Best App

Timeline

10 weeks, Spring 2021

Role

UX Design

Create an application for users to have all their emails in one place

Many users are often using different websites and applications to access their email accounts. While there are many, popular applications out there, users often have to switch between applications to check all emails. This is a pain point for the user - using multiple applications.

The challenge

E-mail application
for iOS

People are using credible email applications by default, meaning that they are only using it based on availability. What can we do to create a hub for users to check, compose, and organize emails. How might we allow users to check their emails all in one place?

Research plan

Before conducting research, I wanted to map out key points I wanted to focus on. These areas would help me pin point where the users have success and where users have failure.

1 Email checking patterns

How often do users check emails? What do they search for first? Do they search chronologically or oldest to newest?

2 Frustrations

Where do users get frustrated? And how can we improve those areas. Checking emails should be easy and intuitive.

3 Strengths

What are competitors doing that works? What parts of the intuitive interface can be adopted for Best App? We want the app to work in a way where the user expects it to.

4 Personalization

How can we personalize and customize the email experience? Would this be the way users view, search, or write emails?

Competitor Analysis

It was important for me to look at key competitors who dominate the email application sphere. I wanted to compare and contrast main tasks between the apps. These tasks will help point out user flows that are pivotal in checking, composing, and organizing emails.

User Interviews / Research Findings

Through user interviews, I found patterns among the participants.

This includes:

Users found it difficult to search for an old email
Users do not fully utilize customization settings
Users are overwhelmed by subscriptions
Users cannot find attachments easily

I collected the data and formed an affinity map to prioritize the feedback.

Defining personas

From the user interviews, I gathered vital points that I then turned into two specific users. One user will be business focused and the other user will be leisure focused. The two users will have specific needs that Best App will need to provide.

Persona1-01

Persona1-02

Persona1-01

1/2

Paper Prototype - First Iteration

With the two personas in mind, I began to draft the first iteration of a paper prototype. I sketched the mockups and used InVision to prototype. This was a moderated usability test to see where users had blockers and what tasks they completed successfully with ease.

Paper Prototype - User Flow

The user flow includes vital tasks to that were referenced in the user interviews. This includes composing an email and saving an email in a folder.

Usability Testing

I conducted a usability test on the 1st draft paper prototype and found the following issues and suggestions from users. From the usability test, I collected the data and used feature prioritization and card sorting to organize features suggested by users

1 Modal Confirmation

Some users wanted to see a full screen modal confirmation rather than an overlay pop up modal

2 Thumb Touch Target

Users found the compose button too far to reach. I needed to reconfigure the design to be accessible for one-hand usage

3 Icon vs Button

Users were confused when it came to deleting emails. The trash icon was not easily conveyed. UX writing comes into play here. A better usage of the word trash would be switched to 'delete'.

4 Intuitive Design

Users seem to navigate through the task flows easily. I wanted to keep the flows as intuitively as possible to keep familiarity for users.

Paper Prototype - 2nd Draft

Now that I've established the issues from the first prototype, I applied the following changes and developed more screens to expand the flows of the app.

Move the compose button to improve one-hand usage
Add components inside of the compose button to expand out
Have radio buttons to delete for bulk deleting instead of swipe feature
Revise icons at nav bar to better fit users' needs of finding important emails, attachments, and reminders

Site Map

After user testing and revising sketches, I composed a site map to have a bird's eye view of the app.

Annotated Wireframes

Now that I have established the major task flows and have mapped out the app, I started wireframing. The annotations point out the main features of the app and explain how these features will be used.

Final Design Composition

From card sorting, paper prototyping, and usability testing I collected the data needed to finalize the design composition. The final screens include screens such as: attachments, files, contacts, and a reply later section.

Dark Mode

One of the things I learned from the first usability test was that users want more customization when it comes to their email applications. Staring at emails all day can be a strain on the eyes for users. I wanted to make Best App more accessible and allow users to read in dark mode.

Project takeaways

Customization is important for users

Whether it is sending or saving an email, users want versatility. They thrive on intuitive task flows but also want the option to customize their experience. Users want to organize files the way they want and have the option to color code them. With social media being prevalent in today's society, Best App can follow suit. The contacts icon bar allows the user to access emails by person. The number at the top of the profile icon displays how many unread emails the users has from that specific person. This allows the user to search by person, email, and color code based on their own organization system. Best App's goal is to keep the intuitive nature of existing email apps but also allowing the user to email efficiently. I wanted to create a hub for the user to have all their emails displayed and allow the user to personalize their experience with the app.

