joshmatz-planit

PlanIt Mobile Application UX Case Study

By Josh Matz

Bring Your World Together

The Problem: Making and Deciding on Plans with a Group Whether it’s making a spontaneous plan with a few friends or a planned event with a dozen, coordinating hangouts with friends can be difficult and even annoying. While some people might want to organize the plans but wish there was feedback from the group, others wish to just be told what the options are and decide on their own accord.

OpportunitySure there are plenty of social apps. From Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, it’s very easy to stay in touch with friends online. There are also a lot of great productivity apps to aid in organizing your schedule. HOWEVER, social networks and messaging apps aren’t structured enough, and calendar apps are just too formal.

Project Statement

• Messages pile up in large group chats• Social networks are cluttered with all types of

information• Disagreements about plan details, • Tons of notifications, • Late replies, • Off-topic conversations, • Lots and lots of CONFUSION!

Project Statement

The Solution: Plan Focused MessagingThe new “PlanIt” is a messaging app focused solely on helping you make plans. It combines the casual nature of social networks, the organizational power of your favorite calendar app, Group Voting Interface, and a Time-Limit functionality. Specifically it is:More plan focused than social apps like Facebook / Twitter.More casual than email and calendar apps.More efficient than text messaging.

Competitive Analysis

Category: Social Networking

Size: 8.0 MB

Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or

later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad,

and iPod touch. 5.

Rated 4+


Size: 29.1 MB

Compatibility: Requires iOS

6.0 or later. Compatible with

iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Rated 4+


Size: 2.4 MB

Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or

later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad,

and iPod touch. 5.

Rated 4+


Size: 7.6 MB

Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or later.

Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod

touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Rated 4+

Rundavoo is a Group

Scheduling App for Social

Outings with Friends.

Clude is a social group

messaging app that allows you

to set a time limit to reply, who

is paying and organizes all your

replies into a simple, clean

dashboard.

deci is a new and innovative

way to make decisions with

friends.

Flock lets you initiate and

plan casual outings with your

friends. Share the things you

want to do, allowing your

friends to join in on the fun.

See what your friends have

planned and join their

"Flock". Hash out the details

with an event group chat.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios-social-networking/id6005?mt=8

https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/appRatings?ratingSystem=appsApple








Pros❶ Easily create a plan with 3 taps (what/where/when)

❷ Figure out details through a group chat

❸ Registration with phone # instead of email for smother invitations

❹ Easily invite people w/ & w/out app

❺ Location synced up w/ Foursquare

Cons❶ No voting system to make decisions

❷ No suggested times, places, activities(assumes people know places to go).

❸ Not sync’d w/Yelp, open table etc (details: menu, reviews, reservations)

❶

❷

❷

❸

❹❺

❶

❸


Pros❶ Graphical Voting Interface

❷ Group Decision making

❸ Easy to use UI steps

❹ Notification banner

Cons❶ Very Basic and limited to restaurants and bars

❷ Limited to 2-4 locations

❸ Cannot set time-limit to vote

❹ Cannot edit “Event” after created

❶

❷

❸❹

❶

❷

❸

❹


Pros❶ Figure out details through group chat

❷ Discover popular places to go

❸ Get up-to-date reviews, photos, and tips on Yelp or Foursquare

❹ Multiple times & places can be suggested and voted on.

❺ Book reservations on Open Table

Cons❶ Limited number of popular places; no other filters

❷ Not clean UI– cluttered when multiple suggested times & places

❸ Can only suggest various times for one location; not multiple plan ideas

❹ Glitchy, long loading time

❶

❶

❷

❸

❺❹

❷

❸

❹


Pros❶ Set time-limit( eliminates late replies)

❷ Fast way to include others, as well as see what people are doing in real-time

❸ Responses saved by location. Saves favorites

❹ Integrated with Yelp (details: menus, reviews)

Cons❶ No group discussion of plan. Limited number of responses allowed

❷ More of an errand app where people share the task of purchasing food items and being repaid.

❶

❶

❷

❸

❹

❷

User Research: Initial Preparations

Interview Questions Outline Making Plans: Topic Map

Highlighted Questions

User Research: Qualitative Information

Qualitative Information

It was important that I dive deep into the users’ experiences and perceptions.

