The Product
Leaders app is intended to help common citizens get information about their local and national level leaders, book appointments with them and submit project proposals.
The Problem
Many citizens find it increasingly difficult to book appointments with their public representatives, collaborate with them or simply learn more about them.
Understanding the User
The goal of my research was to understand why people might need to know about their representatives and how important it is for them to be able to use that information. For my research, I interviewed eight individuals from different professional, racial, capacitive and geographical backgrounds. Initially, I assumed that only students and activists might need such an interface. But during the course of my interview, I learned that even working professionals, who want to streamline their courses of action, also need access to up-to-date information on their reps. I also realised that people may use such an interface to schedule appointments. An app of this nature might also be used by people with multiple disabilities, since a lot of government schemes cover their welfare and they may need help with those.
User pain Points
01.
Juggling between studies and internship
Keeping up with current affairs due to busy schedule
Has difficulty speaking english
02.
Has trouble managing the stress of teaching while also
raising a young child.
Little time to grade papers and plan syllabi.
03.
Expensive bootcamps
Travelling to and from shared workspaces and internet cafes
Not all websites are optimised for screen readers
04.
High taxes for small businesses
Access to representatives limited
Accessibility limitations at the local climbing gym
User Personas
Jojo
Age: 60
Education: Graduate
Hometown: Delhi, India
Family: Married with a child
Occupation: First Responder
Jojo has visual impairment and dyslexia which make it difficult for her to read small words. Due to the nature of her daunting job, she always has to stay on schedule. Jojo wants to give more time to her family while being able to make appointments from her home.
Rafique
Age: 26
Education: University Student
Location: Bangalore, India
Hometown: Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Family: Single, lives with sibling
Occupation: Trainer
Rafique is an immigrant from Sri Lanka. He is not fluent in English takes takes night classes. He wants to stay updated on policies and policy makers and needs a one-stop interface to learn about his leaders. Being able to read in his native language is key to him.
Competitive Analysis
I performed a competitive market audit to determine the current services and utilities provided by direct and indirect competitions to Leaders. There are very few portals in India that provide the services offered by Leaders and none of them have mobile apps. However, there are similar products in other countries, although none of them have comprehensive functionality.
Here are some of the differences identified:
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Real-time project monitoring
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Availability of mobile apps
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Attractive interfaces
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Accessibility considerations
User Journey
The information architecture is hierarchical, although the user journey follows a flow structure in practice
This architecture only shows salient features of the user flow.
Paper Wireframes
Digital Wireframes
The free-flow model of the user journey is evident in the connections of the lo-fi prototype
Usability Studies
Two rounds of usability studies helped us identify patterns, themes and draw insights from users' exxperiences.
01
Theme: The primary flow is not evident
Most users don't naturally click on the leaders tab due to the lack of an actionable button. Considering that this is the primary pathway and all major functionalities are present along this path alone, it was necessary to redesign this aspect of the design.
02
Theme: People choose only one path to book appointments
Due to the lack of clarity with the Leaders tab, users generally rush to the "Your Appointments & Projects" section to book appointments, a section initially reserved for existing appointments. Even there, users take a bit of time to find the "Book Fresh Appointments" button because of a slightly skewed placement issue. A minor revamping of this section was fundamental to the user flow.
03
Theme: Users get confused when asked to find specific information about their leaders
When asked to find a specific detail straight-up, say Criminal Litigation, users click on random buttons before accidentally trodding into the correct section. This is an unhealthy trait and an impediment to the happy path. The issue is more prominent for edge case users. A settings icon on each screen was replaced with a translate button to facilitate toggling.
Final Updates
Action 1: Emphasising Leaders Tab
Action 2: Shuffling Elements in Appointments Section
Action3 : Translate toggle
Sticker Sheet
A glimpse into the design system (partial) used for this app.
Leaders App
Key Takeaways
1
Impact
The app seems to have generated a lot of positive impact amongst the research participants. One of them have described the design as “path-breaking”, while another participant has expressed desire to be able to use this app in the near future. In the longer run, this app aims to ensure that every user, regular or edge case, is able to efficiently contact public offices and representatives without any hassle.
2
What I Learned
I am a minimalist and love designs that are simple and robust. I also have closely worked with the government and am fully aware of the stakes and limitations of the administration. Combining my minimalist approach for a high-context user-base has been a huge challenge. Edge case users and regular users use many different pathways to approach the solution to a problem. Going through that journey has helped me discover the tools and techniques that are out there waiting to be utilised for a wholesome user experience.
3
Next Steps
Pitching the idea to government agencies for execution.
Collaborating with industry experts to launch the product after necessary iterations.
Doing further research to streamline the user experience even further and add more functionalities to the app.