Overview
Design Role
UX Design
UX Researcher
Product Designer
Team
3 Softwere Engineers
2 Business strategist
1 Marketing
1 UX Designer
Deliverables
Wire-framing
Prototyping
Competitive analysis
Duration
February 2024 - Current
Tools
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Discord and Instagram - you've heard of them, right? Many people use these platforms to stay updated on campus events and their friends' activities. However, coordinating can be challenging for students.
Students from various campus organizations often struggle to attract and retain an audience for their events, and attendance frequently falls short. We believe that by supporting these groups, we can inspire and motivate students who might otherwise miss out on the many events happening on campus.
There is a clear need for a more centralized, accessible platform that can bring people together based on their location and shared interests.
Current methods fall shot in motivate students to explore events and get off the phone
Project
Problem
Doko is a location-sharing app designed by UCSC students for UCSC students. The app allows you to find events near you, coordinate with friends, and discover new places at your university, with the goal of building and strengthening community connections on campus.
Information Architecture
Our goal was to ensure the app remained intuitive and not confusing for users, especially on the main page.
Initially, pins and locations were included, but many users prefer to sort events by when they were posted or use other filtering options. Therefore, we decided to revise this approach.
Some of these designs were overly simplistic and lacked the functionality to filter events displayed within the app.
The "follows" will show posts from people they follow, while the "events" page will serve as a more public space, showcasing nearby events.
This sketch focuses on the home page. The idea was to incorporate a filter system with "Hot," "Top," and "New" categories, and use the filter between the Events section and the Follows section.
Competitor analysis
To gain a comprehensive understanding of the support offerings provided by other companies to users, I focused on both competitors and non-competitors.
Question 2:
Are there any commonly seen popular features in other apps?
Question 1:
What do successful location-based apps offer, and how can we identify any gaps that we could fill?
Instagram's profile page organizes the reels and photos you've posted, as well as the photos you're tagged in by others. I decided to create a similar layout for Doko.
Users will be able to easily view the earnables/collectibles they have acquired, along with the pins they have posted for events happening on campus.
(Instagram picture on the right →)
Reddit and Discord apps effectively organize information and incorporate filters to tailor the feed for users, taking into account the smaller screen size of phones compared to computers.
My Work
The Next Steps: User Research
After our MVP is ready, I will conduct potential user interviews. I have decided that Doko will use a mixed methods approach (qualitative & quantitative) and that the investigation will be moderated. This will consist of two phases: User Interviews and Usability/Prototype Testing.
I chose these approaches because we need feedback on the MVP we will launch, as well as additional insights into the struggles and needs of users.
Reflection
This project is still ongoing, and there are many aspects that require further design and study. I anticipate discovering new solutions as we continue to develop and refine Doko. Our focus remains on creating a user-friendly platform that effectively addresses the needs of UCSC students and enhances community connections on campus. Eventually, we aim to help other campuses grow. I have learned to work in a fast-paced environment and collaborate with various departments. Additionally, I have also been involved in various roles, such as marketing and business development.