Grouped cards by similarities and trends.

Conducted 5 one-on-one interviews

Picked out key items and insights gathered during each interview

Yellow(Male, 17)Blue(Female, 31)Pink(Male, 22)Orange(Female, 26)Green(Male, 28)

User Research: Qualitative Information

Person(Card Color) Yellow Blue Pink Orange Green Total

Total / # of

People

# of cards(Insights) 16 14 9 14 12 65 65/5 =

13.00

Formula 17*(Y) + 15*(B) + 14*(P) + 10*(O) + 9*(G) = 65

Value of (Y)= (B)= (P)= (O)= (G)=

each card 0.81 0.93 1.44 0.93 1.08

Proof of Formula 17*0.81 + 15*0.93 + 14*1.44 + 10*0.93 + 9*1.08 = 65

% Importance

Group 1 (Multiple Chats) 2.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.00

Group 1 Formula 1.63 0.93 1.44 0.93 2.17 7.09 10.91

Group 2 (Indecisiveness) 1.00 2.00 1.00 2.00

Group 2 Formula 0.81 1.86 0.00 0.93 2.17 5.76 8.87

Group 3 (Spontaneity) 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.00

Group 3 Formula 0.81 0.93 1.44 1.86 0.00 5.04 7.76

Group 4 (General Consensus) 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

Group 4 Formula 0.81 0.93 1.44 0.00 1.08 4.27 6.57

Group 5 (Decisiveness) 3.00 2.00 3.00 1.00

Group 5 Formula 2.44 0.00 2.89 2.79 1.08 9.20 14.15

Group 6 (Commitment) 4.00 1.00 1.00

Group 6 Formula 0.00 3.71 1.44 0.93 0.00 6.09 9.37

Group 7 (Friends) 3.00 2.00 1.00 2.00 3.00

Group 7 Formula 2.44 1.86 1.44 1.86 3.25 10.85 16.69

Group 8 (Agendas & Collaboration) 3.00 1.00 2.00 1.00

Group 8 Formula 2.44 0.93 0.00 1.86 1.08 6.31 9.70

Group 9 (Communication & Reviews) 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00

Group 9 Formula 1.63 1.86 2.89 1.86 2.17 10.39 15.99

9. Communication & Reviews4. General Consensus3. Spontaneity

8. Agendas & Collaboration5. Decisiveness2. Indecisiveness

1. Multiple Chats 6. Commitment 7. Friends

Grouped cards by similarities and trends Calculated a # value for each card color =>Calculated % Importance for each Topic Group

User Research: Quantitative information

Group Topic % Importance

7 Friends 16.7

9 Communication & Reviews 16.0

5 Decisiveness 14.1

1 Multiple Chats 10.9

8 Agendas & Collaboration 9.7

6 Commitment 9.4

2 Indecisiveness 8.9

3 Spontaneity 7.8

4 General Consensus 6.6

% Importance for each Topic Group

User Personas

Planner Pete, 26, Broker“I initiate making plans with my friends

because I want to do something fun all

together. I know if I don’t we’ll have a

mediocre plan or nothing will get done.”

• make exceptional plans with his friends that caters to everyone.

• Not have to go through hoops to plan, and hear everyone’s opinions.

• Quick, painless process that enables everyone in the plan to participate—or make a fast decision.

• the group won’t participate in the planning process, won’t commit to the plan, and/or complains about the options.

• long winded group chats/conversations.

• Not having as good of a plan because it was planned last minute or was not thought out.

Pete is always contacting his group of friends in a group chat to make a plan and do an activity. Mostly reaching out days in advance(weeks if it’s a larger event which requires tickets/reservation) to organize and plan the activity with the group. He tries to provide the bare essentials of the activity (date/time, $, location) as well as additional options for the given day or weekend.

Behaviors Pain Points

Goals/Needs

User Personas

Chime-in Charlie, 31, Fashion“Organizing plans can be a headache. I’d

rather just provide ideas, and decide if

I’m attending later.”• FUN FUN FUN activities with her friends.

