DISCOVER DUKES APP DESIGN PROEJECT

PROJECT OVERVIEW

For this app development project, I was asked to apply my knowledge of interactive design and user-centered design in order to deliver a high fidelity app prototype with two other classmates. My group was completing this project while classes were still being held online due to COVID-19. Because of this, we developed our idea of Discover Dukes. This app aided in facilitating connection between JMU Students, prior to living in an isolated world. Our group collaborated in order to produce a final report which outlined in greater detail, the purpose of our application, supported by a problem statement and investigation of related work.

In addition, this report highlighted our design process including, user research, personas, scenarios, story boards, and design requirements. We utilized Miro to collaborate during the user research process. After completing our research, we utilized Adobe XD to produce a low-fidelity prototype. After conducting feedback utilizing usability testing we updated our prototype to develop a high-fidelity prototype.

PROJECT REPORT

PROJECT SUMMARY

My group came up with the idea for Discover Dukes by brainstorming common problems that college students face, and ways we could possibly provide a solution to those issues. We found that students often have a hard time meeting new people and finding people to do activities that they are interested with. Especially this past year while facing the COVID-19 Pandemic, students have not been able to break out of their social bubble and meet new people. This was especially an issue for JMU freshmen, as they had the fewest number of JMU connections, and the hardest time with assimilating into a new environment during a pandemic. We wanted to create a safe way for students to connect with each other based on common interests and activities. We found there was a gap in the marketplace for this type of service, especially one that placed an emphasis on activities. We conducted extensive user research to identify our key users and their needs. We also established our app requirements to meet our user’s specific needs. We then further updated and improved our app based on feedback from usability testing from our high and low fidelity prototypes. Ultimately, we created a functional app for JMU students to make an account, connect with other users who have similar interests, message them, meet up, and do it all while staying safe.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

James Madison University students need a way to connect with other students and find people to do activities with because students should be able to meet new people and participate in activities that they mutually enjoy with others.

Meeting people with similar interests is a huge problem among college students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is especially hard for underclassmen who haven’t gotten to establish friends and participate in the clubs and activities that upperclassmen have. Even for JMU Students who have many friends and participate in clubs , it can still be challenging to get people to participate in activities that they do not like. There have been many times where I wanted to go hiking or skiing and no one felt like going or they were too busy that week, however having a way to branch out and meet new people who also share the same interests would have solved that issue.

The users of this service are James Madison University students, specifically underclassmen or students coming to JMU that have not yet met anyone. If students cannot find common connections and establish friendships then there is a much higher likelihood that they will be dissatisfied with their social lives and college experience, as well as miss out on activities that they enjoy participating in. This app will foster connection and happiness among students.

The impact of the increased challenge of meeting people is that less people are finding genuine connection. If this problem is solved there will be a higher level of satisfaction among students and an increased amount of immersion in the Harrisonburg community. This problem matters because students' experience matters. Social interaction fosters students’ positive mental health, and so does engaging in activities that they enjoy. COVID-19 has brought on an increase in mental health issues due to the effects of isolation, such as loneliness and depression. Offering a solution where individuals can meet in small, COVID safe sized groups, and participate in low risk activities will only help increase JMU students' quality of life, thereby bettering their overall experience. If this problem is left unattended, there could be a lower quality of life at JMU than what students want and expect.

The problem of lack of connection is occurring on the JMU campus and in the surrounding area of Harrisonburg, and it is constantly occurring. It may be more of an issue on the weekend when people are not in class, and are looking for people to see and activities to participate in.

The category that the design problem best falls under is optimizing and connecting. The program will allow users to find other students with similar interests more easily, and it will also allow students to connect with other users that they may not otherwise have access to.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

TINDER

Tinder is a popular dating app that’s very similar to the design of our app. Tinder identifies the problem of connecting and meeting new people and seeks to make this a simple but fun way. Tinder allows users to anonymously swipe to like or dislike other profiles based on their photos, a small bio, and common interests. The app allows you to match with people based on their physical appearances. It allows you to filter your feed with Tinder users who are within a specific age range, gender and are within a certain distance of your location. Users can only match with other users if they also swipe right on you. It is different from other dating apps in that you can only message with your matches so it is a mutual thing. Our app will be similar in the aspect of helping people connect but it will connect JMU students who are interested in doing the same activities. You will also be able to match and message with other JMU students, however it will be on the basis of meeting to participate in the activities that you indicated you were interested in when you completed your initial profile.

