Background
I aspired to develop a wellness app with a distinct emphasis on physical and cognitive exercises tailored for children and educators, after noticing the lack of suitable options in the app stores. The ones I found weren't fitting for children, and the others just weren't fun for learning. So, I decided to make a change. I took some time to think about what I wanted in an app and what kids and educators would enjoy. I did a lot of research to figure out how to make things better in this area for the future.
I wanted to solve the lack of options and usability. All of the apps I found were not suitable for young kids and were hard to manage, let alone to be able to be used ina school setting. I wanted to bring all of those issues together to create a functional but cohesive app that evolves teacher and students to get healthy in an educational way but also have the aspect of initiative for kids.
The tools I used
I aimed to address these issues through extensive research, understanding who my users were, identifying their needs, and devising a resolution for them. After generating an idea through research, I proceeded to sketch out my wireframes, envisioning how I wanted the final product to appear. Once I reached a conclusion on the design, I proceeded to digitize the wireframes and create a prototype of my solution.
Sketch WireFrame
Diagram
Digital WireFrame
Defining the Problem
Why It Is Important
It's important because there aren't many options for young kids and students to genuinely prioritize their health, and the ones available aren't well-suited for them; they lack child-appropriateness and neglect the educational aspect of children's learning. I aimed to address this issue with my app, seeking a meaningful solution that not only fosters a healthier future but also initiates children into a lifestyle where wellness is not a dull obligation but something they'll come to cherish and integrate into their daily lives as they grow older. Furthermore, I intended to extend this solution to schools, placing the app in the hands of teachers who play a pivotal role in children's education and growth. Recognizing that schools are where most kids learn and develop, my goal was to create an easy-to-use app for teachers, seamlessly merging education and health.
major insights, impacts, related to my project
Lack of Suitable Options for Young Kids: The first issue I aimed to address is the lack of suitable exercise apps tailored for young kids. Existing apps were not age-appropriate or user-friendly for children.
Usability Challenges: I also wanted to improve usability. I noticed that many of the existing apps were hard to manage, indicating usability problems that hindered the user experience.
Applicability in a School Setting: Another aspect of the user problem I wanted addressed is the need for an app that can be used effectively in an educational setting. Existing options may not have been conducive to use in schools.
Engagement and Initiative for Kids: Lastly, I wanted to instill a sense of initiative and engagement in children. This suggests a desire to go beyond mere functionality and create an app that fosters enthusiasm and participation among young users.
• Three participants were interviewed using a range of methods, such as Zoom, FaceTime, and in-person sessions, with each interview session lasting between 15 to 30 minutes, varying based on response complexity and task success.
• They were tasked with reviewing the homepage and completing various assignments aimed at assessing the app's usability and evaluating the visibility and consistency of information within the app.
• Following these tasks, participants were invited to share any elements of the app that caused confusion during the tasks and suggest potential improvements.
Interaction with the product
Difficulty Navigating to the Achievement Page: When users attempted to navigate to the achievement page within the app, all three of them encountered difficulties. This suggests that the app's navigation system may not be intuitive or user-friendly in this specific aspect.
Confusion About the Pause Button's Function: Notably, all three users expressed confusion regarding the pause button's function in accessing the achievement page. This indicates that the pause button's role within the app's interface might not be clear, leading to user confusion.
Recommendations: 2/3 users recommended the inclusion of a star button, similar to other pages, and a distinct play/pause button to enhance usability and clarity
Recommendations: 2/3 Users didn’t know which circle belonged to the Pre-k room so they had a hard time going to the right room so they recommended that it should say which exercise each classroom is for
Final solution For The Prototype
Next steps and learnings
I learned doing research and interviewing the right users to test my app was a very important part of the entire process.
I learned that creating a well written script before doing your research and testing would give me consistency in the findings of my app.
The key insight from this project is that solving user problems requires an ongoing commitment to user-centric design and continuous improvement. Humility and self-awareness, fostered by listening to and learning from our users, will be pivotal in delivering a valuable and impactful product.
Looking ahead, I plan to keep the user-centric approach at the forefront of our design and development process. This means regular usability testing and staying connected with our users to adapt and refine the app based on their evolving needs and preferences.