GramCity

BOOTCAMP PROJECT

As a way to quickly mock up a solution in the time frame of one week, I was challenged to do a Google Ventures Design Sprint, modified for one person.
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I designed a feature that allows users of photo-editing mobile app GramCity to find new locations to take photos, and share new locations they discovered themselves.

Designing for: 18+ smartphone-using amateur photographers or hobbyists who travel often.

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Project Phases

Sketch ideas to ideate and generate possible solutions, Crazy 8s exercise.

Design high-fidelity screens and build a working prototype of the design.

Understand the problem, explore research, map product’s main user flow, recruit users.

Decide on and expand upon solution sketches, create a storyboard with the sketches.

Test working prototype and conduct five interviews with users recruited on Day 1.

Day 1 - Map

With a project plan ready, I started Day 1 by exploring the research given to me by GramCity, including quotes and user personas.

The user personas and quotes later guided my ideation for feature modules, and helped me understand common themes and characteristics of the target audience.

Comparing personas and reviewing direct user quotes.

With an understanding of the similarities and differences of the two types of GramCity users, I mapped out a photographer's journey, from the moment they travel to a new place, to getting a great photo.

This end-to-end experience map highlights the main steps in a user’s journey, while taking into consideration each type of user’s preferences. This visualization later helped me define concrete features of the flow on Day 3.

Day 2 - Sketch

In order to begin sketching, I did competitive research on travel-planning websites and apps. I found UI inspiration and some layout ideas for my own design from these already established models.

With inspiration in mind, I did an activity called "Crazy 8s" that helped me quickly ideate several sketches for the “Looks for photo ops close by” screen from the end-to-end experience map.

Crazy 8s: draw eight sketches in eight minutes

Selecting one of the Crazy 8s screens and expanding on it by adding prior and subsequent screens in the user flow.

Day 3 - Decide

The third day involved making decisions about my sketches. I began by creating an expansive end-to-end experience map and checklists of content to include in my sketches.

Using the quotes given to me by GramCity, my lightning demos, and my own experience as a photographer, I a number of options for filtering and sorting to include in the searching phase.

I ended up with 18 screens that brought together the feature for GramCity, allowing users to find physical places and locations to take photos, and find and share their own favorite locations.

Fleshing out the rest of my sketches (while listening to Sun Tzu at the library!)

I included the user’s real life scenarios in my sketches in order to see a complete picture of the a user’s journey.

These scenario screens build context and lead the designer to take into account the user's setting and mindset while using the app.

I brought order to the sketches of my storyboard by creating a flow that defines a photographer using the "wander" and "itinerary" features of the design. This storyboard carved the blueprint for my feature’s prototype, to be made on Day 4.

Day 4 - Build

Day 4's task was to build and prototype my high-fidelity design.

I used Sketch to create the screens for my prototype, then Marvel to create the facade of a fully functional prototype.

I chose to stick with GramCity’s pink and white colors for my prototype to maintain continuity within in the app.

Because I only designed a feature, and not the app in its entirety, I left a space at the bottom for navigation tabs, to accommodate the features not included in my prototype.

Enter a location, use your location, or select a spot on the map.