BUMBLE

Bumble is another app that closely relates to the product we are creating. The design problem that Bumble identifies, is connecting people with potential dating partners, friends, and professional contacts. Bumble is location based, and allows users to connect with other people in their area. It also allows the user to select what type of match they are interested in making, through Bumble BFF, Bizz or, Date. If the users both “swipe right” indicating that they are interested in the other user then they can message the other user on the app. For the dating side of this website, the woman must be the one to message the man (a reverse of how other dating apps usually work). On the other sides of the app, either party can initiate contact. Some of the best principles of this design are how much the user can really include about themselves on their profile. There are many different questions that users can customize to allow their interests and beliefs to show, which is not like other apps such as Tinder that mainly allow users to connect off of photos, and a brief bio. We will attempt to mirror this feature in our own app, however the interests and activities that users select will be the basis of the matches.

HINGE

Hinge is a dating app meant to help people connect. It identifies the problem of meeting people in person and attempts to solve this issue by providing an online option, thus broadening the amount of people one could possibly meet. Hinge differentiates itself by placing an emphasis on meaningful connection. The app provides thoughtful prompts that help you truly get to know a person. The user creates a profile with pictures, a bio, interests, and answers to selected prompts. Once you match with someone you can message them directly. Our app will be similar to Hinge in the sense that it will be made to help people connect. However, our app will be different in some ways. The emphasis will be placed on meeting people interested in specific topics and activities. Additionally, it will be focused on the JMU community. Users will be able to limit searches based on interest in specific activities if they are looking for people to do things with. They will be able to message people to connect and plan to do activities together.

MEETUP

Meetup is an app that is geographically based to help users find events and groups near them. It identifies the design problem of meeting people with common interests. The app has adapted well in the pandemic, adding virtual events and groups. It has different categories of groups and events sorted by topic. Within the categories users can browse upcoming events in their area and find people to do things with. Our app will have similar aspects. It will be geographically based, specifically in the Harrisonburg area. Our app also has the goal of helping people find others with common interests to do activities with. However, the basis of our app will be matching with people how have similar interests, rather than browsing by specific activity. Overall, this app likely has the closest functionality to our app. However, we will have many more saftey measures included in order to ensure the saftey of our users.

THE DESIGN PROCESS

DEFINING USERS

Our primary users are JMU Students. Our app will require a JMU Email to try to keep the app as safe as possible so that the users are known and controlled. The students most likely to use our app are younger students who have not had a chance to establish friends or meet new people, especially due to COVID-19. Our other users will include students who are looking to meet other people similar to them, make new friends, and participate in activities that they are passionate about or would like to try for the first time. Our app will also have an impact in the Harrisonburg community as well, as many activities included within the app will promote student support of different companies and businesses, especially in the downtown Harrisonburg area.

Primary Users: JMU Students seeking other students to do activities with

Secondary Users: JMU Students seeking new connections (specifically Freshman)

INTERVIEW PROCEDURE

When we conducted interviews, we used a variety of different methods. We first used a screener survey to make sure they were a relevant user. Then we selected people who all had a variety of different characteristics, including a range of different demographics, ages, goals, pain points, and behaviors as JMU Students. We then conducted some face to face interviews with our friends, and roommates, and the rest over Facetime with other JMU students. After the interviews were completed, we decided to put the data into a shared Google Document so that all of the information could be together in a place that was easy to access for all of us.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

How do you usually meet new people?
What kinds of activities are you interested in doing in the Harrisonburg area?
How do you normally find people to do activities with?
How might an app help you meet people to do things with?
What features would you find helpful in an app like this?
Do you have any experiences with from similar apps like dating apps or Facebook groups? If so, what was your experience like?
Why do you want to meet new people?
What problems have you run into in the past when trying to meet new people or make new friends?
How could these problems be solved?

INTERVIEW FINDINGS

From our interview responses, we came to the conclusion that our users have a wide variety of interests. Some participants were more interested in outdoor/adventure activities such as hiking and skiing, while some participants noted interest in more casual activities such as going out to eat and exploring downtown Harrisonburg. There was also a variety of experiences with similar connection based apps. Some users frequently utilized dating type apps to meet people, some used them but never met up, and others never used them at all. For the most part, people agreed on how they met friends and maintained connections, primarily through roommates, mutual friends, and group chats. When asked why they want to meet new people, many participants agreed that their main goal was to build connections and find new people to do fun things with. The pain points varied, with some users having safety concerns related to COVID-19 and meeting up, some just found it awkward, and others were worried about the genuineness of their connections. Several participants agreed that group settings make it less awkward to make friends.

