``ZERO`` Web/Mobile Application

Social Interaction Design

This was a web/mobile application project dedicated to Social Interaction Design. I never considered all the varied and necessary components required for designing a successful social networking application until I had to work on this project.
This application entitled “ZERO” as it pertains to xeriscaping or landscaping with little to no irrigation. We wanted to create an application that would bring xeriscaping enthusiasts together to work on public and private projects based on their availability. In general, the target for this app would be mid to low tech users and therefore should be designed with an ease of use.

Analysis

My team began this project by concentrating on a specific type of persona that we had deemed to be a “general user” and define the affordances that user would need through storyboard analysis. Under normal circumstances, we would have defined various personas through interviewing or surveys, but for the purposes of this application’s development (and time) we focused on a particular user’s requirements.

Content

After we created these storyboards, it was easier as a group to decide on the most important affordances and begin brainstorming ideas for the interface/flow with paper prototypes.

We created 2 user flows within the application and documented them below. These were then examined by other peers and commented upon.

We received feedback on this first iteration of the project and one of the most common suggestions was about scaling back some of the features. We addressed it by eliminating the gamification element from the application.
We added a section where users could find information about plants, such as where to buy them, specifications and read other people’s reviews. Then we created a cleaned up mobile digital version of the main Member’s Page and a Site Map that we wanted to explore with our prototype. This all helped to organize our concept.

Prototyping

Finally, we created an interactive, high-fidelity prototype within InVision that dealt with all the major affordances we wanted to focus on for this social application.