GramCity

5 Day Design Sprint: UX Research and Design

January 2020

Overview

The Problem

GramCity is striving to create a community where their users are able to find and share favorable “instagrammable” locations. In this design sprint we are trying to solve an endless supply of great photogenic locations that are somehow tracked and accurately shown to users based off their nearby location. Users want to be given photographic ideas so they don’t have to collect the research themselves to inspire ideas while on their trips. Some users base their entire trips itinerary around locations of where to take photos.

My Role

For this project, I was initially provided with research notes from previously conducted user interviews by the startup. My role, as an independent UX Designer, was to analyze the gathered research, map out a user process flow, and design user interface (UI) screens to create a minimum viable product (MVP) to test within only one week. 

Day 1 - User Research and User Story Mapping

User Research

My first task was to review and analyze notes from the 7 previously conducted user interviews. In my analysis, I was able to identify some of the top concerns for users who were traveling and looking for memorable photograph locations as:

• What is around them?

• What is the fastest route there?

• What’s the average commute time?

• What kind of pictures could I take there?

• What’s the easiest way on getting there?

Persona

Following up on my user research notes, I created a user persona to represent the core behavior, goals, and frustrations of user base through the design process. Below is a summary of the user persona I designed my solution for:

Madison, 27 years old

Behavior

• Lives alone in New York City, in a 1 bedroom apartment

• Uses Instagram to post all her pictures from traveling

• Plans an itinerary when traveling on where and how to get memorable pictures.

Frustrations

• Not confident that she is able to find the best locations

• Doesn’t know the best travel ways

• Doesn’t want to have to travel too far

Goals

• Find a nearby location that is Instagram worthy

• To feel confident that she knows where she is traveling and what type of picture she has in mind

User Story Mapping

After learning about the users that I was designing for, I then created a user story map of how a user might interact with the Gramcity App I would design. Through this user story map, I was able to think about the process of using the app from the user’s perspective and begin considering some of the conceptual elements a solution would need to include.

Day 2 - Competitor Research and Sketching Solution Ideas

Next, I conducted competitor research to see how competitors addressed similar problems. Limited on research time, I reviewed 6 non-competitor websites who utilizes a similar search functionality to learn about their app and social media postings, and mapping/direction routes.

Sketching Solution Ideas

I started to brainstorm and sketch potential solution designs for the app - focusing on what the homepage would look like (and how it would show users the relevant information they need). Wrapping up my research phase and keeping with the fast-paced Design Sprint methodology, I used the Crazy 8’s exercise to quickly sketch out eight ideas in about eight minutes.

Day 3 - Solution Idea Decision and Storyboarding

Solution Idea Decision and Storyboarding

I reviewed my original storyboard to confirm that it did work within my user story map process flow, to make my final decision on which solution to pursue. Next, I needed outside feedback and gather new brainstorming ideas as I moved forward. I discussed the storyboard and process flows with my UX Design mentor to help me excel in the right direction.

Day 4 - Build an Interactive Prototype

Build an Interactive Prototype

The next step of the Design Sprint process was to build a minimum viable product (MVP), that I could use as an interactive prototype for usability testing. In order to do this, I created digital user interface (UI) screens for each of the screens in the storyboard above (using Sketch); and then uploaded them into InVision.

Day 5 - Usability Testing

Usability Testing

To validate how successful my proposed solution would be, I conducted usability testing of the interactive prototype with five sample users - three were remote interviews, 2 were in-person.

The tests focused on seeing if the users could complete three “red route tasks” that were critical to the user flow of the Gramcity process:

• Search for a nearby location

• Look through the gallery and reviews to get photo ideas

• Take the next steps in retrieving directions to destination

Results

Overall, the results of the usability testing were promising as all users were able to complete each of their critical tasks with no major issues; however, it was clear that more work needed to be done. For more specific feedback from the users, below are some of the top highlights from the usability testing interviews.

What users like:

• Overall process flow is simple to navigate and understand

• Home page has a good layout - easy to find information

• Likes the combo of photos and galleries for each recommended location - helps with photo ideas

Updated Visual Design

Updated Visual Design

I made updates to the user interface designs after finishing the prototype and usability testing - making changes to app from the provided user feedback shown above.

View Prototype here

Conclusion

Success Metrics

Having completed the updated visual design of the website, now is the time to start considering how Gramcity can measure the success of their app upon launch - below are some top metrics to review moving forward:

• Number of app downloads, users, and subscribers

• Marketing conversion rates (by marketing channel)

• User growth and retention rates

• User activity rates (how often users are using the app)

• Number of likes and feedback on individual posts

• Ratings and feedback on the overall app (from the Apple App Store)

• Review feedback provided by users on social media platforms

• Company revenue and profit margins