Project
Native App for IOS
Role
Product Designer
Year
2018
The Client
Chaply is an app that makes networking easier. It provides an easy way for people to view and connect with others who will attend the same event as them before the event occurs.
The Challenge
Our client came to us with a bright idea and an open mind. They needed help with all aspects of their product, from research and design to branding and voice.
Alongside two other UX designers I was tasked with delivering a research report citing market and user research, high fidelity wireframes and an accompanying prototype, a brand and style guide outlining the voice and personality of the application, and a finalized logo design.
How might we connect professionals, with shared interests, to facilitate a comfortable and valuable experience?
Research
We wanted Chaply to be people-centric, so we ran rounds of research to learn more about how people network and how we could make things easier for them. This research included surveys, user interviews, competitive and comparative analysis, feature analysis, and user journeys.
Market Research
In order to understand what was missing from the networking ecosphere we conducted market research. We produced a Competitive Matrix, a Comparative Feature Analysis, and a Competitive Feature Analysis.
User Interviews
We wanted to know how real people felt about networking, so we sent out a screener survey to find potential users and interviewed them to find out more about their networking habits.
Personas
Using the what we found out in our user interviews we created imaginary user personas to help us stay laser focused on the people for whom we were designing.
Solution
Bringing It All Together
Using everything we learned in research we designed an application that addressed the concerns of users and provided solutions to help be more comfortable connecting with others at networking events.
“I network with a specific purpose in mind.”
People feel frustrated when they go to networking events and are not able to meet the types of people that will help them reach their goals.
We developed an onboarding process that allows people to share what they are looking for before an event so that they will be connected with the people they can form the most mutually beneficial connections with.
“I feel comfortable when I can relate to those around me.”
We provided a way for people to connect with others going to the same events as them, by providing an API integration for them to link social events to their profile. This will allow them to meet and connect with others attending the same event as them before the event even happens.
“I get more value when I network alone.”
“I won’t break out of my shell if I go with people I know.”
People are nervous approaching someone alone in public, but if they attend an event with a group of people they already know they end up not meeting anyone new. We provided a way for people to scroll through specific event participants and start conversations with them, that way they can feel uninhibited when reaching out to others who they already know share similar interests.
Design
As we moved into the design phase we used the information we learned through our research to inform all our design decisions. Our main focus was on making the application feel approachable, not like a dating app, and helpful.
Personality Graph
Colors
Type
UI Elements
What Comes Next?
When Chaply begins beta testing in November 2018 people will be able to network with greater ease and confidence. With this initial launch we will be able to gather greater amounts of information which will help to improve the current application. To further improve the app we would like to:
Usability test with a working app and real users.
Build out the messaging feature and test how to understand how people will use it to help with networking.
Test the technical feasibility to see which features we designed work, and which features are not currently possible then adapt accordingly.
