AroundU

AroundU is an app that allows users to browse upcoming and ongoing local events. It shows the time, date, and distance of events relative to the user. The app is designed to help users find activities and connect with others in their community.

UX Team Members

• Jesus Velazquez - Contributed to early sketches, conducted analysis, evaluations, and worked on wireframes/prototypes.
• Tyler Rodgers - Participated in analysis, helped with wireframe creation, and supported prototype and script design.
• Jameson White - Assisted with evaluation tasks, collaborated on wireframes, and contributed to prototype building

User-Centered Design Artifacts

• Personas and Scenarios
• Sketches and Diagrams
• Wireframes
• Prototype

Phase I: Analyzing Users, Competitors, and Initial Designs

Executive Summary

• Competitive analysis revealed chances to reshape the event discovery market by addressing important customer needs:

  • Yelp: While strong in popular cities and for restaurant reviews, it lacks coverage of events, particularly in smaller or niche communities.
  • TripAdvisor: Good for planning major trips and visiting tourist hotspots, but weak in highlighting smaller, localized events and activities.
  • Meetup: Effective for organizing and joining events, but has limited variety and options in smaller towns, leaving opportunities for more local, community driven experiences.

• Heuristic evaluation revealed strengths in TripAdvisor’s platform but also areas for improvement:

  • Searching: While TripAdvisor provides good system feedback, users may find it challenging to search for local or niche events.
  • Browsing categories: Users lack sufficient control over browsing event categories, limiting their ability to quickly find relevant events or sort by event types.

• New personas and scenarios highlight key user experience insights for Around U:

  • Integrated platform: Around U combines local event discovery with social and cultural activities, offering diverse experiences.
  • Simplified exploration: Users can easily uncover unique events tailored to their interests, offering an alternative options.
  • Enhanced customization: The app gives users more options to filter events based on personal preferences, helping them avoid irrelevant activities and crowded venues.

• Sketches and diagrams illustrate initial concepts:

  • Visual flow for discovering and attending events.
  • Search with event specific results and easy navigation
  • User login, seat selection, and seamless ticket purchasing

Full phase I report

Phase II: Refining interaction and designing wireframes

Executive Summary

• Cognitive Walkthrough highlighted a need for clearer prompts and visual cues to guide users

  • Users struggled to locate the map feature, indicating a need for clearer visual prompts
  • Lack of confirmation after ticket purchases created uncertainty, highlighting the importance of feedback messages

• Informal Feedback provided ideas for new features and improvements

  • Users sought a more intuitive navigation experience, particularly for accessing event details
  • Participants requested features like expiration dates for events, support for recurring events, and the ability to filter searches using keywords

• Wireframes provide a visual representation of user interactions

  • Clearer prompts and visual cues guide users throughout the experience
  • Enhanced visibility for the map feature ensures easy access and navigation
  • Feedback messages after ticket purchases confirm actions and reduce uncertainty

Full phase II report

Phase III: Prototypes and User Testing

Executive Summary

• Strengths of the App

  • Users found tasks like creating events, finding events on the map, and purchasing tickets easy and intuitive, with most tasks rated highly
  • This confirms the app’s core functionality is effective, providing a strong foundation for further development

• Weakness of the App

  • Users suggested making buttons larger, enhancing the visual design, and improving navigation to view event locations on the map before ticket purchase
  • These changes will improve usability, accessibility, and the overall user experience by making interactions more seamless and visually appealing

• Future Features

  • Requested features included a group chat, contact options for event hosts, a search bar on the map page, and notifications for updates
  • These additions could enhance user engagement, improve communication, and streamline navigation, aligning the app with user expectations for modern event-planning tools

• Limitations

  • The small sample size and specific tasks may not fully capture the needs or experiences of all users
  • This highlights the need for more research to validate findings and make better improvements work

Full phase III report