APPLICATION DESIGN TASK 1: MOBILE APPLICATION PROPOSAL
Emily Goh Jin Yee / 0357722 / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Application Design I/ DST60504 / Section 01
Task 1: Mobile Application Proposal
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INSTRUCTIONS
2. TASKS
3. FEEDBACK
4. REFLECTION
INSTRUCTIONS
TASKS
TASK 1: MOBILE APPLICATION PROPOSAL
- Redesign an existing mobile app with unsatisfactory UI/UX.
- Proposal subject to approval by the module coordinator.
Why This Matters
- Mobile app design directly impacts user experience.
- A well-designed app ensures a seamless, intuitive, and enjoyable user journey.
- Poor design leads to frustration and lower user engagement.
Background and Context
- Analyze the current app’s design, highlighting strengths and weaknesses.
- Assess user demographics and their needs.
- Redesign will address identified shortcomings in UI/UX.
Goals and Objectives
- Primary Goal: Improve overall user experience.
- Objectives:
⤿Simplify app navigation.
⤿Improve visual hierarchy and interface clarity.⤿Create a more intuitive and engaging user flow.
User Research
- Conduct surveys, interviews, and market studies to gather user feedback.
- Utilize insights to inform redesign decisions.
- Plan for user testing and validation to refine the new design.
References
Week 1/ Draft Proposal
During Week 1, we were briefed on the Module information in class. Mr Zeon showed us an example of a student's work. We need to explore current trends and he asked us to find three apps where we are familiar with and also look for apps that have low ratings and bad reviews.
Before I started, I browsed the App Store and searched for apps across various categories such as Food & Beverage(ordering), Fashion(shopping), eCommerce, Music, Cinema, Health & Fitness, Beauty & Wellness, etc. There were also apps that I find have great UI design, therefore, I tried to find apps that could be compared.
Some considered apps:
- Starbucks(compare to ZUS Coffee since its UI design is user friendly)
- Inside Scoop/llaollao/Gongcha (low rating but not really about the design)
- Forever 21/Bershka (low rating but too common)
- Shopee (complicated layout, design)
- Apple Music(compare to Spotify)
- Mc Donalds(decent rating but too common)
- Domino's
- The Body shop
- Bites
- GSC/TGV
- CIMB Octo MY/PBeMY
- Carousell
Fig T1.1 newly downloaded apps+usual used apps
Chosen apps:
1. McDonald's
2. Watsons My
3. The Body Shop
Fig T1.2 McDonald's current app design
Fig T1.3 WatsonsMY current app design
Fig T1.4 The Body Shop current app design
On the second week of class, I received feedback from Mr. Zeon. He took a look at my downloaded apps and asked which were the ones I frequently used, and found most were quite common apps. Next, he asked which of these three apps that I preferred but I was not sure, then he recommended me to select WatsonsMY for my project. He also shared that he has a friend working for Watsons and working for the app(if I'm not mistaken), so he said it would be nice to see what I'll be doing and changing for the app later on.
FINAL DRAFT PROPOSAL
Week 2-3/ Final Proposed Idea
FINAL PROPOSED IDEA
For the chosen application, I have to conduct a more in-depth research on it. We should these in our final proposal:
- Introductionpurpose, importance of mobile app design
- Background and Context
current app design evaluation, strengths & weakness, competitive analysis, user demographics and requirements - Goals and Objectives
redesign objectives, primary and secondary goals, design strategy - User Research
research methods, data collection methods, user testing and validation plan - References
App: Watsons MY
Category: Shopping, Health & Beautycare
The Watsons app provides a convenient way for users to shop for health, beauty, and wellness products. It features exclusive deals, allows Watsons members to earn loyalty points, and even offers health services like prescription refills. Users can easily find nearby stores, check product availability, and get personalized recommendations, making it a handy tool for staying informed on the latest arrivals and promotions.
Fig T1.5 Watsons MY app(Google Play)
Fig T1.6 Watsons MY app(AppStore)
Fig T1.7 Watsons MY app from Similarweb
In the slide, I included more pages(not every single page but the main ones) screenshotted from Watsons app to get an overview on the current design.
Fig T1.8 overview of the current app design
Although the ratings for the app is quite high (4.5/5.0), there were complaints of the app which affected their experiences. As a past user of the Watsons app(just for scanning the membership card last time), though I didn't really use it before, I agreed on some of these reviews. I deleted the app because I didn't find it user friendly in terms of the design, so in this project I believe its a great chance for me to explore and refine the app features.