• She doesn’t want to be the core planner so that she doesn’t have to fully commit

• Feel as though she has weighed in on the decision making and is a part of the planning process.

• Doesn’t agree with the choices of activities

• Gets pushed into helping plan the activity(from Pete who began it, from Ed who’s doing nothing).

Charlie likes doing activities with friends. Planners like Pete include her in activities and the planning process. She has many groups of friends and gets messaged by different groups to participate.

Charlie likes to keep her options open and not fully commit to a plan, in hopes that she will hear about/ be invited to a better activity that might arise.

Typically Pete will provide a couple options, but Charlie will chime in with a few different options that she feels are better for whatever reason (Seen reviews, knows another group going etc).


Goals/Needs

User Personas

Easygoing Ed, 22, Gym Teacher

“I just go with the flow, and hopefully

my friends plan a good time.”• To be with his friends and have a good time.

• Doesn’t want to put in much effort in the planning process, and would rather just have his friends figure it out.

• Annoying long group chats to read— just wants to be told (date/time, $, location, friends attending)

• People nagging him to participate

• Isn’t always included– forgets him because he doesn’t reach out.

Ed gets invited to a group chat or message to discuss the plans for the weekend. He doesn’t want to plan or help organize what the activity is. He trusts his friends to make a decision, and will follow along given that the details (date/time, $, location) align with his agenda. If for whatever reason it doesn’t, he won’t proceed to provide the group with another activity option or persuade them otherwise. Once a final plan is made, he’ll simple tell the group if he is/isn’t attending and that will be that.


Goals/Needs

Content Strategy

Why: The new PlanIt is a messaging app focused solely on helping you make plans. It combines the casual nature of social networks, the organizational power of your favorite calendar app, Group Voting Interface, and a Time-Limit functionality. More plan focused than social apps like Facebook / Twitter.More casual than email and calendar apps.More efficient than text messaging.Business Objective: This will bring more attention to various activities in your city, and will gain the attention of restaurant, clubs, exhibits, gyms etc; who will want to be advertised and listed.

What: The message of the content is that it is quick and easy to understand and make a decision based on the prioritized info provided(meta-data). The content is structured, yet feels welcoming and easy to customize. The content and wording are laid-back and casual, as if you are communicating with a good friend. For example, “Hey Brian, what are you trying to do tonight?”

Who: The audience is any group (friends, family, co-workers, classmates) that is trying to organize a plan. What’s important is that all of the group is together, the information is clearly outlined (no confusion b/t various chats, emails, calls, side conversations), and the decision was made quickly and unanimously.

Where: Content will appear throughout every aspect of the users’ flow. From “What” (list of type of plans), “Where”(current location and list of areas in your city), “When”(various times provided from other users though activity feed), “Who”(participating users connected through contact list, fb, Instagram etc.)

How: Content will be presented through text, icons, images; and published upon development. Continuous content would be a stream feed of users’ activity

Information Architecture: Taxonomy Map

Card Sorting(56 random pieces of content from the app)

UPCOMING EVENTSNEWEST EVENTS"LIKE"CREATE EVENTSTUDYGO SHOPPINGWORKOUTSEE A MOVIEGO OUTGET FOODHANGOUTSEARCH BARFOURSQUAREFLAT IRONMIDTOWNGRAMERCYUNION SQE. VILLAGEYELPREVIEWSRATINGSMEATPACKINGTONIGHTTOMORROWTHIS WEEKENDNOWSOON9:00PM

12:32AMINVITE ONLYSHARE ON FACEBOOKMESSAGEUSERSDIRECTIONSWEBSITEMAP215-908-0943PICTURESEDITCALENDERSTARTENDALERTPRIVACYNOTESVOTETIMERLOGINVERIFY MOBILE #DEATILSRESERVEGOINGNOT GOINGSUGGESTIONSPOPULARCOUNTDOWN

Taxonomy Map

Information Architecture: Site Map Iterations

Information Architecture: Site Map


Highlighted Area


Site Map

Highlighted Area

Task Flows: Iterations

Task Flow: Create Plan

Task Flow: Suggest a Change to a Plan

Wireframes: Prototype Iterations

Wireframes: Create Plan

Profile Page(My Plans):The user can view their plans that have already been created by themselves or others.

