Application Prototyping & Testing

Project Goals

This research project was conducted to evaluate the next steps needed to provide advance features to reminder application.  The application is a simple to-do list and reminder app for iPhone and Android phones.   It has had some success but the developers are not sure where to go from here. They know they want to be more than a generic to-do list and reminder app and are looking for help to figure out what users to focus on, what problems they need solved, and how to solve them.

The Process

  • Identified target users
  • Created target user persona
  • Designed user journeys and wireframes
  • Conducted an assessment on app redesign       

    Methodology of Design Assessment:
    • Each participant was given paper & pencil design mockups
    • They were Asked to verbalize out loud actions & thoughts
    • Mockups presented initial tutorial  
    • They were given scenarios to complete
    • Test sessions were video recorded  

  • Finalized the app design and documented design requirements

Results

Field research revealed what our target users needed from their To-Do app.
•Visually alluring
•Blissful to use
•Easy to share
•Reveals and celebrates progress

Based on this research pencil & paper wireframe were created and used to conduct usability testing.

The 4 testers revealed that there were three areas that needed improvement.
•Tutorial screens were not readily understood
•Completing To-Do’s didn’t seem intuitive
•Summary screen expected to have more view options  

Lessons Learned

Through user testing and observation you can uncover areas that will improve software functionality.