Project Overview
Project Context
Snapper is the electronic smart card payment option for the Greater Wellington Region. The current Snapper app is spread out across various pages and lacks useful features that could simplify the daily commutes for Wellingtonians.
Timeline
2 week project
Team
Solo Project
Role
UX Research, Interaction Design, Product Design, User Centred Design
The Challenge
This 2-week project was done to expand my mobile design skills and to deepen my understanding of user interface design. I aimed to reimagine the Snapper app by addressing key user pain points, restructuring user flows and enhancing the overall user experience. This required creating clean, visually consistent layouts that balance simplicity with functionality.
The Result
I created an interactive, mobile prototype that improved the IA and functionality of the original app. This re-imagination of the app introduced functions such as freezing your card and a station search, allowing users to keep track of services. The ability to freeze a card added a layer of security that the original app lacked, while the station search functionality gave users easy access to real-time service information, simplifying trip planning and station navigation.
Key Takeaways
Meaningful design
Creating a strong mobile app goes beyond aesthetics; It's about providing real value to the user. This project emphasized the importance of designing features that address everyday challenges this user base encounters and developing practical solutions to enhance their experience.
Avoiding complexity
Simplifying navigation improves accessibility. This project reaffirmed that intuitive designs help users quickly find what they need without unnecessary clutter.
Iterative mindset
Embracing an iterative design approach allowed for continual improvements, highlighting the value of adapting throughout the design process.
Designing the Solution
Primary Research
I analysed transport and service-related apps like MetLink, Auckland Transport, and Wise to understand how they tackle challenges that enhance usability. I gathered insights from these products and used them to inform my redesign to better meet Snapper users’ needs.
Secondary Research
Personas
Based on informal interviews, I developed three personas. These personas provided context and inspiration, serving as a crucial foundation for the next stages of the design process.
User Journeys
I created tailored user journeys for each persona to visualise key touchpoints and pain points with the current state of the Snapper app, guiding my approach to redesigning the app with the goal of introducing new features and improving the overall user experience.
Niels Norman Heuristics
I focused on applying Nielsen's heuristics to identify which principles were evident and which were not integrated in the current state of the Snapper app. This analysis pinpointed design gaps, shaping the focus of the redesign.
Lo-fi Design
Using the insights from my research, I focused on designing an app that prioritized accessible information and intuitive navigation. My low-fidelity process centred around creating a clean and clear user experience, emphasizing a layout that consolidated content into a single page to streamline the user experience.
Final Concept
The goal was to create a product that balances functionality and aesthetics, offering future users an intuitive and seamless experience.
Project link
01.
Improved navigation
The updated design condenses multiple pages into one, streamlining the user experience and making it easier for users to access features and information without unnecessary navigation.
02.
Trip planner
The trip planner feature allows users to quickly find services and stations within the Greater Wellington Region, offering a convenient way to plan trips or top up their Snapper card, all within one seamless product.
03.
Aesthetic overhaul
The updated design retains the vibrant colour palette familiar to Wellingtonians, while introducing a significant aesthetic redesign. The new interface combines a modern and user-friendly look with a simple and clear UI, ensuring an easy-to-use product.
Reflection
Future Considerations
User Testing
This project involved a significant redesign of the original Snapper app, making user testing a critical and invaluable step in the design process. Having done these tests it would have allowed me to identify user pain points, address potential navigational issues, and ensure the design met the needs of real users. While the limited timeframe prevented me from conducting these tests, it remains a top priority for the future development of this project.
Visual Design Refinement
While this redesign of my project focused significantly on improving the navigational and the addition of new features, future iterations could focus on refining the visual hierarchy, iconography and micro-interactions. These improvements would create a more visually appealing and intuitive experience, further enhancing the overall usability of the product.
Key Takeaway
Designing with scalability in mind was a key takeaway. By consciously prioritizing scalability, I ensured that my redesign could evolve to meet future demands, as seen with features like the trip planner. Snapper is a growing product, and this redesign lays the foundation for its ongoing development as Wellington’s primary transportation app.
