ZAPS

BRIEF

ZAPS is a location-based video app where users can find out what's happening around them. The app was in need of a refined interface that makes it as easy to explore content as it is to share content. Users were posting content but not engaging with others' content nor providing feedback. 

INDUSTRY

Social Media

WHAT I DID

Stakeholder Interview, User Testing, User Interviews, Competitive Analysis, Interface Mockups, Annotations, Interactive Prototype, Infographics

timeframe

3 weeks. July-August 2015. Final project in my design course.

MY ROLE

I worked with a partner on this project. We split duties on comparative analysis and conducted user interviews in tandem. I created the visuals to summarize our research findings, mocked up the interface and assembled the interactive prototype.

Discovery

I started research by using the app during a weekend when I knew I had some social activities. Additionally, we recruited users to test and get fresh feedback. Our test group identified some significant issues.

Feed

“I wish there was a way to escape the video & get back to the app instead of having to watch the whole thing...”

Navigation

"Adding location was garbage too. I'm so used to apps like Uber or Lyft or Instagram already having locations available. I tried to find my location but it wasn't available on the app." 

Feedback

“I have no idea how to like a video.”

Overall Usefulness

“I have no idea why I’d use this app over Snapchat or Instagram...”

My takeaways from a weekend of use were similar to the users. There were issues with the interface and discoverability that needed to be addressed. 

Competitive analysis helped identify who the competition was but also what unique user experience they offered. Furthermore, the analysis identified universal features that needed to be added regardless of our final design solution. Our takeaways made it clear we had to find a way to differentiate.

Ideation

In the initial conversation with our stakeholder, he identified a few key things he wanted to maintain about ZAPS. He didn’t want to become a social network. He wanted posts to be anonymous. He wanted location to be a large part of the experience, as the purpose of the app was 'to find out what happening around you.'  All content being tied to a location was a constraint that provided an opportunity. 

We decided to focus on a new user type- a location owner or business user. If the user was posting clips or photos at a location, that content could be useful to the owner. From our research, we found Snapchat didn’t cater to the small business owners with the ‘geofilters’ feature- a feature that Snapchat users stated they loved in our research.

Creating custom locations was a pain point in user research. iBeacons were the solution to our problem. The beacon could provide location-specific context for adding overlays on videos or photos. They also opened up the possibility for the business to capture user analytics and offer promotions to ZAPS users.

To validate these ideas were interviewed veteran bartenders, bar owners and nightclub owners to get an idea of their business needs. We asked questions about how they used social media, kept track of customers in venue and offered promotions. These interviews validated the ideas we had begun to explore.

Solution

The redesign ZAPS is largely focused on making it into a platform where users can find out what's going on around them and a platform where businesses can connect with customers. 

For the existing user, I addressed the UI issues by adding features to the interface that made it simpler to use and easier to provide feedback. Content is easier to find and can be accessed individually. 

Utilizing iBeacons, ZAPS would offer additional functionality inside a partner venue. Partners could use the platform for posting promotional videos and offer customers an engaging experience. Beacon platforms can scale to the business' needs and capture valuable analytics. 

mockUPs

Prototype

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