MEENA SUJANANI
USER EXPERIENCE RESEARCHER & DESIGN STRATEGIST
Project Overview
As part of the Interaction Design course, I Developed a mobile dating application specifically designed to align with the lifestyle of adventure sports enthusiasts. A number of applications in the highly fragmented mobile dating market were studied with the goal of identifying opportunities for differentiation. A high fidelity prototype was constructed using Axure.
Objective
Develop a high fidelity interactive prototype for a mobile dating application specifically designed for adventure sports enthusiasts.
The Work
My design innovation provides an eco-system for adventure sport enthusiasts. This opens up more ways for people to interact in-person. I used Axure to design the application and associated interactions.
Challenges
Creating a differentiated design in a highly fragmented dating app market.
Addressing the market need to create ways for people to meet in person.
Outcome
Final project presentation to critical reviews by faculty and peers in the HCDE graduate program.
Design Process
Utilizing the user-centered design process, I prioritized the features on the mobile platform, and designed ways to support key user scenarios.
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ideation
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User Requirements
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Persona & Scenario
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Navigation Design
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Interaction Patterns
research
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Literature Review
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Interviews
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Competitive Analysis
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Findings
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prototype
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Wireframes
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High fidelity UI
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Tool: Axure
Findings
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Pressure to setup dates
"The pressure in setting up the first date - the location, food, fun activity etc., with a person you don't know is daunting.."- P1
2
Something more fun than coffee, drinks..
"Except for one out of ten times, finding something to do that you both are interested in, and ultimately have a fun evening together, is the biggest challenge...especially if you are a person who enjoys activities such as rock climbing, skiing, etc.."- P2
3
Move quickly from online to in-person
"Well..definitely not continue to chat on the internet. In-person is a lot more credible and you actually get to react to a real-person, which is what all this is about anyway.."
- P3
Ideation
User Requirements
1
Innovative Content
My design approach was to Introduce an innovation to the conventional dating app framework through seamless incorporation of “adventures.”
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Differentiated Experience
Unlike other dating apps, my design enriches the experience of meeting like-minded people with insights on “Adventures” that can provide an exciting environment for them to meet. The insights into “Adventures” ensure that users do not have to make dramatic changes to their lifestyle.
Accelerate transition from online to in-person
3
My app creates an eco-system based on adventures that provides more opportunities for people to interact – not only online, but in-person as well. The App does this by finding potential matches based on their active lifestyle interests and it provides them with suggestions for an adventurous date in their vicinity.
Persona/Scenario
I Narrowed down the focus on a target audience- Singles who are highly enthusiastic/passionate about adventure sports and are looking to date people who would fit into their lifestyle and share similar interests.
I created this prototype to elaborate the scenario for Sandra, who uses the app on her commute back home to schedule a rock climbing date with one of her acquaintances.
Research
Literature Review
Interviews
Competitive Analysis
I conducted secondary research by reviewing content reported in a number of sources such as the Pew Research foundation, news articles, blogs and journal papers.
I interviewed 5 users of online dating services. The interviews were structured with flexibility to explore an area of interest with further questions.
To get a first-hand experience of competitive capabilities, I downloaded and used a number of dating apps such as Plenty of Fish, eHarmony, Tinder and Match.
Prototyping
Navigation Hierarchy
Laying out the hierarchy of the content was challenging as well, given the limited screen space on a mobile device. My goal was to use the available “real estate” efficiently without sacrificing the design or feeling “cramped.” Prioritizing the content by importance from a user’s perspective helped resolve this situation.
In addition, the availability of a consistent, globally accessible set of navigation options from any given location within the application. The interaction for this app is experience driven and I wanted to be able to give the user a sense of familiarity in controls despite variation in content. The Global navigation bar with the menu icon, accessible from any location in the app is designed to address this challenge.
Interaction Patterns
Top Navigation
I designed a global navigational bar with a flat hierarchy to provide easy access to the tasks that are performed most often in a mobile context. The navigation links on the landing page enable the users to Browse “Matches” and “Adventures” and access to the “Menu”, which are the three primary and equally important functions in the hierarchy.
The global navigation bar performs the important function of informing the user of where they are in the application (Title), and allows the user to go back (back control), and access the familiar “Menu” icon to reach other parts of the application. The menu icon has a prominent position in the layout without taking away attention from the main content area.
Vertical Stack Menu
The home page has a vertically stacked menu giving users the ability to quickly find the link to the page they’re interested in. I think this is appropriate in this context as It allows for easier scaling with numerous links traveling down the page and works well given the screen space constraints
Segmented Control
I designed the “Likes Page” to have a segmented control to offer choices to the users, that are closely related but mutually exclusive, without having to leave the page. This control allows them to toggle back and forth easily between related content.
Carousel
The “Detail Profile” Page is designed as a carousel, so the user can reference the content on the page while simultaneously viewing the pics. This creates a better interaction than having to move back and forth between content and pictures. In addition, the user can initiate an interaction with the person directly from the profile page.
