The secondary research indicated:
The competition featured simple onboarding all around. They also indications sufficient help options and a clear indication of who is can be contacted during emergency situations.
Others that could be considered competitors only addressed one factor in the bigger problem; for example, a person could look up the crime in their area via an application, but could not directly communicate with their network in the solution.
Offering a full scope of the travel and safe process in one application would be ideal. Ensuring automation would directly increase the speed factor needed in emergency situations.
Good Commute could face being too cumbersome if the system lacked automation, successful user flow, and help options for users.
To continue the discovery phase of my project, I conducted user interviews in order to get a better understanding of the problem and to address the hands on experience of commuting. Some key questions addressed during the 5 interviews were as followed:
After defining the current mentality around event hosting, I created a list of questions for this project that would help address the core needs and expectations of the platform.
From the information gathered I developed three key personas that would essentially need this application: daily, frequent, and new commuters.
Considering the users needs, I developed a user flow focused on simplicity and rapid setup.
The overall aesthetic for the application was meant to encourage a calm mentality; the research indicated the increase stress level of commuters was an essential pain point. The application evolved through three iterations, the last two were based on user feedback.
The solutions should (a) present a way for commuters to get quick access to help, (b) help commuters be more vigilant their surroundings and (c) connect commuters to their network .
The previous color scale was too bright, making some aspects of the design hard to see. Not accounting for color blind users.
Solution: The color scheme was modified to be user friendly
The wording, Emergency Assistance, could be interpreted differently from person to person; resulting in unintentional use.
Solution: Wording was changed to 911 Emergency so users were not mislead into think they were contact their emergency contact.
Participants understanding of the original flow cause their to do through an incorrect process sending an alert to their main contacts.
Solution: The user flow was reordered to make the process smoother.
The ‘My Circle’ section had a number of features that did not allow users to easily navigate to necessary sections and access the information.
Solution: The best option was to develop a secondary entry way to notify their contacts.
Users suggested the path was too long for “immediate” assistance due to the order of the text confirmation before sending the call.
Solution: The user flow was reordered to make the process quicker.
Users suggested more guidance on entry to the application. They could determine the process without; however guidance would valid their assumption.
Solution: Created a tutorial to give an overview of the application features.
The color scale being too bright made some aspects of the design hard to see. The initial design also did not account for those that may be color blind and would be unable to see all the features.
Solution: The user flow for this area was reordered to make access easier.
The wording, Emergency Assistance, could be interpreted differently from person to person. It could lead to users contacting 911 unintentionally thinking they would be led to their emergency contact.
Solution: Wording was changed to 911 Emergency.
In working through the alert notification flow participants would go to the ‘My Circle’ first to notify their Top 5 instead of the ‘Safety & Alerts’ section.
Solution: The best option was to develop a secondary entry way to notifications.
The ‘My Circle’ section had a number of features that the initial layout did not allow users to easily navigate to necessary sections.
Solution: The user flow for this area was reordered to make access easier.
Users suggested the path was too long for “immediate” assistance due to the order of the text confirmation before sending the call.
Solution: The user flow was reordered to make the process smoother.
One of the key aspects I have taken from this project is- I am not my user. A good development takes personal preference out of the equation and focuses on the target audience’s needs first. Researching more and more about the user and why this would be useful to them helps to elevate the final outcome and meet the audience needs. In the beginning I thought I needed to focus more on the visual design; however, design is considerably more than just the look.
Essentially, the user flow is the guide the user follows to solve their problem. Unclear transitions, processes, or organizations can seem misleading and cause users to find another guide; leaving all your hard work in the dust. I have settled with the fact that not all changes required a complete stop to production. Subtle changes can make the world of difference throughout the development; and the concept a little goes a long way is now my mantra.