Project 2

For the second project, students will strategize, conceptualize, and design an interactive mobile application that solves a real world issue they have identified

This project is not meant to be a continuation of Project 2.

Project 2A | Project 2B | Project 2C | Project 2D | Project 2E

Requirements

Evaluation Criteria

  • The selected theme must be approved by your instructor.
  • Students may design an interface for any mobile device (including, but not limited to: tablet within a mobile context, phone, watch).
  • Consider the characteristics a mobile application offers:
    • Notifications
    • Geo location services
    • Tracking data systems
    • Use of the camera
    • Communication aspects (text and voice components)
    • Payment systems
  • These is no minimum number of interface screens for this project.
  • Students should be aware of the complexity of the design process of a mobile application and be careful not to prioritize quantity over quality. Building more interface pages doesn’t necessarily mean a better project/grade. Students are expected to produce quality layouts, be original, creative and consistent with their visual language.

InVision Account Setup

  1. Go to the InVision Education Edition Sign Up page.
  2. Make sure to select Student.
  3. Use 56-73-13-19 for the Verification Code.
  4. Use your @yorku.ca email address.
  5. Use York University for the Institution.

Project 2A

Proposal & Personas (5%)

Due week 8: October 24

  • Develop at least two personas that include the 4 primary pieces of information:
    • Name and Portrait
    • Demographic Information
    • Pain Points and Needs
    • Potential Solutions
  • For the proposal, students should answer these questions:
    • What are the frustration and pain points faced by your users? Determine these through your persona development exercise.
    • Based on your users' pain points, what is the issue/problem you want to solve/improve upon?
    • What user needs will the mobile application fulfill, and how will it do so?
    • Which device will you target? (e.g. phone, watch, tablet)
    • What are the vital functions of the application?
    • What kind of content is required to support these functions? (Attention, smaller screen sizes require that extra attention is placed on text. Edit/cut down unnecessary content and only display what is most important)
    • What technologies could assist users with their mobile experience? (e.g. location services)
    • What context is your application being used in? (e.g. distractions, multitasking, motion, lighting conditions, and poor connectivity to name a few)
    • What mindset are your users in when using the application? (e.g. are they micro tasking: using their mobile device for a short burst of activity, or are they bored: using their mobile device for entertainment/passing time)
    • How will the navigation work? Reduce the number of categories and levels of navigation. Rearrange based on priority, always presenting the most important information first.
  • There needs to be a strong rationale behind the development of your mobile application. As such, applications that could potentially be solved/fulfilled by the creation of a typical website will not be accepted.
  • The choice of mobile device used should be based on the specific requirements of each student’s project. From a design perspective, students should look at all devices available and choose the best one based on its characteristics.

Combine everything for Project 2A into a single PDF document and submit according to the class work submission process. Make sure to optimize your PDF file size. The final PDF must be less than 5MB in size.

Bring a copy of your proposal and personas (B&W print or laptop) to class and be ready for group discussions.

Project 2B

User Flows (5%)

Due week 9: October 31

  • Create at least 2 user flows detailing every step and state of the flow a user will take when completing key tasks of your application.
  • The goal is to think through every step a user will take to complete a task before designing the screens. The more detail at this phase, the better.
  • Things to consider:
    • The optional paths a user may take, branching off from the main task. Are there sub-tasks branching from the main task that a user may wish to complete?
    • Different entry points into the user flow. Can a user start the task from multiple places in the application?
    • Failure/error states. What happens if a user enters incorrect or invalid data?
  • A login flow should not be considered a key task of your application (i.e. don't create a user flow for login—focus on other areas of your application).

Combine everything for Project 2B into a single PDF document and submit according to the class work submission process. Make sure to optimize your PDF file size. The final PDF must be less than 5MB in size.

Bring a copy of your proposal and personas (B&W print or laptop) to class and be ready for group discussions.

Project 2C

Wireframes (10%)

Due week 10: November 7

  • Low-fidelity wireframes should be done with paper and pencils/pens
    • Create at least 2 variations for each interface of your user flows (yes, you will likely have dozens of sketches).
  • Mid-fidelity wireframes should be done digitally using a vectorial creation tool such as Adobe XD or Sketch and should be in black and white
    • Use a grid of your choosing at the screen size for the device you have selected
    • Use real representations of content sizes and lengths (i.e. what labels will you use? How large will icons be?)
    • Remember to design at 100% scale. Remember the lessons learned from Project 1 regarding the size of mobile devices—consider type sizes, line-lengths, margins etc.

Combine everything for Project 2C into a single PDF document and submit according to the class work submission process. Make sure to optimize your PDF file size. The final PDF must be less than 5MB in size.

Bring a copy of your proposal and personas (B&W print or laptop) to class and be ready for group discussions.

Project 2D

High-Fidelity Mockups (10%)

Due week 11: November 14

  • Create at least two mood board concepts with significant contrast between the two
  • Using your mid-fidelity wireframes, underlying grid, and selected mood board, create high-fidelity mockups for all of your interface screens.
  • All content must be real content and final. No lorem ipsum.
  • Consider you design system: how you are reusing components throughout your application.
  • Remember to design at 100% scale. Consider type sizes and line-lengths, especially on mobile devices.

Combine everything for Project 2D into a single PDF document and submit according to the class work submission process. Make sure to optimize your PDF file size. The final PDF must be less than 5MB in size.

Project 2E

Prototype (10%)

Due week 13: November 28

Note: In week 12 we will be conducting an in-class user testing exercise. Students are strongly encouraged to have a complete prototype for more accurate testing. Based on the results of the testing, students will have an opportunity to make adjustments to their final prototype before final submission to their instructor.

  • Combine all final interface screens together into a single InVision (or Adobe XD) prototype.
  • All screens of the prototype should be linked together with hotspots and appropriate animations.

Send the public InVision of Adobe XD prototype link to your instructor via Slack.