Project Description: The Gift of Love application aims to address users’ difficulties in remembering events and purchasing gifts in various scenarios. This case study outlines the product design process, including problem identification through user interviews and empathy mapping, identifying user needs and stories, creating a persona, ideation using a support chat, paper prototyping, and finally, the Figma design.
Duration: 4 Months
My Role: UI/UX Designer
Team: 2 Developers, 2 UI/UX Designers.
Problem Identification
To gain a comprehensive understanding of users’ pain points when buying gifts, a series of user interviews were conducted.
Interview questions:
- How often do you find yourself buying gifts for others, and what occasions typically prompt gift-giving?
- Can you recall a recent experience when you struggled or faced challenges while purchasing a gift for someone? Could you describe the specific pain points you encountered during that process?
- How do you usually approach the process of selecting a gift? What factors influence your decision-making, and are there any specific criteria you consider important?
- How do you keep track of important gift-giving occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays? Do you ever find it challenging to remember these dates, and if so, how do you cope with this issue?
Additionally, empathy maps were created to delve deeper into the emotional aspects of these challenges.
Research
User Needs and Story
By analyzing the data gathered from user interviews and empathy maps, the team identified the core needs and stories of the application’s target users. These insights guided the subsequent design process, ensuring the application effectively addressed users’ pain points.
Persona Creation
To create a more relatable representation of the target user, a persona was developed. The persona encapsulated the key characteristics, goals, and frustrations of the users, further refining the design approach.
Application Storyboard
To visualize the user journey and interactions with the Gift of Love application, a storyboard was created. This storyboard provided a narrative structure that helped align the team’s vision and ensure a coherent design direction.
Ideation through Support Chat
During the ideation process, the support chat proved to be a valuable resource for generating innovative solutions. By engaging directly with potential users in real-time, the team gained valuable insights into users’ gift-buying challenges. This interaction allowed the team to ask questions, understand users’ needs deeply, and identify recurring themes in their feedback. Users freely shared their ideas and suggestions, offering unique perspectives that enriched the ideation process. The support chat’s dynamic nature fostered a collaborative atmosphere, where users felt comfortable expressing their thoughts and experiences. With this information, the team explored a wide range of creative ideas that directly addressed users’ challenges, resulting in user-centric and impactful solutions for enhancing the gift-buying experience.
Low fidelity Prototype
Paper Prototype
User Testing with the "Wizard of Oz" Method
Using the insights gained from the support chat, a paper prototype was developed to quickly iterate and test different design concepts. This low-fidelity prototype allowed for swift adjustments based on user feedback, ensuring a user-centered design approach.The paper prototype was tested with users using the “Wizard of Oz” method, where a human acted as the system behind the scenes. This approach simulated the intended functionality of the application, providing valuable insights into user interactions and identifying areas for improvement.
Figma Design
Taking into account the feedback and insights gained from user testing, the paper prototype was refined and translated into a high-fidelity design using Figma. The design incorporated user-centered principles, intuitive navigation, and an aesthetically pleasing interface to enhance the overall user experience.
Usability Test
User Testing and Iteration
To validate the Figma design and gather further feedback, the application underwent user testing. This process allowed the team to identify any remaining usability issues, make necessary adjustments, and ensure the final product met user expectations.
Final Design
Through an iterative and user-centered design process, the Gift of Love application successfully addressed users’ problems with buying gifts. The combination of user interviews, empathy mapping, persona creation, ideation, paper prototyping, and user testing culminated in a well-designed Figma interface that provided an intuitive and enjoyable experience for users.
