Planify
A mobile app designed for SJSU Student Clubs and Organizations to plan and execute campus wide events.
Overview
Club leaders at SJSU often faced difficulties in managing event logistics due to a lack of centralized tools, leading to inefficiencies and communication gaps.
Planify app aims to streamline the event planning process and provide a cohesive user experience.
Time Frame:
6 Months
Role:
UX Designer
Organization:
Mentor:
Problem:
Through semi-structured interviews, several pain points were identified, such as:
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Difficulty in communicating with the team-members,
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Challenges in tracking progress on assigned tasks, and
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Lack of centralized event management tools.
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Difficult to brainstorm ideas over video calls.
User Quotes
"As an event leader, it gets difficult for me to keep a track of who all are doing what. And sometimes, they just don't show up. I have to keep calling them on different platforms."
"Some officers need a bit more nudging to get their tasks done."
"The process of conducting an event in itself was incredibly intense. It was so chaotic and disorganized that I personally wasn't a fan."
"When I asked my team to work on certain marketing tasks, they completely forgot and I had to postpone entire event."
"We need to make sure everyone knows what’s going on and what their responsibilities are."
"During brainstorming sessions over zoom, its difficult for people to talk their ideas out."
Solution:
After carefully understanding the pain points, an app was carefully crafted to address the challenges club and organization leaders were facing while brainstorming, planning, executing and wrapping up the events.
Rapid Group Formation for Seamless Collaboration
Empower leaders to swiftly establish groups and invite committee members, facilitating seamless communication and coordination.
Brainstorming Board for Collaborative Creativity
Foster creativity and collaboration with dedicated boards for idea generation and discussion.
Inclusive Decision-Making through Live Polling
Engage team members and make informed decisions with real-time polls and live result visibility.
Initiate Event Planning and Delegation
Effortlessly outline event details and assign tasks within dedicated group spaces.
Task Management for Enhanced Productivity
Break down event requirements into actionable tasks with clear responsibilities and deadlines.
Real-Time Progress Tracking
Monitor task completion rates and identify bottlenecks with intuitive progress tracking and quick communication functionalities.
Organized Event Management with Archive Functionality
Declutter workspace and preserve valuable insights with seamless event archiving.
Process
Understanding User Needs
User Interviews
Understanding SJSU club leaders' needs was paramount. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, I gained valuable insights into their event planning struggles.
I targeted presidents and leaders from various clubs and organizations, reaching out to over 80 individuals via the SJSU Sammy app.
A screening questionnaire ensured we spoke with the right people: leaders over 18 with experience organizing club events. The interviews themselves lasted 30-45 minutes and explored key areas like planning, execution, and volunteer recruitment.
Goal: Deep dive into SJSU club leader challenges for event planning.
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Method: Semi-structured interviews with club presidents and leaders.
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Recruitment:
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Targeted leaders from various SJSU clubs/organizations via SJSU Sammy app.
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80+ individuals contacted, 12 responded.
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Screening questionnaire ensured qualified participants (over 18, experience organizing events).
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Interviews:
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Conducted remotely using Zoom.
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30-45 minutes each.
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Focused on planning, execution, and volunteer recruitment.
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Requirement Synthesis
This section dives deeper into how user interviews were transformed into actionable insights for design.
User Persona
I created a user persona to represent SJSU club leaders and their challenges. This persona captures their goals, motivations, and pain points, serving as a guiding force throughout the design process.
User Journey
John's user journey maps out his experience at various stages of event planning and execution. This journey highlights his thoughts, feelings, and actions, providing valuable context for design decisions.
User Stories
Based on interview data, I translated user needs into user stories. These user stories outline functionalities the app should offer, acting as a roadmap for development.
As a | I want to | So I can |
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Conceptual Model
The conceptual model serves as the underlying blueprint for the app's user interface. Leveraging the Semantic IxD method, this model defines several key components:
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Object-Action Matrix: This matrix maps interactive elements within the app (objects) to the corresponding actions users can perform on them (actions).
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Object-Attribute Table: This table details the characteristics (attributes) of each object within the app.
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Feature List: A comprehensive list of all planned functionalities, categorized by the user story they address.
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Prioritization Matrix: A tool used to prioritize features based on user frequency and impact.
Bringing the App to Life: The Design Phase
Building upon the conceptual model, the design phase focused on translating the user needs into a functional and visually appealing app. Here's a breakdown of the key steps:
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
These initial sketches served as a foundation, outlining the app's core structure and layout. Their simplicity allowed for rapid exploration of various design ideas.
Mid-Fidelity Prototypes
With a clearer vision, these more detailed prototypes incorporated features and functionalities for user testing. This stage aimed to validate the design direction before investing heavily in visuals.
High-Fidelity Designs
The final step involved crafting a polished, pixel-perfect design with a focus on aesthetics and user interaction. This interactive prototype allowed users to experience the app's full functionality and provided valuable insights for usability testing.
Onboarding Screens
Creating Organization on App
Brainstorming Board
Creating a Poll
Creating an Event
Assigning a Task
Evaluating Task Progress and Connecting with the Assignee
Archiving the Event
Testing and Improvement
Usability Testing
The high-fidelity prototype wasn't just a pretty face – it needed to be user-friendly! To ensure a smooth experience, I conducted usability testing with 8 student leaders. Here's how it went down:
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Testing the Prototype: Participants tackled 7 tasks within the app, mimicking real-world scenarios they might encounter.
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Gathering Feedback: After each task, I asked questions to understand their thought process and identify any pain points.
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Analyzing Results: Success rates, completion times, and user feedback were analyzed to identify areas for improvement.
Task List
Task 1: Log in to the app, create your organization, and add your officers
Task 2: Add an idea to your organization’s brainstorming board
Task 3: Create a poll in the organization to vote for the best idea
Task 4: Create an event for your organization and add two officers to the event team
Task 5: Create a task in the event and assign it to one officer
Task 6: Check the progress on the task and call the officer who is lagging in completing the task
Task 7: Archive the completed event
Free-Play: Explore all the screen and provide your feedback.
Refining the Design: A User-Centered Approach
The usability testing phase was a goldmine of insights! Here's how we transformed the prototype based on user feedback.​ These refinements, driven by user feedback, ensure the final app design is not only functional but also a pleasure to use!
Brainstorming Board Boost
Users found the initial board confusing. I redesigned it for clarity, allowing multiple boards, sticky notes, and even image/video attachments!
Smoother Transitions
The previous design lacked clear visual cues when navigating between app sections. New animations were added to guide users seamlessly.
Clearer '+' Button
Several users struggled with the '+' button's purpose. I renamed it "Create" and added introductory text for a more intuitive experience.
Enhanced Details:
Minor improvements were made to icons, font sizes, and empty-state messages to enhance clarity and user experience.
Conclusion
The Final Act: Putting It All Together
This project journeyed through the entire User-Centered Design (UCD) lifecycle, starting with user interviews that unearthed student leaders' challenges. Those insights fueled the creation of a clear problem statement, user persona, and design requirements. The high-fidelity prototype then underwent usability testing, revealing valuable improvements that were incorporated into the final design.
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However, design is an ongoing conversation. Future iterations informed by additional testing will ensure the app perfectly meets user needs and delivers a seamless experience.
