Personal Project 

Simple Offload App Design

 

Project Overview

Simple Offload (SO) is a small non-profit based in South Wales, UK. Founders Kirstie and Gareth began running exercise classes and various mindfulness sessions to combat mental health and support their local community.

As the organization grows it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage. This concept is designed to support the future growth of Simple Offload.

 

Team

Callum Prosser

(Solo Project)

Role

UX Researcher

UI Designer

Period

December 2021

(2 Weeks)

 

1. Discover

2. Define

3. Develop

4. Deliver

 

 The Challenge

To help members of SO discover and structure their classes

With a limited online presence, the founders of Simple Offload are expanding their business to help those who need it. More members and more frequent sessions are making things difficult to manage. This project is aimed to help SO on its journey.

 

Insight

The Founders

I sat down with the founders of SO to learn more about the mission, their plans for expansion and to understand the difficulties they are facing.

They explained they want an app to replace their Facebook page for scheduling sessions that allows members to sign up. They also want the app to become a medium of communication between them and the members for ongoing support.

 

The Members

I interviewed five members of SO to understand how this app could be of most benefit to them. My key takeaway from these interviews is the need to sign up for classes and have some form of calendar to remind them of their schedule, as they reported often forgetting the classes they have arranged and missing them as a result. There’s also a need for a news feed to satisfy the users’ longing for endless scrolling but with a more mindful approach to current social media platforms.

 

Background

Exercise & Mental Health

There are countless scientific case studies demonstrating the link between regular exercise and a better state of mind. Exercise and mindfulness practices are now considered to be greater at combating mental health than medication by a growing number of medical professionals.

The mental health charity Mind explains “physical activity releases feel-good hormones that make you feel better and gives you more energy”. More specifically, even low intensity but regular exercise is proven to dramatically reduce levels of Cortisol and release a myriad of endorphins.

 

1. Discover

2. Define

3. Develop

4. Deliver

 

 Goals

Redefining the project goals

  • To connect the founders with members for ongoing support

  • Help members structure their sessions

  • Display class details and allow members to sign up

  • To provide members with resources to increase mindfulness and support a healthy lifestyle

 

Personas

Creating empathy

Based on my research, I created primary and secondary personas to develop an understanding of the target users’ needs. I refer back to the personas throughout the project to anchor the users at the center of the design process.

User Goals

  • Structure their week

  • Learn about new classes

  • Learn more about mindfulness

  • Live a healthier lifestyle

User Frustrations

  • Complicated applications

  • Forgetting scheduled sessions

  • Difficulty contacting SO

  • Lack of online resources

 User Flow Diagram

I developed a series of task flows based on the goals of my target users and personas. This helps me identify key features and pages of the app.

1. Discover

2. Define

3. Develop

4. Deliver

 

 Ideation

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

To begin the ideation process, I put pen to paper and begin sketching. I design many variations of each screen to map out the structure and possible features.

 

High-Fidelity Wireframes

Once I have decided on the structure and functionality of the app. I use Figma to develop digital wireframes as a base for my designs.

 

Design

Design Guidelines

I developed brand guidelines based on current UI trends, target persona information and effective styles from my competitor analysis. These are then applied to the wireframes to create a prototype.

 

Prototyping

User Testing

After designing an initial prototype, I tested the design with three members of SO and the founders. I used this valuable feedback to develop the structure of the app to make it more intuitive and user-friendly.

 
 

1. Discover

2. Define

3. Develop

4. Deliver

 

The Solution

 User Interface Design

 

Homepage

View your upcoming sessions. Each tab displays members enrolled sessions, as well as where and when the class will take place. Click the tab to launch the product page.

Structure

A snapshot of your scheduled week with colour coordinated tabs for a quick overview of your week

 

 
 
 
 

Menu

Select the profile icon to open the menu and access account information

Support

Connect to the SO team quickly and effortlessly with the Live Chat feature

 
 

 News Feed

Scroll through your personalized news feed. Filled with useful articles to help members lead a more mindful life. The page is aimed to replace scrolling on social media.

 
 

 Find a class

Discover all the classes SO has to offer. Click a class to read the details and sign up with ease. The product page will include the time, location and coach for the session

 
 

Conclusion

Future Developments

  • A members area to chat and discuss schedules

  • A page to track progress with awards for milestones

  • Home workout and meditation video sessions

 

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