In the digital era, the goal is to facilitate connections and assist new neighbors in settling into their community. Traditional door-to-door introductions and inquiries about local resources have been replaced by online platforms and social media as the primary sources of information. With this project, my aim is to address the challenge of discovering and accessing the diverse range of community resources.

Problem

New residents often require support in adapting to their new neighborhood.

Following a move, individuals can feel overwhelmed when it comes to familiarizing themselves with the area and integrating into the community. It is essential for them to establish a sense of organization and settle in smoothly. While numerous resources are available, they are often scattered and not consolidated in a single location.

A mobile website for exploring a local community’s events and services. Users can search and discover family activities, upcoming events, local stores, healthcare places and restaurants.  New and long-time residents will easily connect to their community even if they don’t know anyone around. 

Research Approach

To gain deep understanding of our target users and their needs, I conducted user research by using User Interview and Contextual Inquiry methodology. To hear from user’s first hand about their experience and to get a more genuine information. It also allows the possibility of opening topics related to the research. I gathered 7 interview participants who had experienced moving to a new place.

What we want to know?

• What were the first things they did within the first week after the move?

• What were their priorities?

• What resources did they use to get to know the community? Did they find it convenient?

• What are the resources they wished they had at that time?

Interview Briefing

After conducting a 15-20 minute interview for each participant, I see a common pattern of missing a locally focused community website. Facebook, Google, and Zillow are the main sources of information digitally, but some tried not to use it because it is time consuming looking for information back and forth and filtering the information on their own. During the interviews, some participants expressed how they would like to have a personal local guide or planner due to them not knowing anybody in the new area. 

Competitive Analysis

I utilized SWOT method to analyze four platforms, these are people’s usual sources of information when searching and getting familiarized in the area. After conducting and in-depth analysis, I found some opportunities for ExploreBuddy.

Key Insights

• The platforms have community driven contents.

• Free to use and creates income through advertisement fees.

• Too broad audience and not overall locally focused contents.

Research Findings

To organize the data I gathered, I created an Affinity Map. This allowed me to summarize facts, opinions and problems during interview, and competitive analysis.

Key Insights

Here is what I learned from my research:

• Online resources such as Google, Facebook, Zillow and friends are the most common source for information.

• Struggles, wants, and needs - interview participants still finds it time consuming jumping from one website to another. Also, there are no dedicated guides for new residents in most publicly accessed websites.

• There are still plenty of wants and needs that are not being satisfied, like having a locally focused website where you can find all local activities and places to explore, having a local tour guide and a welcoming community for new residents.

Define

After gathering all the data from my research, I started to plan on how to meet the needs of the target users.

User Persona

My interview debrief revealed two types of personas. An unmarried professional who loves to explore and a parent who is always looking for activities for her whole family.

To further define my research findings, I created POV and HMW statements to narrow down a solution to the problem.

Project Goals

I created this project goal to guide me towards the vision I have for the project. Goals provided me with something to work towards. It helped me align my focus and guided me in my decisions of how to approach the project.

Ideate

For the ideation phase, I used the creative constraint process focusing on “How might we let the new residents know about the available resources in their new neighborhood?” In this process, I had 10 mins to write down as many ideas as possible. I came up with 14 ideas and came up with a solution of one-stop-shop mobile website for exploring a local community’s events and services to resolve the user’s need of locally focused information. That’s when the ExploreBuddy was created, where new and long-time residents will be able to connect with their community even if they don’t know anyone around. 

Storyboarding

I sketched 2 different storyboards to illustrate on how a user would use the idea I had in mind.

Too many activities, too many websites to check.

No time to drive around to get to know the new neighborhood.

After creating the storyboards, I decided that I would use the ideas that I generated and create a product that helps users Search for a family friendly event and Set a reminder for the saved event.

Task Flow

These were crafted to help visualize the paths users might take to complete a task

Task: Search and save a family friendly event

Prototype

Let’s start building the ideas!

UI Component Library Kit

After creating the structure of the site, I decided to work on the visual design and branding for ExploreBuddy by putting together a UI Component Library. This is to keep reusable user interface components in a single place to make the entire task easier and faster .

Wireframes, Testing, and Iterations

Combining my Mid-Fidelity Wireframes and UI Component Library, I designed the High-Fidelity Wireframes for ExploreBuddy with the User Flow in mind.

This section will show the key screen wireframe development of ExploreBuddy with regards to high priority iterations after conducting usability test.

Usability Test

Usability test was conducted unmoderated through Maze.co. I was able to recruit six usability testers to test the design.

I assigned three tasks for them to test:

Task 1: Search and save a local event
Task 2: Set a reminder for the saved event
Task 3: Search and save 3 food/drink places for future food trips.

I started to work on high priority iterations needed to make ExploreBuddy a user-centered digital platform that provides delightful experiences. By incorporating user feedback this allowed me to identify pain points, address usability concerns, and fine-tune the user experience for optimal satisfaction.

Testing Results

Reminder Setting Iteration

High priority iteration due to confusion it caused my testers.

Problem: Testers were unable to figure out on how to set the reminder. In the first version, users have to go through profile and find the saved event then set the reminder. Sounds really complicated.

Solution: A reminder prompt will appear right away after saving the event instead of going through profile and finding the saved event then set the reminder. This iteration saved me 5 screens.

By simplifying the steps, providing clear instructions, and offering mobile-friendly options, I was able to enhance the user experience and reduce any potential stress associated with the event reminder feature of the project.

V.1_Reminder Setting

Iteration: Added comment section for better user engagement

This revision was an idea from my testers. I added a comment section for previous and future patrons of the restaurants. This will help increase user interaction with the website. I added the contact number section of the business on the information card to provide more info at a glance.

What’s next?

Impending ideas for ExploreBuddy

• Add more feature enhancements, such as location accuracy and option to change neighborhood so user is not limited to one community.

• Add more enhancements on featured places, such as restaurant menu for convenience.

• Conduct user research and usability test on the future features to be added.

Reflection

Completing my first mobile web case study as part of UX Academy at Designlab has been an incredible learning experience. One of the key lessons I learned was the significance of prioritizing user needs and preferences. Conducting user research and testing helped me gain a deep understanding of the target audience, enabling me to design an intuitive and user-centered interface.

Above all, this project reinforced my passion for UX design. The ability to solve complex problems, create meaningful experiences, and positively impact users' lives is incredibly fulfilling. It has ignited a desire to continually learn, grow, and expand my skills in this dynamic and ever-evolving field. I am also ecstatic that some of my usability testers are looking forward to see this project come to life and use it in the future.