Relationships App V1
Noortrue is a speculative project inspired by personal frustration. When I was younger, I easily remembered my friends’ and family members’ birthdays and other special dates. As I grew older and busier, I found it harder to stay on top of these important dates and be original with my gift-giving. My goal was to provide a solution for people with similar struggles. Noortrue is a play on words derived from "Nurturing" and "True," as the app hopes to empower users to nurture their relationships while highlighting their true gift-giving personalities.
Format: App
Year: 2022-2023
Role:
- UX - UI
- visual Designer
- researcher
Tools:
- Figma
- Zoom
Understanding the Problem
When remembering dates, most people immediately think of Facebook's birthday notifications or a couple's anniversary reminder. Yet the platform does not have set features to keep track of other dates with friends, family, and loved ones. Memorable occasions like graduation dates, a first trip together, a first kiss, promotions, or any other significant events that deserve celebration don't have a place in the current digital ecosystem. However, these dates are worth commemorating, as they remind those involved about the shared joyful moments and bonds.
Celebrating special moments is usually paired with a gift or experience that commemorates the occasion. When exploring gift-giving, I looked closer into the concept of "Love Languages," which describe the different ways that people express and receive love. This was helpful as my initial idea was to drive the app toward just physical gifting.
Research Methodologies
There were two methodologies used for this UX research. First, I used Competitor Analysis to learn about other apps and compare them with the proposed features for this app. Parallel to this, I completed in-depth interviews (qualitative) to understand the behaviors, personalities, needs, and pain points of prospective users.
Competitive & Feature Analysis
With numerous relationship apps on the market, it was crucial to validate whether other apps focus on reminders and if gift/experience options would make the app competitive.
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Most apps focus on romantic relationships, putting a high emphasis on staying present and connected. Communication and other features, in some cases, are tailored for couples in a long-distance relationship.
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Some form of timekeeping is present in all of them. However, only Lovedays and Dreamdays have a calendar where users can add more than just one important date.
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Apps like Touch Note offer gift ideas around stationery and photography.
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·Notably, at least four of the five apps use advertising to monetize, which can only be removed through a premium plan.
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While some apps offer the option to name the user’s significant other, there are no other options for the user and the app to understand the significant other’s needs and wants.
User Interviews
I interviewed a total of ten people, five men and five women. I defined the age group between 25 years old and 50 years old. The criteria for this segment were based on the following hypothesis:
-Young people between the ages of 12 and 24 usually build relationships through social interactions, activities, gatherings, and online exchanges. People ages 50 and older generally have set dynamics and systems for tracking their relationships. Their lives are less busy as they approach an age where work is figured out, and family is established. Users between the ages of 25 and 50 are usually in a busier stage of life. Work, love relationships, kids, life opportunities, ambitions, and a high focus on life goals keep this age group busy, making them the perfect age bracket to interview.
Further filtering of these users was random, as it relates to the profession, religion, sexual orientation, and other demographics that were not in the scope of what the app would address. Interviews were mainly conducted via Zoom or Google Meet.
Findings
Overall, users expressed similar experiences in which they often forgot or came short when celebrating a meaningful occasion with a close friend, relative, or loved one. Men had the most difficulty tracking dates and figuring out what gifts to give. Many expressed a sense of hopelessness, not knowing what the person on the receiving end would like as a gift or experience.
On the other hand, women were more attentive to particular dates, mostly romantic, and were creative in their gift-giving efforts. It was interesting to note how giving, for many, goes hand in hand with receiving. Many had specifically defined considerations when giving gifts based on what they had received or might be receiving in the future.
Frustrations
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remembering the date initially but forgetting little time to plan for it
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not knowing what to give to someone they know
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keeping track of other dates beyond birthdays or anniversaries
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previous efforts of gifting either failed or went unappreciated
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unable to define the proper budget for a gift
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some felt reluctant to go above and beyond based on prior gifting or receiving experiences
Needs
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the ability to track multiple dates in a relationship
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ability to keep track of dates for more than one user
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suggestions for possible gifts to give.
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multiple reminders for important dates
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an understanding of what the receiver wants and likes
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control notifications to avoid spamming
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feedback from the receiver on gifts/experiences
Insights
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everyone understands giving and receiving differently
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the concept of "love languages" is unknown to many
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giving is often tied to receiving something in return, i.e, gratitude or a future gift
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few people ask for or receive feedback on what they give
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many people feel that an experience is less valuable than a physical gift, even if it costs the same amount
Wants
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to not have to think about what to give
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to receive timely reminders and control notifications
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to be given suggestions for creative and memorable gifts
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the ability to build a comprehensive profile of the receiver
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to know if the receiver liked the gift, and use that toward future gift-giving
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to make a positive impression on the receiver
The Primary Users
Based on the interview results, I created two user personas, the first representing an unthoughtful gift-giver and the second representing a more thoughtful giver. This helped me realize the importance of the receiver as part of the equation, not just finding ways to help the user with gift-giving but also understanding the one on the receiving end.
Harry Burns
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34 Years Old
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Lives In New York
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Masters Degree in Data Science
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Junior Analyst at Medical Corporation
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Salary $120k/year
Biography
Harry was born into a big family with two sisters; he grew up in North Carolina and moved to New York to pursue a career in Data Science. His ambition is to become a Senior Analyst at his firm and settle down to start his own family.
Personality
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Ambitious
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Workaholic
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Easily stressed
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Not creative
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Self-focused
Frustrations
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Frustrations
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He doesn’t have time to do things outside of work. His relationships don’t last due to his devotion to work.
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He is forgetful about what happens outside of work.
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His current girlfriend feels she is more devoted to the relationship than he is.
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He tries to give, but his girlfriend finds flowers cliche or is never pleased.
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He always runs out of time to prepare for special occasions.
