Clique - on going project
Clique is a collaborative project initiated by myself and a group of like-minded colleagues. We encountered challenges in coordinating schedules for meetups, which complicated the planning process. Although we attempted to integrate Google Calendars and utilized a shared Discord server, these existing solutions did not fully address our needs. As developers and designers, we identified a gap in the market and decided to develop a bespoke solution tailored to our requirements.
This project is currently underway, and this section serves as a detailed log of our progress. As the lead designer, I am responsible for defining the UX/UI strategy, aligning our design objectives with the development team’s needs, and overseeing the design and implementation phases. My team comprises a graphic and animation designer and three junior designers who are gaining hands-on experience in the field.
With my background in UX, this project has provided a valuable opportunity to mentor and guide my team. They say the best way to learn is through teaching, and this experience has certainly pushed me to refine my skills and expand my expertise. Embracing the challenge of leading and teaching has been an effective method for advancing both my own capabilities and our collective success.
My End to End Role
UX Manager
Visual Designer
UX designer
UI Designer
Graphic Designer
Content writer
Problem Statment
People struggle to align their schedules with friends, making it difficult to plan events, especially with many people. The hardest part is often picking times that are considerate of most schedules. This can create frustration, stress, and ultimately friendship decay.
Clique is an app that allows users to create “Cliques” or friend groups that can connect through shared group calendars to minimize scheduling conflicts and help keep connections strong.
Research Plan
User research involved conducting multiple user interviews and a comprehensive user survey to validate our hypotheses and define the characteristics of our target audience.
The user interviews provided critical insights into how users currently manage scheduling with friends and which apps they have used, helping us identify areas for improvement. This qualitative data allowed us to understand user behavior and preferences, guiding our UX/UI design decisions.
Additionally, competitor research was performed to gain insights into market trends and analyze features commonly utilized by other applications. This analysis enabled us to benchmark against industry standards and uncover opportunities for differentiation and innovation.
User Centered Problem Statement: 56% of users identified time management as the main problem they have in scheduling time with friends, and 17% cited forgetfulness.
Competitor Analysis
- Features: Familiarity or popularity; depth of features, live-streaming, customizable calendars;
- Competitor Advantages: Familiarity or popularity; depth of features, live-streaming, customizable calendars; streaming
- Strengths: Filters, clean UI, large user base, live
- Weakness: Too many features; no calendars; Many groups were inactive; Not able to sort by interests
Hueristic Evaluation
Selected three competitors and conducted heuristic evaluations of their websites.
We applied detailed assessments to evaluate various aspects, including visual design, scan-ability, navigation efficiency, and overall functionality. These evaluations provided valuable insights into industry best practices and user experience benchmarks, informing our own UX/UI strategy and design improvements.
User Interviews
Guerilla Interviews and Surveys were conducted. A card sorting exercise was used to capture the sentiments of the users.
Key takeaways:
- Active lifestyles
- difficult to find time for friends
- mix of young adult males, females, and others
User Surveys
Survey of 40+ likely users allowed more detailed analysis of likely user characteristics.
Key Take Aways:
- Primary Sex:
68% Female - Age Range:
25-34 years old (56%) - Primary Friend Group Size: 4-8 friends
- Want to Spend More Time with Friends: Yes (63%)
Affinity Diagram
User-Centered Problem Statement
56% of users identified time management as the main problem they have in scheduling time with friends, and 17% cited forgetfulness.
Ideation and Brainstorming
Scope The Problem
- The primary features for version 1.0 of the app fit into the high impact / low impact category, i.e.,
- Being able to sign-up and create a profile
- Creating “cliques” or friend groups, and
- Sharing different calendars with friends
- We mixed in a few high-impact / high effort tasks that users really wanted, such as,
- privacy controls and authentication features
Link to Miro Board: Online Whiteboard for Visual Collaboration (miro.com)
Problem Statment Restatment
People struggle to align their schedules with friends, making it difficult to plan events, especially with many people. The hardest part is often picking times that are considerate of most schedules. This can create frustration, stress, and ultimately friendship decay.