Fig T1.9 user reviews from AppStore
For the competitive analysis, it took me quite some time on searching for the apps to compare. Firstly, I downloaded Guardian to check on the app, since it is often seen everywhere like Watsons. Both are pharmacy/drugstore that sells beautycare and healthcare products in Malaysia. However, I found the app's UI was quite bad, even worse in fact. So, I had to find more apps from the AppStore and finally chosen Olive Young, YesStyle, and Sephora, which are similar in a way that they sell beautycare products.
These apps aren't perfect but I think in terms of layout and how they categorize their products could be referred and integrated to Watsons. Three of these apps have greater home layout as they're more straightforward. Nevertheless, Olive Young could be buggy, lacks smoothness, certain problems when going to the previous page and have sign in problems. Next, YesStyle also lacks smoothness, users can't go back to the top of the page after scrolling to the bottom and may be slightly old-fashioned. Lastly, Sephora may be too minimalistic but somehow messy sometimes.
Fig T1.10 competitive analysis
Fig T1.11 data comparison
For the user demographic, I got the data of the website instead of the app in Similarweb due to the availability of the features.
Fig T1.12 user demographic
Fig T1.13 user demographic between apps(web)
On week 4, everyone were required to present their final proposal slide. Since there were limited time for many students to present in class, Mr Zeon asked me to only cover the weaknesses, competitive analysis, user needs and the goals for Watsons app.
Afterward, I made minor adjustments based on the feedback I received. I also included comparison data on the target audiences for each app and outlined features I would add if given the opportunity, as this question was raised during the presentation.
FEEDBACK
WEEK 1
General Feedback
- look for the bad reviews and ratings of an app in Appstore
- to select apps that we're interested in because it'll be used till the final task
- design research -read find articles, would be interesting if everybody hv diff opinion
- recommended to start draft
- refer to senior's e-portfolio
Specific Feedback
- -
WEEK 2
General Feedback
- company, competitors, target audience
- check out DON NORMAN
- focus on users feelings than our own perception
- show progress via email
- try to complete first draft proposal to have more time for final proposal
Specific Feedback
- -
WEEK 3
General Feedback
- common apps like McDonald's, Starbucks, GSC, TGV, etc. can be chosen, however, will be strictly compared to seniors' works as they were commonly done previously
- choose less common apps if possible
- presentation in class on the following week
- email progress as early as possible
Specific Feedback
- catch up with progress
- would be interesting to select Watsons app
- "I can show your feedback to my friend who works on the Watsons app"- Mr Zeon 😨
WEEK 4
General Feedback
- present quickly as there are many students in class
- analyze competitor apps
- can still make edits on slides
Specific Feedback
- great progress
- no need to include lecture slides
- the main points under primary goals shouldn’t be the same as those in redesign objectives. keep those points in the redesign objectives and create new titles for each point in the primary goals.
- no problem for similar web, just need to understand who their target customers are
REFLECTION
Experience
I think this task is quite interesting and not very challenging, yet. My progress was slow because I had to decide which apps to choose and identify their weaknesses. It took me a long time to finalize my choices, as I spent considerable time trying out the apps and registering/logging in. Unfortunately, this also meant I couldn't include Starbucks as one of my three apps since there was a problem on registering(not sure why, but I really wanted to compare it to Zus cz I think it'd have a great contrast in comparison😂). In the end, I had to select a different app.
Throughout this project, I learned how to analyze an app's UI design and put myself in the users' shoes by thinking about and experiencing the apps by myself. Honestly, using the apps wasn't as fun as I expected HAHA. Especially with my final choice Watsons—the banners were seriously annoying, and the numerous sections made me feel overwhelmed, too. I didn’t even know where to start!
Observations
Through this task, I observed many details across all the apps that I normally wouldn't have noticed. There were several weaknesses that could hurt user engagement and cause users to abandon the apps. This is a serious issue, as it not only damages the brand image but also affects conversion rates. As a user, I noticed that poor design and difficult navigation while browsing can negatively impact one's mood and decision to make a purchase. In this project, I'll aim to improve these weaknesses—hopefully with some success.
Findings
The findings reveal that many apps exhibit significant design flaws and usability issues that hinder user engagement, leading to abandonment and negatively impacting brand image and conversion rates. Poor navigation and cluttered interfaces can create frustrating experiences that affect users' moods and purchasing decisions. This analysis underscores the importance of detail orientation in UI design, highlighting common weaknesses such as excessive promotional content and inconsistent typography. A user-centered approach is essential for identifying these issues and guiding redesign efforts to enhance overall user experience and satisfaction.
QUICK LINKS
Comments
Post a Comment