APPLICATION DESIGN - PROJECT 1: MOBILE APPLICATION PROPOSAL
25/9/25 - 15/10/25 (Week 1-4)
SUN YUTONG (0377440)
APPLICATION DESIGN / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Project 1: Mobile Application Proposal
JUMP LINK
INSTRUCTIONS
LECTURES
WEEK 1: Introduction to Mobile Application Design
Understanding Usability:
- Defining Usability: Usability measures the efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction of users when using a product.
- Applying Usability Principles: Ensure that designs meet user needs.
- Conducting Usability Testing: Usability testing verifies designs through observation and feedback, helping to optimize the user experience.
- Developing Practical Skills: Master theoretical knowledge and practical experience in applied design.
Importance of Mobile in the Digital Era：
- Ubiquity of Smartphones
- Shift in User Behavior
- Mobile-First Approach
- Competitive Advantage
Mobile design challenges:
- Limited Screen Real Estate: Mobile devices have smaller screens, so prioritize content and interaction, keeping the interface simple.
- Diverse Device Capabilities: Adapt to different device form factors, screen sizes, and input methods to ensure a consistent and responsive experience.
- Contextual Awareness: Consider the user's environment, location, network, and mobility to optimize app functionality and interface design.
The UCD process:
1. Research: The UCD process gathers information on needs and
behaviors through user research to understand the target audience and their
needs.
2. Design: After gaining user insights, designers iterate on the
design through wireframes, prototypes, and mockups, continuously improving
and collecting feedback.
3. Evaluation: Usability testing and user feedback validate the
design and identify areas for improvement during UCD, ensuring the product
meets user expectations.
Benefits of User-Centered Design:
- Increased User Satisfaction
- Improved Product Adoption
- Reduced Development Costs
- Enhanced Brand Reputation
Prototyping and Testing:
- Lo-Fi Prototypes: Use low-fidelity prototypes to quickly validate designs and gather early feedback.
- Interactive Prototypes: Simulate complete experiences with high-fidelity interactive prototypes for in-depth user testing.
- Iterative Testing: Uncover problems through ongoing real-user testing
WEEK 2: The Art of User Centered Design
User-centered design (UCD) is a design philosophy that places users at the
heart of the entire product development process.
UCD Process:
- Discover/Analyze: Analyze business needs and user personas.
- Define: Develop creative ideas and create user journey maps and user scenarios.
- Design: Develop the user experience, including wireframes and prototypes.
- Validate: Conduct usability testing and prototype validation.
- Develop: Develop production code.
User Experience:
- Focuses on the overall user experience.
- Based on research and usability.
- Primarily creates user personas, sitemaps, and wireframes.
The Foundations of User Experience:
- Utility: The product must meet user needs and effectively serve them.
- Usability: The product must be easy to use, allowing users to easily navigate and use it, embodying the characteristic of "ease of use."
- Desirability: The product's visual and design should create a sense of joy for users.
- Brand Experience: A positive brand impression, ensuring users have a positive impression of the brand.
User Interface:
- Focus on visual elements (design principles, color, layout, typography)
- Integrate brand elements to ensure usability of the interface.
Emphaty: The ability to step into someone else's shoes and understand
their experience from their perspective
EXERCIS 1: Further optimize air tickets
WEEK 3: Key Principle of Usability
Usability refers to how effectively, efficiently, and intuitively users can
achieve their goals within a product or design, emphasizing clarity,
learnability, and ease of use in a specific context.
Key Principle of Usability:
Consistency:
- Appears to be consistent across the board, avoiding confusion caused by sudden changes in color, font, or navigation.
- Intuitive navigation: Consistent navigation allows users to instinctively find what they need.
- Strengthen brand identity: Consistent use of fonts, colors, and logos creates a clear brand image. (e.g., Adidas)
Simplicity:
- Ease of Use: Minimize the number of steps required for users to complete tasks.
- Clear Communication: Use symbols and terminology familiar to users.
Visibility:
- Clarity and Hierarchy: Proper hierarchy directs user attention to the most important actions or content.
- Focus and attention: All information and elements set expectations about how things work.
- Call-to-action (CTA) design: Provide clear visual cues.
Feedback:
- Confirmation and Clarity: User actions are received and understood by the system.
- Feedback: Feedback can be provided through text, visuals, or audio.
Error Prevention：
- The Importance of Error Prevention: Reduce Frustration, Increase Efficiency, and Improve Accuracy
- Examples of Error Prevention：Input Validation, Clear Feedback, Confirmation Steps.
TASK 1: MOBILE APPLICATION PROPOSAL
You start building your research slides.
Try to go light on the text, better if you write it yourself.
Use screen captures to explain what you mean.
Software/template/style is up to you, as long as it can export to PDF
1. YOUR SELECTED COMPANY APP
- Download & analyze your selected company app
- What's your gut feeling? What would you like to add? What can be
improved?
- Give 3 great points on the app
- Give 3 areas for improvement
- What do the users say in the reviews? What's useful for your project
there?
2. MARKET STUDY
Find 3 competitors APPS
- What do they do better than your selected company?
- What are the features you could bring in your project?
3. LEFT FIELD
- Find unrelated apps to your project or market with great features you
could bring in your project
When choosing an app, I chose Wanderlog because I love traveling. As for the
topic of improvement, I chose to improve Wanderlog's micro-travel function to
attract and retain users who frequently take short trips.
Final Proposal :
FEEDBACKS
WEEK 1: At first, I chose an application for meetings and proposed
the idea of adding AI functionality to the application. Mr. Sylvain asked me
to think further.
WEEK 2: I revised my idea and chose Wanderlog as my research
subject, and proposed the idea of micro-travel. Mr. Sylvain thought my topic
was interesting.
WEEK 3: Mr. Sylvain checked my proposal and pointed out that it
didn't need too much text and that I needed to add keywords.
WEEK 4: No courses
REFLCTION
While completing this assignment, I learned how to analyze an app, analyzing
its strengths, usability, user feedback, and more. This helped me understand
areas for improvement. I then analyzed three similar apps: Roadtrippers,
Stippl, and Expedia. I studied their strengths to identify areas for
improvement.
In the process of completing this proposal, I learned a lot about app
design, including usability, UI/UX design, and more.
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