Value Proposition
Customer Needs
- Share information w/some friends but not others
- Align their schedules with friends
- Protect privacy
Customer Wants
- To see friends more often
- To meet new friends
Customer Fears
- Stranger Danger
- Revealing location data
Product Benefits
- Make meaningful friendship connections
Product Features
- Calendar sharing
- In-app messaging
Product Experience
- Simple and intuitive
- No irritating pop-ups
- Delightful
Ideation and Brainstorming
User Task Flow Analysis
User Process Flow
- Open app
- Login or Sign up
- Create a profile
- Add contacts
- Home page calendar
- Create a calendar
- Create a clique
- Send friend an invitation
Six main tasks were identified for the user.
- Sign up or create an account
- Log in
- Set up preferences, i.e. interests, hangouts
- Set up contacts
- Create Cliques or friend groups and their shared calendars
- Schedule events and invitations
Story Board
Site Map
Initial Sketches and Wireframe
Usability Testing
- Changed the button text to help users understand what connecting contacts means for the app. “Connect your contacts” became “Connect your contacts to create CLIQUE groups”
- Changed confirmation messages for better clarity.
- Added an edit icon to the profile page to enable a user to edit their profile
Ideation and Brainstorming
Brand Guide
We decided that the personality of our brand is really essential for our app and standing out against competitors.So we put togeher some brand brainstorming along with a high fidelity prototype to really begin seeing how it was going to come together.
Lofi Wireframe
Initial Brand Ideation
Once we had settled on a couple of personality factors we put our final decisions together in a more digestible form.
Desktop First Look
Our developers were eager to begin coding, prompting us to swiftly compile desktop and mobile files for their use.
Recognizing the negative impact of lengthy sign-in processes on user engagement, we undertook significant revisions to streamline our sign-in procedure. Our research revealed a substantial drop-off rate associated with prolonged sign-in durations. Moreover, we allocated resources for the integration of a character into the sign-in page, facilitating our developers’ preparations. Additionally, we decided to introduce dynamic elements by incorporating moving circles throughout the page.
Login Mobile
Following a similar incentive needed with the mobile files, we reduced the amount of login criteria, and modified the brand guide
We chose to develop the calendar for desktop first, as we anticipated its functionality would be more extensive than on mobile.
Once we established a structure we were satisfied with, we continued refining the design elements. Typically, UI development would come later in the process, but since our team is working in an agile environment, we needed to provide the development teams with fleshed-out deliverables as early as possible. This approach has allowed the entire team to collaborate on the UX process, working together at a fast pace. The development team has contributed valuable insights into design functionality that the design team may not have considered, and the reverse has been true as well.
Initially, I felt uncomfortable delivering assets so early without a fully built and tested prototype. However, as we progressed, I realized this method not only fostered a positive team dynamic but also taught me a great deal about development decisions along the way.
All About Branding
As previously noted, we determined that the UI required an update, shifting from mood boards and rough concepts to a more concrete approach. To support this, we developed a concise brand guide.
What's The Point in Making an App No One Knows About?
Next on the agenda was optimizing our social media presence and digital marketing strategy.
We have several key objectives in this area. Our primary goal is to drive user engagement and build brand awareness before the app’s official launch, ensuring we have a highly engaged audience from day one. This early traction will allow us to gather real-time user feedback and implement data-driven adjustments quickly.
To support these efforts, we created a LinkedIn profile and a dedicated splash page to build credibility and generate interest within our target market. These assets will help us engage with potential users and industry professionals, expanding our reach and building anticipation for the app.
Furthermore, generating pre-launch buzz will improve our app’s visibility in app store rankings, increasing the potential for organic downloads and a successful launch.
Finally, the faster we collect actionable user data, the quicker we can implement updates for version two, streamlining the product development timeline and improving user retention.
