Research Summary:
To understand user needs and frustrations, I conducted foundational research through interviews. I wanted to gain insight into the challenges users face with managing their families schedules as well as any needs that aren’t being met with the tools they currently use.
Pain Points:
1
Gathering info from
too many places
Every school, activity, and workplace has their own calendar system and it takes a lot of time and energy to keep track of each one and update the family calendar
2
Looping in the tech-averse
Users still learning to use technology can struggle with more complicated calendar apps, instead relying on family organizers to communicate directly
3
Difficulty sharing responsibility
Many systems end up with one person feeling solely responsible for managing the family and “owning” the shared calendar
4
Last minute
scrambling
With multiple parties involved in an event or activity, it can be difficult to communicate and coordinate effectively, sometimes leading to things falling through the cracks
Storyboards
I also used storyboards to understand my users and the core tasks they’d be using my product to accomplish from various types of devices.
User Flows
To help outline each step involved in a task, I created flows for my users main goals.
Paper Wireframes
Usability Study
1
Icons were unclear for some users
Moving forward: any non-standard icons should have a label telling users what its for
2
Unclear how to add an event
Moving forward: The add button should be more emphasized
3
‘Add external calendar’ button is hard to find
Moving forward: the path to add an external calendar needs to be more intuitive
4
Users looked to settings first for utility tasks
Moving forward: The settings page should include a path to editing user permissions
I conducted a remote moderated usability study with 5 participants. Each session lasted 20 minutes as participants were prompted to complete core tasks within the prototype and give feedback after each one. At the end of the interview, participants also completed a system usability scale survey. The following patterns were used to form insights that could be factored into the next iteration of the product.
Low- Fidelity Prototype
Digital Wireframes
Mockups
Based on insights from my usability studies, I transitioned my wireframes into mockup pages that better fit user needs and resembled the final product more closely.
For the homepage, this included adding ‘see more’ buttons for clearer navigation, a hamburger menu, icon labels, and including an add button in the bottom navigation bar that will be visible on all app screens.
The external calendar form also got quite a few updates after the usability study. Those included adding inputs for a calendar nickname, selecting a person for the calendar to belong, and a confirmation page to let users know the form was submitted successfully
1
When choosing my color palette, I made sure my primary colors met WCAG AA guidelines, and that my text colors met AAA guidelines before building out my UI.
2
I used only two typefaces in order to keep the design simple and accessible.
Both typefaces are sans serif to maximize the ease of reading for users with varying visual, tracking, or reading abilities.
3
All buttons and icons are clearly labeled both for users unfamiliar with technology and for users with assistive technologies like screen readers.
Accessibility Considerations
Takeaways
What I Learned
As a beginning UX designer, this project gave me valuable knowledge and experience in each step of the design process, including but not limited to:
Gathering and implementing user input and feedback through each design step
Principles of effective and accessible design
Comfort navigating and designing with Figma
Parents and caregivers are stretched thin. Between work, personal and kid activities, keeping the household running smoothly, communicating with outside help, and keeping track of every email, invite, and shared calendar, families need a simplified single location to manage their very full schedules. To address this need, I created a collaborative, multi-modal app that can consolidate complex schedules and allows for age-appropriate ownership from every family member.
I am always looking for feedback to improve my designs and process. Please reach out to share your thoughts!
