engagement
and retention, and ensures long-term viability by prioritizing user
needs.
Understanding Usability
- Defining Usability - learnability,efficiency, memorability, and user satisfaction.
- Applying Usability Principles - navigation, information architecture, and visual hierarchy.
- Conducting Usability Testing - gathering feedback, and iterating on the design basedon identified pain points.
- Developing Practical Skills - developing proficiency in design tools, prototyping techniques, and user research methodologies.
Importance of Mobile in the Digital Era
- Ubiquity of Smartphones
- Shift in User Behavior
- Mobile-First Approach
- Competitive Advantage
Designing for Mobile: Embracing the Unique Challenges
- Limited Screen Real Estate - requires prioritizing content due to limited screen space.
- Diverse Device Capabilities -applications need to be compatible across various devices, screen sizes, and input methods.
- Contextual Awareness - Designers must consider contextual factors such as location and connectivity for optimal user experience.
Benefits of User-Centered Design
- Increased User Satisfaction
- Improved Product Adoption
- Reduced Development Costs
- Enhanced Brand Reputation
User-Centered Design (UCD)
The user-centered design approach focuses on deeply understanding the
target users and their needs.
1 Research - The UCD process begins with in-depth user
research, gathering insights into their needs, behaviors, and pain
points.
2 Design- Begin with creating wireframes,
prototypes, and mockups that address the identified user needs. This
iterative design phase involves continuous refinement and feedback
gathering.
3 Evaluation - Usability testing and user feedback are crucial
in the UCD process, as they help validate design decisions and
identify areas for improvement.
Prototyping and Testing:
- Lo-fi (Low Fidelity)Prototypes: Begin with quick, low-fidelity prototypes to explore design concepts and get early user feedback.
- 2. Interactive Prototype: Progress to more sophisticated, interactive prototypes,can use tools such as InVision / Adobe XD.
- 3. Iterative Testing: Continuously test prototype with real users to refine the design.
Designing for small screens involves optimizing layout, implementing
intuitive navigation, leveraging tactile interactions, establishing
visual hierarchy, and incorporating gestures and interactions like
tapping, swiping, pinching, and dragging for seamless user
experiences on mobile devices.
Optimizing for Performance
- Minimize app size by compressing assets and using vector graphics where possible.
- Implement caching and lazy loading to only load content when needed, reducing initial load times.
- Optimize network requests by batching, compressing, and only fetching the data required for each screen.
Lecture 2: The Art of User-Centered Design
User-centric design prioritizes users throughout the product
development process, integrating their needs into every design stage
from conception to the final product.
Lecture 3: Usability: Designing Products for User Satisfaction
Task 1: Mobile Application Proposal
The pioneer step involves researching various applications. Choose
three company apps that we believe could benefit from enhancements in
their design. The objective is to identify all existing drawbacks and
propose potential solutions.
Requires:
Attached company information, capture screenshots of all pages on each
company application design and compile them onto individual slides.
For subsequent slides, focus on specific areas within the screenshots
that you believe could be improved on their user interface design and
user experience. Accompany each analysis with the rationale behind the
identified issues and propose suitable solutions.
Research
Initally, I do a research to learn some essential questions that can transform UI/UX design projects.
refference article :
Before creating a mobile app proposal, I consider the following questions:
1. What are the proposal goals and objectives?
2. Who is the target audience for the app? What are their demographics, preferences, and needs?
3. What sets this proposal apart from existing solutions?
4. How will the features address the needs of the target audience?
6. How will user feedback be collected and incorporated into the app's development?
Proposal Drafting
week 2
we are tasked with generating a concise report outlining our discoveries,
which will be showcased via slides and presented for feedback during Week
2.
At the beginning of the application selection, I chose the mobile
application that I am familiar with and have used. I believe that
analysing the familiar application will give me a deeper understanding
of the application, help me to identify and analyse its weakness, and
improve the design results.
Selected app:
1. H&M
2. TGV CINEMA
3. PADINI
In order to better understand the characteristics and comparison of
apps in the same category, I searched for similar mobile apps in apps
by searching the keywords "shopping" 🛍️ and "movies" 🎬.
Proposal Draft (week 2 30.4.2024)
Based on Mr. zeon's feedback, I began to think about how we could solve the problem of the type of technology, and read more user feedback and ratings to understand the problems they faced and analysis.
week 3
After receiving feedback from Mr. zeon, I chose H&M mobile application as the final project.
Research 1| What Is User Research, and What Is Its Purpose?
Purpose of User Research
- User research puts design projects into context by understanding users, their needs, and how they interact with products/services.
- It helps identify problems, validate assumptions, find patterns, and ensure user-centric design.
Planning User Research
- A mix of qualitative and quantitative data is necessary to avoid issues from the value-action gap.
- Observation of users' actions is crucial for unbiased insights.
- Empathy and open-mindedness are essential for effective user research.
Different User Research Methods
- Qualitative methods such as interviews, field studies, in-lab testing.
- Quantitative methods include user surveys, first-click testing, eye tracking, web analytics, and A/B testing.
Research 2 | What is a competitive analysis & How to do it
What to Include in a Competitive Analysis
How to Do a Competitive Analysis
- Analyze the products, pricing, target audience, marketing tactics, differentiators, strengths, and weaknesses.
- Utilize competitive analysis tools like Semrush's Competitive Analysis Template for efficient organization of data.
- Regularly monitor competitors' activities and adapt strategies accordingly to stay competitive in the market.
week 4
Presentation
Presentation Proposal
Final Mobile Application Proposal
Category: Shopping/beauty
Application Name: H&M
Target Audience: young adults and adults who value fashion, affordability, and diversity.
Short Brief:
H&M Apparel is a Swedish multinational fashion company , with stores in many countries including Asia, Europe and the United States, and is known for its affordable products.
Final Mobile Application Proposal - PDF
Feedbacks
week 2 :
specific feedback :Need to think about technical problems that can be solved through ui design like loading pages, can check with international ratings and reviews
and analysis the users feedback , change some powerpoint layout.
week 3 :
The layout of the proposal should be clear, the title should be enlarged, and the weaknesses should be listed separately.
week 4 :
general feedback : Add solutions in proposal
under each weakness.
specific feedback : presentation louder and speed
management
Reflections
Experience : This project presented numerous learning opportunities.Through this task, I learned to understand user groups and user needs, understand users by watching software ratings and feedback, make comparative analysis, and learn how successful mobile software design can help users have a better shopping experience. This also requires me to observe and analyze very carefully, and find existing problems of the software through personal use. And give innovative and more helpful solutions for users.
After doing a lot of self-study research, I can better understand the purpose of a good proposal and how to have a good report and arrangement. I think this has also exercised my ability to present ideas. Thanks to Mr. Zeon for giving me feedback and helping me to make better improvements.
Observation : By observing details of mobile application, such as layout font hirachy,icons ,
the ratings and feedbackUnderstanding the target audience and incorporating their feedback leads to a more user-friendly and effective product. User-centric design should be a fundamental principle in any development project.
Findings : A comprehensive proposal acts as a roadmap, guiding each step of the development process. It’s essential to revisit and adjust the plan as needed. Good documentation practices not only help in keeping the project organized but also make it easier to revisit and update the app in the future.
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