Best App

Best App

Timeline

10 weeks, Spring 2021

Role

UX Design

Create an application for users to have all their emails in one place

Many users are often using different websites and applications to access their email accounts. While there are many, popular applications out there, users often have to switch between applications to check all emails. This is a pain point for the user - using multiple applications.

The challenge

E-mail application for iOS

People are using credible email applications by default, meaning that they are only using it based on availability. What can we do to create a hub for users to check, compose, and organize emails. How might we allow users to check their emails all in one place?

Research plan

Before conducting research, I wanted to map out key points I wanted to focus on. These areas would help me pin point where the users have success and where users have failure.

1

Email checking patterns

How often do users check emails? What do they search for first? Do they search chronologically or oldest to newest?

2

Frustrations

Where do users get frustrated? And how can we improve those areas. Checking emails should be easy and intuitive.

3

Strengths

What are competitors doing that works? What parts of the intuitive interface can be adopted for Best App? We want the app to work in a way where the user expects it to.

4

Personalization

How can we personalize and customize the email experience? Would this be the way users view, search, or write emails?

Competitor Analysis

It was important for me to look at key competitors who dominate the email application sphere. I wanted to compare and contrast main tasks between the apps. These tasks will help point out user flows that are pivotal in checking, composing, and organizing emails.

User Interviews / Research Findings

Through user interviews, I found patterns among the participants.

This includes:

Users found it difficult to search for an old email

Users do not fully utilize customization settings

Users are overwhelmed by subscriptions

Users cannot find attachments easily

​

I collected the data and formed an affinity map to prioritize the feedback.

Defining personas

From the user interviews, I gathered vital points that I then turned into two specific users. One user will be business focused and the other user will be leisure focused. The two users will have specific needs that Best App will need to provide.

Paper Prototype - First Iteration

With the two personas in mind, I began to draft the first iteration of a paper prototype. I sketched the mockups and used InVision to prototype. This was a moderated usability test to see where users had blockers and what tasks they completed successfully with ease.

Paper Prototype - User Flow

The user flow includes vital tasks to that were referenced in the user interviews. This includes composing an email and saving an email in a folder.

Usability Testing

I conducted a usability test on the 1st draft paper prototype and found the following issues and suggestions from users. From the usability test, I collected the data and used feature prioritization and card sorting to organize features suggested by users

1

Modal Confirmation

Some users wanted to see a full screen modal confirmation rather than an overlay pop up modal

2

Thumb Touch Target

Users found the compose button too far to reach. I needed to reconfigure the design to be accessible for one-hand usage

3

Icon vs Button

Users were confused when it came to deleting emails. The trash icon was not easily conveyed. UX writing comes into play here. A better usage of the word trash would be switched to 'delete'.

4

Intuitive Design

Users seem to navigate through the task flows easily. I wanted to keep the flows as intuitively as possible to keep familiarity for users.

Paper Prototype - 2nd Draft

Now that I've established the issues from the first prototype, I applied the following changes and developed more screens to expand the flows of the app.

Move the compose button to improve one-hand usage

Add components inside of the compose button to expand out

Have radio buttons to delete for bulk deleting instead of swipe feature

Revise icons at nav bar to better fit users' needs of finding important emails, attachments, and reminders

Site Map

After user testing and revising sketches, I composed a site map to have a bird's eye view of the app.

Annotated Wireframes

Now that I have established the major task flows and have mapped out the app, I started wireframing. The annotations point out the main features of the app and explain how these features will be used.

Final Design Composition

From card sorting, paper prototyping, and usability testing I collected the data needed to finalize the design composition. The final screens include screens such as: attachments, files, contacts, and a reply later section.

Dark Mode

One of the things I learned from the first usability test was that users want more customization when it comes to their email applications. Staring at emails all day can be a strain on the eyes for users. I wanted to make Best App more accessible and allow users to read in dark mode.

Project takeaways

Customization is important for users

E-mail application
for iOS