Old Town Memory
Role: UX Designer Duration: 3 Months Cooperator: Yunhong Huang
Tool: Figma, Adobe Photoshop Project Nature: Self-Motivated
Background
In China, the cities that have been demolished and rebuilt have erased the memories of many people, and the cookie-cutter buildings have made the cities lose their affinity. Perhaps everyone has a memory that faded as the old city grounds were razed or changed over time.
Therefore, paying attention to the humanistic feelings in those memories and making the resurrection of the prosperous old city that was once razed to the ground in front of citizens and tourists have a different meaning. This is bound to reconnect some people who have been separated and build a platform for them to build new fetters and bonds.
Research
Users Reminisce about the City's Past Appearance
Questionnaire
We distributed and recovered questionnaires, of which 20 were valid. Based on the preliminary results of the questionnaire feedback, we selected 12 users for further interviews.
The research focuses on:
*Users' attitude towards the old site in the old city
- regret, nostalgia, indifference...?
*Users' attitude towards urban renovation
- support, lost feelings...?
*How do users explore the city
- mobile, virtual, entertainment...?
The content of the interview includes but is not limited to:
* Has there been changes in the venue carrying your memory?
* Attitude or emotions about urban renewal?
* Ever explored a city before? Interested in exploring the city?
* Way to explore the city? Explore the specifics of the city?
* Any good suggestions for urban exploration?
Questionnaire Results
Users Don't Understand but Interested in "Urban Exploration"
Interview
Interview Excerpts
Not capable to know or have no way to obtain relevant information
- Users cannot see the previous appearance of old sites carrying memories
- Users cannot get in touch with people they used to know
Few relevant and effective products are available
- No product that can solve users' needs
- Existing products have problems such as low quality
Lack of guidance and motivation
- Users are not motivated enough to explore the city
- Users have no idea how to explore city
No Motivation, No Products
Insight
Residents and Travelers Need Guidance for Urban Exploration
Persona & User Journey Map
Persona for Residents and Travelers
User Journey Map in the Progress of Urban Exploration
Ideation
Six Core Functions in Three Directions
Brainstorm
Addressing the pain point where users lack a medium to preserve their memories connected to vanished old sites and incorporating the suggestions from interviewees on how to conduct urban exploration, we conducted a brainstorming session.
We organized these ideas into six core functionalities in three different directions:
Concept Details
Choose Concept A, B, E
V-F Evaluation & Value Proposition
Then we asked 11 of the 12 interviewees to rate and evaluate these functions. The full score is five points, and the following are the scores of the six functions:
A - 3.82 B - 3.64 C - 3.36 D - 3.18 E - 3.64 F - 3.64
Based on many factors such as the difficulty of technology, our own skills, and the time of the project, we have also made an analysis of the feasibility of realizing these six core functions. We integrated it into a table of "value to users" and "feasibility". (The y-axis represents "value to users" and the x-axis represents "feasibility")
Value - Feasibility Table
Finally we chose concept A, B, E as our core functions. Naturally, our value proposition came into being.
Design
User Flow including Check in, Social Media, and Re-creation
User Flow
Before designing the interface, we sorted out the User flow.
We have listed a separate flow chart for the specific process of Check in.
User Flow
Check-in Process
Three Groups of Testees for Three Iterations
Feasibility Test Plan
We invited 12 interviewees who had participated in the previous interviews to participate in our feasibility test of every iteration. They were divided into 3 groups, indicated by the letters A - L. They were asked to make specific operations under the task instructions, and after the test, scored the model based on subjective feelings (such as the feeling during use) and objective criteria (such as the time required to complete the operation), with a full score of 10.
Iteration I - A, B, C, D
Iteration II - E, F, G, H
Iteration III - A to L
Model with Insufficient Guidance & Difficult Operation
Iteration I
Interface
We hand-painted several core interfaces around the value proposition, and then drew a simple electronic version of the wireframe on Figma.
Hand Drawn Prototype
Test Results - Hard to Understand the Flow
The scores given by the first group of testees are:
A - 7 B - 8 C - 6 D - 7 Average - 7
Existing problems and suggestions that can be obtained from the test. Based on each problem and each suggestion, we proposed solutions and translated them into the design language, making adjustments to the interface. They are as follows:
Check in Needs More Guidance & Other Functions are Perfect
Iteration II
Interface
Test Results - Understandable but Need More Guidance
The scores given by the Second group of testees are:
E - 9 F - 8 G - 7 H - 7 Average - 7.75
Like Iteration I, we also listed problems and suggestions, and proposed solutions and adjustments. They are as follows:
Model with Complete Details & Functions
Iteration III - Final Effect
Interface
Test Results - Improvement Compared to Previous Results
The scores given by testees are:
A - 9 B - 10 C - 9 D - 9 Average 1 - 9.25
E - 10 F - 9 G - 9 H - 8 Average 2 - 9
I - 8 J - 9 K - 9 L - 8 Average 3 - 8.5
Average of All testees : 8.92
It can be found that the final testee's score for the Iteration III model is relatively high and gratifying. Interestingly, since the 8 testees in Group 1 and Group 2 participated in the first two Iteration tests, their scores for Iteration III were generally higher than their previous scores, which also confirmed that the subjects changes to the model are appreciated.
Like Iteration I & II, we also listed problems and suggestions, and proposed solutions and adjustments. They are as follows:
Design System
Mood Board
Main Color
Typography
Takeaways
* Cultivated the ability to guide topics, capture emotions and key information in communicating with users; Learnt collaboration, especially the organization of research, the coordination of details, and the arrangement of work progress.
* User needs and ideas are the source of design language. Works feasibility can be significantly improved through iterative refinement based on users' feedback.
* Based on user-centric methods, designer's profound insight and empathy toward users and their latent pain points, may make them think ahead of users and empower design to become a forward-thinking, pioneering, and guiding force.