Shut UP
Mobile App
Timeline:
6 weeks Duration
Role:
UX Research UX / UI Design
Tools:
Photoshop Figma InDesign
Overview:
The "Shut Up" app is designed for busy individuals, who are annoyed by other people and would love to Shut them Up, but instead of saying it they would rather notify them by sound or funny noise. After undergoing testing in 160 languages, this app achieved a remarkable success rate. I worked on this real-time project as a part of the BCIT UX/UI Design course.
Take a look at the promotional video and enhance it.
I used a 5-stage Design Thinking model proposed by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Standford (the “d. school”). The stages of the Design Thinking process are as follows:
Empathize:
01/02
The Problem:
Many of us struggle with maintaining focus throughout the day, whether it's due to noisy neighbors, distracting coworkers, or simply a desire for uninterrupted work time. After conducting extensive research, I discovered a gap in the market for a well-developed "Shut Up" app. While there are a few existing options, they often lack support for multiple languages and comprehensive functionality. This led me to create "Shut Up," my debut mobile application. The aim was to make a fun app with great features for busy people.
I firmly believe that there's a significant demand for a mobile app that empowers users to regain control over their work or study environments by minimizing distractions. "Shut Up" is designed to provide users with a versatile and effective tool to optimize their productivity and enhance their focus.
02/02
The Solution:
The “Shut Up” app offers a comprehensive solution for managing interruptions and maintaining focus in today’s fast paced digital world. By empowering users to take control of their distractions and optimize their work or study sessions, the app aim to enhance productivity, reduce stress, and promote a more balanced and fulfilling lifestyle. Moreover we can definitely cut those annoying individuals surrounding us:)
03/02
Define:
0.1
Research:
The first thing I focused was my research strategy. To identify the flows in the current UX and UI, I conducted a usability test by interviewing five people that fit my user archetype . My primary user demographic consisted of busy individuals in their mid-thirties seeking an app to silence disruptive individuals. Secondly, I conducted a competitor analysis. Aside from using and understanding “Shut Up” app, this also gave me an insight in the market space and provided additional context for the problem I am working on. Thirdly, I have created an interview guide in preparation of Usability Testing. This enabled me to conduct interviews in a consistent and controlled manner.
0.2
Brainstorming:
During the brainstorming phase, I have explored different directions and possibilities of the “Shut Up” app and how the user interface will function. Once I had a clear idea of what I wanted to create, I moved to the user flow mapping stage.
0.3
Competitor Analysis:
As part of the Competitive Analysis, I conducted an analysis of four different “Shut Up” apps. I focused my research on User Interface elements and User Experience Flows – including the Sign-Up process, Recording stage, User Ratings and the Functionalities & Features. The key findings revealed that competing “Shut Up” aps lacked user- friendliness, had a confusing primary purpose, were not free, lacked focus, and offered fewer language options compared to the one I developed.
0.4
Persona:
To further delve into a specific user of the “Shut Up” mobile app, I created a persona to get to know the users and understand what they want out of their experience. I created an interview guide that allowed me to follow a structured interview processing, ensuring that I cover all functionalities and benefits of the “Shut Up” app. With this guide I conducted 5 user interviews and recorded my findings on a Miro board.
0.5
Flow Map:
During the flow mapping stage, I created diagrams to visualize the steps a user will take to accomplish specific tasks, based on their preference. This step helped me to understand the logical progression of screens and interactions, ensuring that users can navigate through the app efficiently.
0.6
Cart sorting:
Cart sorting helped me to determine the product’s features and benefits, by explaining the value of the product.
0.7
Site Map:
Site Map helped to create visual representation of the hierarchy. This hierarchy represents how the user will navigate throughout the site.
0.8
Design System:
I came up with a design system to add consistency, structure and communication. I chosed Lora Font typeface as a well-balanced contemporary serif with roots in calligraphy.
04/02
Prototype:
0.1
Low-Fidelity:
The next steps were to do a lo-fi sketch using new user-flow I created. Here quickly I incorporated my brainstorming ideas into rough sketches and outlined the different “Shut Up” screens.
0.2
Hi-Fidelity:
I designed the detailed "Shut Up" screens in Figma, using high-quality wireframes to enhance the visual appearance and interactive features.
05/02
Validate:
I conducted tests with "Shut Up" involving five users who experienced genuine enjoyment while exploring the mobile app's features. Following these tests, I made enhancements to the Whitelist and Blacklist dropdown functionality, enabling users to swiftly select the most distracting individuals. This improvement in app usability has resulted in users achieving better focus and significantly boosting their daily productivity.
06/02
Final Takeaways:
In summary, the "Shut Up" app has shown great promise in my user testing. Users not only found it enjoyable but also experienced increased productivity and focus after using the app's enhanced features, particularly the Whitelist and Blacklist functionality. As I continue to refine and develop this app, it holds the potential to be a valuable tool for helping individuals manage distractions and improve their daily work performance. Further user feedback and fine-tuning will be essential in ensuring its continued success.
07/02
Final Design:
