UX designer
1 Month
UX designer
Product designer
Figma
Chatgpt
FigJam
uizard.io
User Analysis (Lean UX)
Conceptualization
Wireframing (low-fi)
Prototyping (hi-fi)
4 features: calendar, chat, discovery, event planning
The Plan Pals app was designed to help friends easily organize and plan gatherings, whether it’s a casual picnic, a movie night, or a cultural event. This user study details the comprehensive process we followed, from initial research to the final high-fidelity prototype, guided by the principles of design thinking.
This project marks my first venture into app development with significant assistance from artificial intelligence.
Throughout the development process, I ensured the ethical use of AI, leveraging it to augment human creativity and efficiency rather than replace it.
We utilized a combination of various AI tools such as ChatGPT for generating ideas and prompts, FigJam (a collaborative tool from Figma) for brainstorming and planning, Uizard for wireframing and prototyping, DALL-E for creating illustrative assets, and Attention Insight for optimizing user interface elements.
By blending these advanced tools with human insights and ethical considerations, we aimed to create a seamless and user-friendly app that truly meets the needs of our target audience.
Interviews and Surveys: We conducted in-depth interviews and online surveys with over 50 potential users aged 25-45 from various European countries. These sessions provided rich qualitative data about their event planning habits and pain points.
User Personas: Based on our findings, we developed detailed user personas representing our target audience. For instance, Emma from Germany is a marketing manager who loves organizing social events but struggles with coordinating schedules and contributions. Similarly, Luca from Italy enjoys cultural outings but finds it challenging to keep track of RSVPs and logistics.
Background:
Emma is a marketing manager at a tech company in Berlin. She enjoys exploring new restaurants, attending cultural events, and organizing social gatherings with her friends. Emma values efficiency and enjoys using apps that help her manage her busy schedule.
We created detailed user journey maps for each persona, outlining their typical event planning process. This exercise highlighted common pain points, such as difficulty finding a suitable date, managing RSVPs, and ensuring a diverse spread of contributions.
By identifying these pain points, we could better understand where our app could provide the most value.
Users strongly desire a streamlined way to organize events and track who is bringing what.
Integration with calendars and social media platforms was frequently mentioned as desirable.
Users appreciated the idea of a discovery feature to suggest new activities and venues.
Brainstorming Sessions:
Feature Prioritization:
User Testing:
Key Findings:
In the high-fidelity prototype, we incorporated microanimations created in Figma to enhance user experience. These microanimations were used to encourage the use of certain features and provide feedback to users, confirming that an action had been successfully executed. Specifically, we used microanimations on the welcome page, buttons, toggles, list markers, and when adding friends while filling out the event form. These subtle animations helped create a more engaging and intuitive user interface.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes:
High-Fidelity Wireframes and Prototypes:
The Plan Pals app successfully addresses the core problems identified during the research phase. By following the design thinking process, we developed a user-centric solution that enhances the experience of planning and coordinating social gatherings. The high-fidelity prototype, validated through rigorous user testing, demonstrates the potential of Plan Pals to become an essential tool for social event planning.
AI played a crucial role in our process, but the human touch was indispensable. While AI helped accelerate our workflow and provide creative solutions, it was the human insights and ethical considerations that ensured the app truly met user needs. This combination of AI and human thinking allowed us to achieve both innovation and efficiency.