TBD
TBD
When Memory Connects
When Memory Connects
Effortless Connections
Project Type
Course Project for a Master’s level Fundamentals of UX course
Duration
8 Weeks
Role
Team Lead
UX Researcher
UX Designer
Tools
Figma
Figjam
PROJECT OVERVIEW
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Digital Engagement for Everyone
Digital Engagement for Everyone
The demand of digital communication continuously grows, requiring constant engagement and thoughtful responses. This creates a particular challenge in maintaining meaningful connections, especially for busy individuals and those who find digital expression challenging.
The demand of digital communication continuously grows, requiring constant engagement and thoughtful responses. This creates a particular challenge in maintaining meaningful connections, especially for busy individuals and those who find digital expression challenging.
Project Type
Course Project for a Master’s level Fundamentals of UX course
Duration
8 Weeks
Role
Team Lead
UX Researcher
UX Designer
Tools
Figma
Figjam
Effortless Connections
Process Overview
Final Presentation
Research plan
Defining & prioritizing users
User interviews
Secondary research
Research analysis
Problem Refinement
Business goals
Identifying constraints
Week 1
Week 2-4
Week 5
Week 6-7
Week 8
Ideating
User flows
UI sketches
Low fidelity wireframes
Usability testing
Define
Project & user goals
Journey mapping
Design
High fidelity prototype
Visual design
Storyboard
PROJECT STAGES
PROJECT STAGES
Problem Refinement
Problem Refinement
PROBLEM STATEMENT
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Help busy people and introverted person who struggle with digital expression stay meaningfully connected through natural and low-pressure interactions.
Help busy people and introverted person who struggle with digital expression stay meaningfully connected through natural and low-pressure interactions.
Problem Space
Problem Space
The demand of digital communication continuously grows, requiring constant engagement and thoughtful responses. This creates a particular challenge in maintaining meaningful connections, especially for busy individuals and those who find digital expression challenging
The demand of digital communication continuously grows, requiring constant engagement and thoughtful responses. This creates a particular challenge in maintaining meaningful connections, especially for busy individuals and those who find digital expression challenging
The demand of digital communication continuously grows, requiring constant engagement and thoughtful responses. This creates a particular challenge in maintaining meaningful connections, especially for busy individuals and those who find digital expression challenging
Synthesized Findings Into A Focused Problem Statement
Synthesized Findings Into A Focused Problem Statement
Support individuals who struggle to connect in traditional ways by offering digital engagement options that allow them to interact with loved ones casually and without pressure, fostering connection without feeling overwhelmed.
Support individuals who struggle to connect in traditional ways by offering digital engagement options that allow them to interact with loved ones casually and without pressure, fostering connection without feeling overwhelmed.
Information overload
Information overload
Time constraints
Time constraints
Pressure to engage
Pressure to engage
Quality vs quantity
Quality vs quantity
PROJECT STAGES
PROJECT STAGES
Research Plan
Research Plan
Research goals
Research goals
Uncover user behaviours, motivations, and frustrations
Understand how people manage digital communications
How people manage their feelings of stress or overwhelm in social settings
Identify what design approaches can enable these individuals to connect without feeling pressured
Uncover user behaviours, motivations, and frustrations
Understand how people manage digital communications
How people manage their feelings of stress or overwhelm in social settings
Identify what design approaches can enable these individuals to connect without feeling pressured
Participants
12 individuals
22-29 age range
Types of occupation:
Students
Engineers
Real estate agents
Day-traders
Method
Background/ Secondary research and User interviews
Tools
Google Sheets,
Figjam
Timeline
2 weeks
Participants
12 individuals
22-29 age range
Types of occupation:
Students
Engineers
Real estate agents
Day-traders
Method
Background/ Secondary research and User interviews
Timeline
2 weeks
Tools
Google Sheets,
Figjam
Solo secondary research
To better understand the general public, scoured news articles, academic sources, reviews, and competitor analysis to better inform user research.
To better understand the general public, scoured news articles, academic sources, reviews, and competitor analysis to better inform user research.
66%
66%
Feel overwhelmed by digital expression
Feel overwhelmed by digital expression
75%
75%
Experience mental pressure from social expectations
Experience mental pressure from social expectations
58%
58%
Actively seek ways to reduce interaction pressure
Actively seek ways to reduce interaction pressure
User interview
Participants were asked a list of preliminary questions regarding their experiences with digital communication, including what specifically inflicts feelings of overwhelm and how they manage interactions when they are busy.
Participants were asked a list of preliminary questions regarding their experiences with digital communication, including what specifically inflicts feelings of overwhelm and how they manage interactions when they are busy.
Key Research Findings
Key Research Findings
RESEARCH GOAL 1 - Behaviour, Motivations, Frustrations
Preference for Asynchronous, Low-Pressure Communication
Asynchronous tools as a way to help mitigate anxiety and smoothen emotional flows.
Asynchronous tools as a way to help mitigate anxiety and smoothen emotional flows.
Solutions incorporating low-pressure modes of interaction such as auto/delayed replies and scheduling message can be a way to improve the comfort level of anxious or introverted users.
Solutions incorporating low-pressure modes of interaction such as auto/delayed replies and scheduling message can be a way to improve the comfort level of anxious or introverted users.
RESEARCH GOAL 2 - Management
Solutions and Strategies for Reducing Anxiety
A sense of obligation to maintain contact with family and friends, which often left them feeling drained.
A sense of obligation to maintain contact with family and friends, which often left them feeling drained.
Features like “take a break,” “snooze,” or “set limits” can encourage healthy digital habits, helping users maintain relationships without harming their mental health.
Features like “take a break,” “snooze,” or “set limits” can encourage healthy digital habits, helping users maintain relationships without harming their mental health.
