Based on the task description, I decided to develop an app designed to facilitate networking with others in the same industry. The purpose of the app is to streamline the process of scheduling lunches with industry peers, colleagues, or mentors. From the research I conducted with my users, it became evident that the most common method for scheduling lunches today is through email or messaging on LinkedIn. This usually involves a back-and-forth conversation to find a suitable day and time that works for both parties.

The app’s goal is to allow users to post lunch proposals, visible to their network, specifying a particular day, time, and location for a networking lunch. As a user, you can browse the app to view lunch proposals from people in your network and send a request to join them for lunch. You can choose to lunch with one person or multiple people, depending on the request. The booking will display who posted the lunch proposal, the time, place, industry, and any potential discounts at the restaurant. You will also be able to communicate with the person who posted the proposal and connect with others in your network. I introduce the app "MealMeet," designed to simplify lunch scheduling for networking among professionals in the same industry. 

Questions

Prototype design/test 2

After conducting the test, I began designing prototypes for the other pages. Based on user requests, I developed prototypes for the various pages that were highlighted during the interviews. Once the prototypes were completed, I conducted another test. During this test, I asked users to interact with the app to gather feedback on the user experience, design, and overall feel of the app. The feedback indicated that the user experience was positive and that the pages I had designed were relevant to the app. Users suggested they would like to have more information about activities within the app, such as details on their activity levels. Additionally, I received feedback that the design felt somewhat "boxy," with too many layers of boxes. Most respondents agreed that the color scheme felt "cluttered." One suggestion was to adopt a cleaner design and experiment with a white color scheme to make the app feel less visually overwhelming. Lastly, I received feedback that users would like the ability to see their friends in the app, creating more of a community atmosphere. 

Color comparison

I brought three different color variations of the app and asked the users which one they preferred, based on the feedback I had received about the color choice feeling a bit "cluttered." The response from this test was that I should proceed with the white/gray color combined with the burgundy color. So I did, and I continued prototyping. 

Test 3

I incorporated the feedback and revised the color choices for the next test. I decided to keep the burgundy color as the primary color, white as the secondary, and gray as the tertiary. I also kept the beige color for the logo, the header, and the icons in the footer. For the next test, I implemented the changes users had requested regarding the color scheme. I also added a section to the profile page with information about app activities, and I included a new page showing how it looks when requesting a spot for a lunch. Additionally, I added a page, per users’ requests, that displays friends in the app to foster a stronger community feeling. After making these adjustments, I conducted a final test with the users. They navigated through the app and recorded their insights during the process. The feedback from this test suggested making the text and boxes larger, as some text lines and boxes were perceived as too small and could be scaled up. One user pointed out that the most important detail in the lunch invitations was the industry the person works in, rather than the restaurant they would be dining at. The users also agreed that they wanted a back button, so they wouldn’t always have to return to the homepage when they wanted to go back one step. One user noted that I had used different fonts in the app, depending on whether the text was bold or regular. Lastly, they pointed out that the images and names weren’t symmetrical. Regarding the color choices, I received positive feedback, which led me to keep the colors as they were. The users said that the color combination felt unique and that the colors appeared clean and aesthetically pleasing.

For the final design, I made the changes highlighted during user testing. I began by finding a font that could be used in both regular and bold text. This meant going through all the pages in the app and updating the font to "Newsreader" throughout. I rearranged the lunch invitations so that the industry of the person inviting appears at the top, and the restaurant name is included in the description. I used a "Layout Grid" to ensure everything was symmetrical with both images and text. For the lunch invitations, I removed the circular icon indicating restaurant discounts, as it was seen as unnecessary. Instead, discounts are now visible when viewing a specific invitation and during restaurant booking. I adjusted the text size and the size of certain boxes to make the app more accessible. I also added a back arrow to each box, allowing users to step back one screen at a time. Ideally, this feature would allow users to swipe left to go back, but due to time constraints in learning that function, I opted for an arrow instead. 

Final design

Future Work

If I were to continue developing the app, I would create more prototypes. Currently, there is a button in the header called "My Bookings," which is meant to show a list of the user's scheduled lunches. I would also prototype all menu buttons, such as selecting an industry, settings, and history. I would show an example on the homepage of how it would look when booking lunches with more than one person. In that case, the information box would be larger, allowing room for multiple people to request a spot. Finally, I would find an alternative way to go back a step in the app instead of using the arrow, such as allowing users to swipe left to go back.

My key takeaways are to decide on a font from the start that can be used in both regular and bold text. I would conduct more extensive testing early on regarding color choices to avoid unnecessary prototyping. Additionally, I would wait to create a user flow until the prototypes are finalized to avoid repeated redesigns due to the adjustments I had to make. Lastly, I would implement the features mentioned in the interviews that I had to prioritize out, such as calendar sharing to facilitate lunch bookings.