OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - Outcomes and Evaluation

My final outcome can be viewed in a number of forms. Through distribution, I looked at producing an ad for my app that can be seen within Cereal’s biannual magazine however my final video also work well in this way as can be played before Youtube videos and on Facebook. My app can also be previewed using the Adobe XD program where it was made. All the different media comes together to form my final outcomes.

Overall, I feel this project has been successful. By referring to my essay and brief throughout the design process, I have completed outcomes which are successful and well informed. My initial research on independent magazines and print/ digital interactions meant I was confident with my target audience and was able to create an app that was suitable for the user. The research I did on Cereal as a magazine also helped with understanding the target audience however it also influenced the final outcome of the magazine. I was able to get a better understanding of how my app should look. I focused on making use of white space and creating a minimal looking design. 

User experience was another factor that I identified as being important earlier within the brief. This was an aspect of my work that I was able to receive feedback on through critiques and tests with users. Through this I found that my app worked successfully and was easy to use for both planning days out and finding locations when wandering around a city. When designing my app I also found that sticking to Cereal’s minimal themes helped users to navigate through pages. 

cereal city guide app8 from Rob Harper on Vimeo.

OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - Reception

I was able to test out my app using the Adobe XD program on which it was created. This program enables me to test the app on my phone. As I live within driving distance to Bristol, one of the cities that I have developed within the app, I was able to give my mum the app. I did this before she got to Bristol as the app’s reliance on location settings would not be available for use in this trial.

I also decided to ask her a number of questions at the end of her experience with the app and trip to Bristol. This gave me an insight into using my app from a consumer’s perspective. I found this helped a substantial amount in regards to understanding he customer needs.

How easy was the cereal app to use when preparing for your trip to Bristol?

Easy to switch between location with arrows at the top. The homepage was also very clear making it handy when in the city to navigate the app.

Do you think this app would work well when in a city? Yeah as previously said, the homepage is clear and easy to use on the go. The use of location settings make it easy to track where you have visited.

Was there anything that you felt you wanted to do and struggled with within the app?

Navigating between cities was a long process as had to press the back arrows constantly. Maybe if the home page was available from every page?

Is there anything that you think could be added to the app to make it more appropriate for Cereal’s target audience?

Make it even easier to use. This will fit the minimal design of the magazine and will also make it better for use on the go. I also feel that more experiments on the layout may also lead to better final pages

Can you suggest any other ways my app could interact with the user to add to a better user experience?

Could have more interactivity between each location and the user. Like restaurant menus, deals on and events.

Any other comments?

Would be good if there were more cities making it easier to plan city breaks in advance. Could also create some kind of leader board to compete with people on places visited.

I also decided to ask someone who better suited Cereal’s target audience the same questions. I asked Luke, who is 21 and fits within the independent magazine’s target market being a graphic design student in Leeds. The responses were as follows:

How easy was the cereal app to use when preparing for your trip to Bristol?

Do you think this app would work well when in a city?

Did you find it easy to use the app?

Was there anything that you wanted to do and struggled with within the app?

Is there anything that you think could be added to the app to make it more appropriate for Cereal’s target audience?

Can you suggest any other ways my app could interact with the user to add to a better user experience?

Any other comments?

OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - Distribution

As this product would be available through the app store, distribution is different to physical magazines. Because of this, one thing that must be considered within post production is that the app is known to the target audience. This can be done by advertising in appropriate places and appropriate ways.

One place this app could be advertised is within the magazine itself. My previous research on Cereal Magazine gave me a good idea of what this ad would look like so I started creating one to go alongside my finished app. This was then mocked up within a magazine to show how it would look.

I started looking at different places an ad could be placed. I created some more, similar designs and mocked these up.

My final video could also work well as an advertisement in a number of different formats. This could be used before youtube videos and other places online where video advertisements are used.

With such a large following on social media, in particular on Instagram, I found this would be a good way to advertise the travel guide app to the appropriate audience.

OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - Production

My sketches gave me a good idea of how my app may look however I found these hard to reference when starting to mock up some ideas on Illustrator. Because of this, I decided to recreate my final wire frames digitally. This made transferring designs from illustrator to the XD program process easy and quicker. These wire frames are seen below.

Before bringing my work onto Adobe XD for the main production of the work, I decided to mock up some important parts of the app. One I looked at extensively was the location screen as I had to make sure all the information I wanted to give could be accessed at any one time. I also felt it was important the photo gallery was well displayed.

I transferred my wire frames and mock ups onto Adobe XD. This gave me the opportunity to explore the app myself before it was tested later in the process. Using XD also sped the process of building an app up.

If this was to become a commercial product, My next stage in development would be to find a developer to help create the app. It would then go through several stages of testing before it’s released.

OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - Development

After creating a site map in my initial ideas and bringing it to a peer critique, I decided this idea was most appropriate for progression. My next stage in further development is to mock up a number of wireframes. My focus will be on user experience and making sure my app is easy and enjoyable to use for my audience. I must also look to my research on Cereal and user interactivity to help inspire my work.

I first created a number of wire frames by sketching in my notebook. These were a good start to this process and showed me a number of different ways my layout could be designed.

My sketches gave me a good idea of how my app may look however I found these hard to reference when starting to mock up some ideas on Illustrator. Because of this, I decided to recreate my final wire frames digitally. This made transferring designs from illustrator to the XD program process easy and quicker. These wire frames are seen below.