Project
Senior chat app
Team
Shally
Caiwei Mao
Lu Houser
Role
User research
Wireframing
Prototyping
Duration
4 weeks
( December 2021)
01 Overview
Senior is a chat app, for seniors. We built the app to serve the needs of seniors, who often feel that apps are too complicated. Many other apps have too many features they feel are useless, while other, necessary features are not available. Our goal is to build a chat app for them.
Empathize
Servey
User interview
Define
Personas
Journey map
Ideate
Competitive analysis
User flow
Design
Wireframes
Visual design
Prototypes
Test
Usability Study
Affinity map
Implementing feedback
02 User Research
We conducted research, interviewed key users, and sent out a digital survey to gain an understanding of users’ pain points.
Survey
Other necessary features
2 (8.9%)
Too much features
4 (23.4%)
Hard to read
6 (32.8%)
Hard to see
8 (41.2%)
Complicated to use
10 (70%)
0 3 6 9 12 15
Survey results indicated that every respondent knew some seniors who had problems using their chat app.
User interview
I framed 10 questions for the one-on-one interviews. I conducted interviews of 10 people to understand their mindsets and intentions for communication platforms. I focused on challenges or difficulties they faced in the past, along with preferences for features they liked. The following are some of those questions.
1. What method do you usually use to talk to your family and friends?
2. Do you use one chat app, or switch between several? Why?
3. Does your favorite chat app satisfy all your needs? If not, what other features do you need?
4. What makes you dislike other chat apps?
5. Do you think a "remote admin" feature would be helpful?
Personas
Goals
-
To enjoy her retired life.
-
To share in her kids' lives through visits and chats.
-
To share her moments with her friends and family members.
Frustrations
-
She feels frustrated when using complicated app interfaces.
-
Text in the apps is very difficult to read.
-
She has difficulty remembering how to use the app.
Frustrations
-
He feels frustrated by the overly complicated User Experiences of some apps.
-
Text in the apps can be too small and difficult to read.
-
He has difficulty hearing message notifications.
Goals
-
To enjoy his retirement.
-
To have good chats with his daughter.
-
To chat with his fishing group.
User Journey Map
Open the app
Searching
Enter the message
Send messages
Other applications
Key Insights
-
Some apps are too complicated to use. Even though they were told how to use it, it's easy to forget.
-
They prefer a bigger font, which is easier to read for older people.
-
They have difficulties reading a lot of text on such a small phone screen. A screen reader would be very helpful.
-
"Remote admin" is a helpful feature, as long as it is easy to use.
Define The Problems
I conducted interviews and created personas to understand the users I'm designing for, and their needs. The primary user group I identified through my research was older people, because they have difficulty using many apps and websites.
This user group confirmed initial assumptions about Senior's users, but research also revealed that a complicated interface was not the only factor limiting user experiences. Other problems were too much text in the app, or small font sizes. Seniors tended to find small text difficult to read.
03
Ideation
We looked into direct and indirect competitors from different angles: product offerings, unique value propositions, app experiences, features and accessibility. This competitive audit provided reliable evidence to solve usability problems and inform my design process.
04
User Flow
05
Design, Test and Interate
Low-fi Wireframe
Usability Study
Findings and Solutions
Research goals
-
Determining if the Senior’s app is easy to use
-
Identifying reasons why users are going to use the app.
What are the questions the research is trying to answer?
-
What stops users from completing tasks?
-
Which parts does the user find confusing?
-
How long does it take for a user to complete a task?
Key performance indicators
-
Time on task
-
User error rates
-
Drop-off rates
Methodology
-
Moderated Usability Study, conducted remotely with participants.
-
Location: United States, China, Australia. Each participant will complete the study in their own home.
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Date: Sessions will take place on December 11 and December 13
-
Length: Each session will last 20 to 30 minutes, based on a list of prompts
Challenge 1:
Early designs only allowed for sending text and voice messages. After the usability studies, I added "text reader" and "zoom" features. I also replaced the small “send” button with a bigger red button.
Before
After
Before
After
Challenge 2:
Yellow and white failed the color contract checker, so I used yellow and black instead. I also replaced the modern icon with the more realistic one.
Challenge 3:
Early designs had standard settings, but after the usability studies, I added "SOS" and "Screen reader" features. SOS allows users to ask for help from a specific contact. Screen reader will read content for the user.
Before
After
Screen Size Variety
06
Final Product