ANALYZING DATA

AFFINITY DIAGRAM

ATTRIBUTE SCALE

USER JOURNEY MAPS

PRIMARY USER

SECONDARY USER

PERSONAS

PRIMARY PERSONA

SECONDARY PERSONA

USER SCENARIOS

PRIMARY USER SCENARIO

Lauren is a 20 year old Junior at James Madison University. She has a lot of friends, but she often finds herself wanting to branch out. She loves meeting new people and going and doing new things, and wants to keep expanding her circle. This can be hard though, especially with COVID-19. She also worries about meeting up with new people because of safety reasons. As a woman it can be hard to branch out and meet in person. She heard about this new app on campus called Discover Dukes from a few of her friends. Her friends had been using it, and met a lot of cool people on the app, and had even met up with people for a socially distanced hike! They told her how safe they felt because of the app’s excellent safety features. She decided to give it a try. She was instantly impressed at the security of the app, limiting it’s users to only students with dukes email addresses! She was also so excited to see how many new and fun activities she could connect with other students over! She matched with multiple interesting people, but decided to meet up with a boy named Sam to take a walk downtown and try a new restaurant. Before Sam met up with Lauren, she looked at the safety features. She felt confident that she understood what each one did and that they were easily accessible. She decided she wanted to share her location with one of her contacts. She instantly felt better that her best friend could see where she was, and that if she needed help, it was there. She had a great time meeting Sam, and loved the new restaurant. Because she felt safe, she was totally able to enjoy this new experience, and would definitely do it again!

SECONDARY USER SCENARIO

James was a 19 year old Sophomore at James Madison University. Because of COVID-19, he had only gotten to be at JMU for the first semester of his freshman year. Unfortunately, James was waiting to join any clubs or fraternities until second semester, once he had settled into the college environment more. Because he wasn’t on campus for the second semester, James didn’t get to do those things, and was feeling very lonely and disconnected from other JMU Students who had time to establish themselves and meet lots of friends. James felt a glimpse of hope though, one day when he was talking to his freshman year roommate who was experiencing some of the same issues as him. His friend mentioned the app, Dukes Meet, which was the newest and most exciting thing on campus. He told James how it gave students a perfect opportunity to meet new people who had similar interests to them, outside of clubs and sports! James downloaded the app, and to his surprise, the first person that popped up, Ben, had so much in common with him! They both loved basketball, hiking, and country music. James matched with Ben and they started messaging! The next day James wanted to go play basketball outside, and he decided to message Ben to see if he wanted to come! Ben agreed and even brought a few of his other friends! James felt super happy because he finally had people to do things with, and had a way to connect with other Dukes!

STORYBOARDS

PRIMARY USER STORYBOARD

SECONDARY USER STORYBOARD

DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

Data Requirements

The user creates an account with profile information (JMU Dukes Email requirement)
The app provides information on activities in the Harrisonburg area (needs to list possible activities, and images of those options)
The app needs to collect user data (basic profile information, interests, demographics, photos)
The app needs to be able to access user location services and data for safety features

Functional Requirements

The app should offer the ability to filter results based on interests
The app provides a customized list of possible matches based on the user’s profile and allows the user to indicate interest
The app connects users who “match,” sending both users a notification and an option to message the other person
The app allows users to join groups based on interests
The app allows users to create group chats
The app allows users to video chat (no necessary exchange of personal information outside of the app)
The app allows users to create profiles and upload information and photos of themselves
The app uses location services and an emergency button to increase security and safety of the users
The app allows users to invite friends by sharing an invite link through social media, text messages, or email

Contextual Requirements

Users have internet or cellular access to load the data on the app
User can utilize messaging and calling on phone from within the apps safety features
App can learn from users previous swipes and recommend potential matches
App allows filtering feature to user while they are looking through messages

Technical Requirements

The app only allows users to join if they have a JMU email
The app is available and usable on both iOS and Android devices
The app is usable on both smartphones and tablets and laptops/computers

User Requirements

Users must make an account with their JMU email
Users must provide basic profile information with their account
Users must provide their interests in order to customize search results
Users must select possible matches in order to message them
Users must be comfortable meeting with people or video chatting/messaging
Users must upload images of themselves

PROTOTYPING AND REFINING

LOW FIDELITY PROTOTYPE AND FEEDBACK

Our low fidelity prototype focused on our six tasks of logging in, creating an account, specifying interests, discovering matches, messaging matches, and using safety features. We received feedback from possible users when we conducted usability testing. For the task of logging in, users mentioned that the function of typing into the boxes needed to be added, and that not all of the buttons on the homepage worked. For the task of creating an account, users said that they were confused by the home page, and that we needed to add a function for typing into the boxes. For the specifying interests and activities task, users were confused by the overlapping pictures and the scroll function was not working. For the discover page, users noted that the swipe feature was not working for matching. For the message task, users said that there should be a link from the home page to the messages page. They were also overwhelmed by the overlapping information and lack of clarity. For the safety features, users said there should be different pages for each of the safety features both linked from the home page so that users could readily access the features if they needed to. They also noted that some of the buttons were not working.