I took on the roles of UX/UI Designer and Interaction Designer for this concept project.
April – September 2022
(12 weeks)
User Interviews
Empathy Map
User Persona
Wireframes
User Testing
Word Docs, Figma, Miro, Notion, Userberry, Descript
Meet Rachel, a busy mom of two.
She constantly searches for events her kids can enjoy over the upcoming weekends. She decides to do a quick search and scours the internet for options.
Immediately, Rachel gets overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information. After visiting multiple websites, finding a suitable event for her children seemed impossible.
Rachel feels frustrated and worried.
She still hasn’t decided on an event that her kids can enjoy over the upcoming weekends.
Parents feel overwhelmed in their search to find events for their kids.
Having a customized experience for discovering kid-friendly events is the key.
I understand precisely how Rachel feels. It can be frustrating to sift through numerous sources of information and need more up-to-date information. This frustration motivated me to develop a product that could assist parents in finding the most suitable and exciting events for their children.
Clear and relevant filters
- Time-saving: Parents can quickly narrow down their search and find the most relevant events for their children.
- Improves Decision-Making: Parents can make more informed decisions based on their preferences and children's interest.
Detailed event description
- Increases Engagement: Parents make informed decisions and prepare for the event.
- Reduces Cognitive Load: It is easier for parents to decide whether to attend an event.
To maintain objectivity, I ensure my design decisions remain unbiased by my personal experience.
I’ve interviewed five parents to stay mindful of my assumptions regarding my personal experience as a parent searching for kid-friendly events. Identifying the main research objectives helped me ask the right questions and gain valuable insights.
Through engaging in an actual conversation with parents, I gained insights into their experience. Some of the questions I asked my interviewers were:
After gathering insight and organizing them into themes, I identified three pain points that make parents feel overwhelmed and drained while searching for events.
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Struggles to narrow down the search result
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Faces difficulty in obtaining sufficient event information
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Hesitant to trust curated websites
Parents feel frustrated because they have to visit multiple websites to get basic information about an event.
Parents feel discouraged and uncertain because many curated websites they visit are not up-to-date.
Parents encounter challenges finding relevant events for their kids based on age, cost, distance, and category.
However, it also uncovered some areas of enthusiasm that I could leverage to develop an end-to-end experience.
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A strong commitment to their children's development
Through their search for events, parents enjoy joining online parent groups or attending in-person events where they can meet and socialize with other like-minded parents.
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Opportunity to connect with other parents
Through researching and engaging in events, parents can better understand their children’s preferences and tailor their search accordingly.
Parents understand the importance of exposing their children to new experiences and activities that can broaden their horizons and help them develop new skills.
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A deep understanding of their children's interests and needs
What design opportunities can I create to alleviate parents’ pain points I uncovered during my research?
Rapidly sketching to identify design patterns.
By studying how similar event management apps design their search, filter, and event information screens, I better understood which patterns I should include, making them familiar to users.
Rachel, the mom of two kids, wants to find an event all her kids can attend.
She uses the age filter to narrow down the results based on the age of her kids.
She reviews the results and clicks on an event that seems interesting.
Rachel reviews any relevant information about the event.
I’ve created a style guide to keep the design consistent and user-friendly. This guide highlights the choices behind the color schemes, typography, and other design elements. These decisions were made with the user in mind, ensuring that navigation feels intuitive and engaging.
Ensuring users can efficiently use filters and find all the necessary information about an event.
To test the completeness of the tasks
To identify any pain points or difficulties that users may experience
Moderated remote usability test
Length: 30-minute session via Zoom
5 participants
1 male & 4 females
Filter Confusion
Task: Find free events
4 out 5 participants hesitated because they didn’t know if they needed to tap on the default filter, sort, or price filter to find free events.
Recommendation
Adding additional filters next to the default ones created the paradox of choice. To avoid overwhelming users, I will need to redesign the filter tags.
Event Description Visibility
Task: Explore the event page
2 out of 5 participants couldn’t find the event description. They had to scroll down to find it.
Recommendation
Place the event description section in a visible area to provide clear and concise information upfront.
Conducting a second usability test allowed me to confirm and validate my design decisions. It also allowed me to gather feedback from diverse user needs, preferences, and pain points, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of my target audience.
Before
4 out of 5 participants didn't know which filter to use to find free events
After
5 out of 5 participants taped on the “Filter” or “Sort” to find free events
Participants from the first and the second rounds of the usability test were excited to discover that the event page provides a thorough and complete overview of the event.
Kidtastic can incorporate location-based sponsored ads while maintaining a positive user experience.
The native ads seamlessly blend into the app's interface, creating a cohesive user experience. For instance, while browsing local events, a parent might see a sponsored ad showcasing the upcoming Summer Camps Open House at their nearby YMCA branch. These ads generate revenue for the app and offer parents valuable information, enabling them to find relevant events and opportunities for their children.
Kidtastic can integrate with popular social media apps, enabling users to share events within their network easily.
By integrating popular social media apps, event reach, and visibility can be expanded, enabling parents to easily share event details, recommendations, and personal experiences directly within the app. This integration fosters engagement and interaction among parents, as they can comment, like, and share their thoughts on others' shared events.
Kidtastic can send push notifications for timely and personalized updates on upcoming events.
Parents will receive timely push notifications about relevant events based on their preferences, interests, location, and their children's age range. The implementation of these notifications prioritizes a user-centric approach.
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Work within the limits
When I had too many design options and started feeling overwhelmed, I found it helpful to take a moment and consider the project's constraints. These constraints helped me focus, prioritize tasks, and find feasible solutions that align with the project's goals.
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Empathizing with users
I've learned the importance of empathizing with users and understanding their struggles. Talking to them and testing the app provided invaluable feedback that guided my design decisions. It’s impressive how thoughtful design can significantly enhance the user experience, making event discovery seamless and enjoyable.
Striking the right balance
Working on the app presented challenging situations that tested my problem-solving skills. A significant hurdle was achieving the right balance between simplicity and providing necessary event information. Throughout trial and error, I discovered a way to highlight important information while offering users the choice to explore further. It was all about finding that sweet spot!
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Thank you for reading!
Let's connect. Together, we can turn ideas into extraordinary experiences!