Edit profile info as well as

account settings

Tap to Create Plan(can be accessed on any tab within the Profile navigation)

Notification CenterView updating

activity occurring in your plan details

Discover PageContinuously streamed feed of friends’ plans and activities.

View your friends on the app, or add/invite new ones

Tap to view your plans that were suggested, but still being hashed out

View plans that you joined

Create Plan Page:Begins with a default for basic information of the plan. The user can tap “Create Plan”, or tap into each sect to specify “What” Where” “When” &“Share”.

Close out of and cancel “Create

Plan”

Tap to view specific plan page

Tap tabs to specify plan

(optional)

Tap to “Create

Plan”

Go back to Create Plan page

and cancel “What” selection

Plan Type Page: The user may select a plan type that they want to do, or if one is not listed type a custom one. *If you return to this page, the top header will state what type of plan you had previously selected

Type in custom plan

Wireframes: Create PlanGo back to Create

Plan page and cancel “Where”

selection

Where Plan Page:Results are initially listed based on plan type

selection. These results change based on location (defaults to current city location), selected filters, and input into the search bar.*If you return to this page, the top header will state what place you had previously selected

Tap to change city location

Swipe filters carousel left or right to change selected option

Tap to view place detail page

Close out of and cancel city location

search

City Search Page:Results are initially listed based on current location, and previous searches. The viewer can type into the search bar to change city or area.

Place Detail Page:The content on this page

consists of up-to-date reviews, photos, and tips powered by Yelp and Foursquare.

Type into search bar specific place or address

Type into search bar specific city or area

Go back to Plan Where page

Tap to select place, and bring back to Create Plan Page

Toggle between Yelp & Foursquare


Close out of and cancel “Create

Plan”

Create Plan Page:As each section is specified, the labels update as does the top header with the details status of the plan. At any time the user can create or cancel their plan.

When Plan Page: The user may select a General or Specific time they would like to have the plan.*If you return to this page, the top header will state the time you had previously selected for the plan

Toggle between General and Specific time

Go back to Create Plan page and

cancel “When” selection

Select General time

Select Specific time


Share Plan Page: The user may select a sharing options that they want to incorporate into their plan. *If you return to this page, the top header will state what share options you had previously selected

Go back to Create Plan page and

cancel “Share” selection

Tap to “Create

Plan”

Create Plan Page:After the user has specified whatever information they want to provide for the plan, they can create it. Depending on the “Share” options selected, the plan will reside in either “My Plans” or “Still Planning”

Tap to finalize selected options, and bring back to Create Plan Page

Tap to select “share” options.

Selected items with be green

checked off

Profile Page(Still Planning):The user can view their plans that are still being figured out.

Tap to view plan details

The time and place icons indicate what has been decided, and what still

needs to be figured out by the group.

Indicates who is the creator of the plan

Wireframes: Suggest a Change to a PlanGo back to Profile

Page(Still Planning)

Edit plan cover photo

Plan Page(Details):Within the “Details” tab, the user can view the already suggested times and places for the plan and vote on them. As well as suggest an addition time and/or place.

Previewed Guest List Select person to view

profile. Colored boarder indicated

attending status

View and enter chat box with group

View available res./tix based on the suggested Times and Places listed

View full enlarged guest list

Add Friends

Tap to “Like” and vote on time

View Time calendar details

Tap to suggest a different time for the plan(maximum 4)

View Place detailsTap to “Like” and vote on place

Tap to suggest a different

place for the plan(max. 4)

Suggest a Different Time Page: Similar to the “When Plan Page”, the user may select a General or Specific time they would like suggest to the group plan.

Suggest a Different Place:Similar to the “Where Plan Page”, the user can filter their results in order to find a place of their choosing to suggest to the group plan

Thank you!

By Josh Matz

[email protected]

Prototype

http://invis.io/PH2VLUYQ6 Bring Your World Together

http://invis.io/PH2VLUYQ6

joshmatz-planit

Documents