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He feels frustrated that his girlfriend always gets him better gifts than he gives.
Opportunities
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Help him see the value of setting other priorities.
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Help him become a better partner while not sacrificing his work goals.
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Remind him of special dates for the people he cares about outside of work.
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Help him become more attentive to his partner.
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Help him be more creative and thoughtful with his gift-giving, particularly toward his girlfriend.
Goals
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Become a Senior Analyst
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Grow his network
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Connect with people beyond work
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Be more personable, talk less about work
Be someone people talk positively about
“I have given roses and chocolates to all my girlfriends in the past, but it feels like it’s never enough.”
Customer Journey
With Harry in mind, I created a user journey in which he needed to buy a birthday gift for his girlfriend. This exercise gave me an overall idea of where key decisions and frustrations took place, and how the app could assist in the process.
Harry's journey was highly informed by similar experiences of other interviewed users, as well as my own experiences.
Finding Opportunities
I recreated Harry's journey and brainstormed solutions on how the app could best help him. I became aware of instances in the experience where the user needed additional assistance beyond my control, in which the app would need to rely on third-party applications.
How can the app help Harry take action beyond remembering a date?
How might the app give Harry better options for gift-giving?
How might we create a system that learns from the activity input of the user?
Value Proposition
After analyzing and strategizing, based on the competitive research and interviews, it was clear that Noortrue could be an app beyond just a calendar reminder; it could be a tool to help make giving more meaningful. Below is the value proposition for the app.
Go from Disposable
Current Problem
- Last-minute gift-giving
- Generic gifts
- Doesn’t strengthen the relationship
- Unsurprising
- Not to their liking
To Memorable
Solution
- Buy ahead of time
- A considerate gift
- Build memories
- Exeed expectations
- They will cherish it for a lifetime
To Noortrue
The App
- Dedicated Calendar with Reminders
- Gifting/ Experience/ Gesture Suggestions
- Connectivity between giver and receiver
- Feedback between users
Content First
The first step was to do a rundown of all the different types of information the app would manage and how to classify it. Having a user managing the data of multiple receivers was a challenge. I had two options. The first was to have individual areas for Calendar, Interests, Profile, and Activity. The second route was to keep each loved one’s information grouped under one profile-like architecture.
Ultimately, I opted for a user profile architecture where all information about a "Loved One" is grouped under one section. At the same time, I used the benefits of the first option for the navigation, so depending on which Loved One the user is looking at, the menu on the bottom bar works as quick access to that user's details. This is best visualized in the following mockup.
User Flows
To better understand how users could perform tasks, I created user flows for independent goals. These helped me cut out unnecessary steps and see where there was a need for more streamlining of tasks. Below is the user flow and task flow for adding a Loved One.
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Ideation
With a vigorous research and mapping phase completed, and Harry’s journey to design, I began the sketching stage of the design process. For better clarity, I separated the user (the one using the app) and the receiver (the one the user is looking to nurture) and called the latter "Loved One."
Given that I was developing this app on a tight deadline, I kept some of the initial features basic, hoping to develop them further, down the line. Below are the solution goals I kept in mind when ideating the product:
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a dedicated set of features per "Loved One."
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a simple-to-use calendar to add special dates, personalized or pre-set by the app
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a way to let users add the interests of their Loved Ones to improve gift suggestions
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a way to make reservations or buy a gift quickly
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the ability to track the success of a gifting experience
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interconnectivity between a user and their Loved One, both with independent accounts
Low Fidelity Testing
Using mid-fidelity prototypes, I proceeded to present the features to different users. This was incredibly valuable as people testing the app began asking questions about what they could expect. For example, "How will I know which gift suggestion is for which Loved One in my feed?"
Another common question was, “How do I add a date?” Some users tried to add a date by clicking the calendar, while others looked for a dedicated button to "add a date."
Design and Prototyping
The high-fidelity process was a great way to flush the user navigation and information architecture. The prototype imagined the user having three free "Loved Ones;" he/she could add dates and build a profile to nurture each relationship. The prototype focused on three flows: Loved One's management, adding a Loved One, and editing a Loved One's information. Some functional improvements developed in the process were:
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color-coded marks for Loved Ones, allowing users to quickly learn and identify data connected to each Loved One
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access to a variety of gift ideas, including physical gifts, experiences, gestures, and creative opportunities
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adding hashtags for each Loved One to give users a familiar way to build a richer profile for their Loved Ones and to improve the system's suggestions of gift options
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ability to choose from preset reminders based on how attentive they wish to be; see Mockup.
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if both the User and their Loved Ones have accounts, they can share feedback with each other on their experiences under the Activity tab
Wireframes
Take Aways
Updates - Feb 6-2023
March 16-2023
- Currently testing V2 with users to improve flows and features.
- Working on the Activity feed and feedback between givers and Loved ones
Next Steps
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test heuristics
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include nurturing suggestions for other types of Love Languages
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educate users about the app
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develop Order Placement Task Flows
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educate users about their Love Language and set preset configurations for each type
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work on the connectivity of the app to third-party wishlists
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test the app concept bootstrapping functionalities with third-party apps
Conclusion
Relationships are imperative for many reasons, such as increasing our emotional well-being, creating stability, and building a support system. Each relationship is different and nurtured differently, yet giving and receiving is a commonality among all relationships. We participate in gift-giving with those around us, yet we do it with little knowledge about what they want or what is truly memorable for them. Nowadays, we often put more value on quantity over quality; we have hundreds of friends on Facebook, yet we barely know same of them. Likewise, we often value physical objects over experiences, doing something for others, devoting time to someone, or simply being there to listen. Life and the economy move fast, and while that might not change, perhaps Noortrue can help users remain close to those they love through meaningful, memorable gift-giving.