case study ︎︎︎ youth action network
project overview
I created a cross-platform design that allows young people interested in political action to find community and learn organizing. The goal was to create positive social change by encouraging and educating young people about how to get involved on a local and global level. I created a mobile application first, and then scaled my designs for web. Duration: 6 weeks.
the problem
Young people who grew up with the internet have a different way of interacting socially than generations before. Without mobile phones and applications, education and community building is not as accessible to young people. Users I spoke to did not feel represented in the political space. I wanted to create a starting point for them to get involved.
the goals
1. Provide users a platform to connect with community and find resources about activism easily.
2. Design visually appealing UI that highlights a clear starting point to get involved.
3. Educate and encourage youth to get involved through relevant information and calls to action.
My role as the lead UX designer & researcher included: conducting user research, competitive audits, and usability studies. I also created personas, storyboards, wireframes, lo-fi prototypes & hi-fi prototypes.
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user research
I wanted to gain some insights about my target audience to make sure my platform would be useful to them. I created some preliminary wireframes of the design flow and began planning my research.
I created personas and began conducting user interviews, which helped me identify key features and user concerns to address in later prototypes. I then conducted a usability study to test KPIs such as: time on task, use of navigation rates, and user error rates. This allowed me to iterate my designs and create a hi-fi prototype that addressed some concerns I discovered during my research.
challenges
1. Identify characteristics, desires & pain points of the end user.
2. Create a familiar and engaging browsing experience.
3. Encourage curiosity and exploration on the app with intuitive UX.
user interviews
Name: Sam
Age: 20
Occupation: College student
Goals: 1. Find guidance that makes sense to them
2. Resources and community that aligns with her interests
Frustrations: 1. Feels no representation for young people in politics
2. Has no political experience and feels daunted by the process of starting something new
Insights: Sam wants to get involved but is not sure where to start. She feels a general frustration about politics but has no experience in the field.
Age: 20
Occupation: College student
Goals: 1. Find guidance that makes sense to them
2. Resources and community that aligns with her interests
Frustrations: 1. Feels no representation for young people in politics
2. Has no political experience and feels daunted by the process of starting something new
Insights: Sam wants to get involved but is not sure where to start. She feels a general frustration about politics but has no experience in the field.
Name: Jared
Age: 26
Occupation: Engineer
Age: 26
Occupation: Engineer
Goals: 1. See market demand & analytics to assess value
2. Browse by category and style
3. Convenience, seamless payments and quick shipping
Frustrations: 1. Does not agree with current policy about issues he cares about
2. Lack of diversity and representation in politics
Insights: Jared has specific political issues he feels passionate about and wants to begin organizing to affect change in those areas. He wants to connect to likeminded people.
2. Browse by category and style
3. Convenience, seamless payments and quick shipping
Frustrations: 1. Does not agree with current policy about issues he cares about
2. Lack of diversity and representation in politics
Insights: Jared has specific political issues he feels passionate about and wants to begin organizing to affect change in those areas. He wants to connect to likeminded people.
wireframes & lo-fi prototypes
usability study
The main goals of the users I surveyed were: connecting with a community and beginning to affect change about current issues affecting them. I found a lot of problem areas in my usability study. A few users complained about the flow and requested more features. I created an affinity map to help me prioritize insights for my next iteration.
final designs
takeaways
I designed this project to make a positive impact on our youth - to find community, get involved, and find ways to imrove the world around them for our collective future. I learned a bit more about my design style, the usability testing process, and the importance of considering all the ways a user is going to experience a product.