RESEARCH GOAL 3 - Design Approach
Potential Methods or Tools
Emoji reactions, quick replies, and auto-snooze tools help manage digital interactions efficiently without the pressure of lengthy responses.
Emoji reactions, quick replies, and auto-snooze tools help manage digital interactions efficiently without the pressure of lengthy responses.
Design decisions related to managing social expectations in digital platforms, focusing on tools that help users set boundaries, prioritize communication, and reduce stress without impacting the connection.
Design decisions related to managing social expectations in digital platforms, focusing on tools that help users set boundaries, prioritize communication, and reduce stress without impacting the connection.
Other sentiments observered were...
Other sentiments observered were...
Participants frequently reported feeling overwhelmed by engaging in constant communication, particularly through multiple digital platforms
Users experience anxiety over delayed responses and are concerned with being misinterpreted
PROJECT STAGES
PROJECT STAGES
Define
Define
USER NEED STATEMENT
USER NEED STATEMENT
A way to effortlessly share and respond to meaningful memories with friends because they want to stay emotionally connected without feeling overwhelmed or pressured in their digital interactions.
A way to effortlessly share and respond to meaningful memories with friends because they want to stay emotionally connected without feeling overwhelmed or pressured in their digital interactions.
Defining key project goals and actionable insights
Defining key project goals and actionable insights
Synthesized Research Insights
Synthesized Research Insights
Personas and Empathy Maps
Personas and Empathy Maps
AS-IS USER JOURNEY MAP
AS-IS USER JOURNEY MAP
Defined Core Design Goals
Defined Core Design Goals
To solidify our direction, our core design goals:
Simplicity
Fostering emotional connection
Reducing digital Fatigue
To solidify our direction, our core design goals:
Simplicity
Fostering emotional connection
Reducing digital Fatigue
PROJECT STAGES
PROJECT STAGES
Ideating
Ideating
To Achieve
To Achieve
Purpose
Create stress-free user experiences
Reduce anxiety for users
Purpose
Create stress-free user experiences
Reduce anxiety for users
VISION FOR A SOLUTION
VISION FOR A SOLUTION
What if we could create meaningful connections in a world of digital overwhelm,
By transforming shared memories into gentle touches,
So that expressing “I’m thinking of you” becomes pure and effortless again?
What if we could create meaningful connections in a world of digital overwhelm,
By transforming shared memories into gentle touches,
So that expressing “I’m thinking of you” becomes pure and effortless again?
MY CRAZY 8s (only 6)
MY CRAZY 8s (only 6)
PRIORITIZATION GRID
PRIORITIZATION GRID
CHOSEN PROTOTYPE
CHOSEN PROTOTYPE
Greeting Icon Interactions
to create light and personal interaction rather than time-consuming conversations
One to One Memory Sharing
to share natural emotional moments rather than fulfilling social tasks
To validate our idea, we conducted usability testing as well as presented to an expert and acquired feedback.
Greeting Icon Interactions
to create light and personal interaction rather than time-consuming conversations
One to One Memory Sharing
to share natural emotional moments rather than fulfilling social tasks
To validate our idea, we conducted usability testing as well as presented to an expert and acquired feedback.
PROJECT STAGES
PROJECT STAGES
Design
Design
What We Did
What We Did
Our team transitioned from low-fidelity concepts to high-fidelity prototypes, creating a polished design that reflected user needs and our design goals. This stage focused on developing the visual design, interactive elements, and detailed workflows. Through moodboards, style tiles, and mockups, we had a solution that reflects both user needs and project goals.
Our team transitioned from low-fidelity concepts to high-fidelity prototypes, creating a polished design that reflected user needs and our design goals. This stage focused on developing the visual design, interactive elements, and detailed workflows. Through moodboards, style tiles, and mockups, we had a solution that reflects both user needs and project goals.
MOODBOARD
MOODBOARD
STYLE TILE
STYLE TILE
It features:
Primary Colours: Muted shades such as soft browns, creams, deep greens, and navy blues. These tones are non-intrusive, promoting relaxation and focus.
Gradient Swatches: Complementary gradients that align with the natural and grounded aesthetic, offering smooth transitions between colours for a cohesive look.
Inspiration Images: Vintage-style posters and illustrations emphasizing tranquility and nostalgia, with harmonious colours that feel familiar and comforting.
PROJECT STAGES
PROJECT STAGES
Final Presentation
Final Presentation
Presenting Our Work
Presenting Our Work
After several iterations, design critiques, playback sessions, and team meetings, we have finalized the design!
After several iterations, design critiques, playback sessions, and team meetings, we have finalized the design!
Challenges We Overcame
Challenges We Overcame
Pivoting Ideas:
One of the major challenges that we overcame as a team was pivoting from our original idea based on our background research, refining it into a more focused memory sharing app while still retaining valuable elements.
Pivoting Ideas:
One of the major challenges that we overcame as a team was pivoting from our original idea based on our background research, refining it into a more focused memory sharing app while still retaining valuable elements.
Synthesizing feedback:
Incorporating insights from both usability testing and team discussions required careful prioritization and compromise. On top of which, we had to manage tight timelines while incorporating user feedback into iterations.
Synthesizing feedback:
Incorporating insights from both usability testing and team discussions required careful prioritization and compromise. On top of which, we had to manage tight timelines while incorporating user feedback into iterations.
Communicating Complex Processes:
Translating our abstract ideas into actionable design elements during ideation and simplifying our design journey into an engaging presentation while maintaining depth and context was initially challenging but it improved through practice and collaboration.
Communicating Complex Processes:
Translating our abstract ideas into actionable design elements during ideation and simplifying our design journey into an engaging presentation while maintaining depth and context was initially challenging but it improved through practice and collaboration.