Miami Hack Week Challenge:
With a week time frame, our team to create a new way for travelers to meet other people of the same interests in different cities. Our initial thoughts drew us to create a travel dating concept. However, we incorporated it for travelers and locals.
The purpose of Gravitate is a mobile app that will allow you to meet other people of the same interests in different cities. Gravitate users will have control over who shows on their feed to interact with.
The purpose of Gravitate is a mobile app that will allow you to meet other people of the same interests in different cities. Gravitate users will have control over who shows on their feed to interact with.
Gravitate to others who share the same passions as you, and create a connection!
Problem Space:
Our Design Process:
Research:
During the investigation of our problem space, users found dating apps to be very complex and wanted to be able to have more control over who they have displayed on their feed. Users find dating apps to be very beneficial to create new connections while traveling to different cities.
Problem Statement:
Once we looked more into our problem space and researched qualitative data we set out to ask:
"How might we have travelers build new connections with other travelers that share the same passions and interests in different cities?"
"How might we have travelers build new connections with other travelers that share the same passions and interests in different cities?"
Pain Points & Insights:
- People want to meet others that share their deep interests and passions for connections of all kinds - but there's no easy way to do that.
- Dating apps seem to be just for dating. Social media can be overwhelming and it is hard to find someone to connect with.
- Dating apps don't allow you to filter/prioritize people that share your passions and interests but instead just your general dating criteria and preferences. The majority of dating app designs are exhausting and too instinctual.
- There are many people on dating apps that would love to connect with people platonically, but it's all framed as dating.
Writing The User's Stories:
Our Persona:
After our research and design thinking process, we created our persona based on our insights. We took into inconsideration travelers who are seeking adventure and who travel with friends or are solo travelers.
Ideating Our Designs:
Moving into our design, we started by sketching out our ideas for Gravitate. While sketching, I considered the priority of content and simplified the organization of each page. We sketched out our ideas of having "passions" and "interests" as a filter effect for users to view people of the same interests.
Lo-Fi Wireframes:
Passions and Interests Feed
Users will be able to have a way to select their interests and passions on the main screen and be able to view only those who share the same passions and interests.
Location Change Feature
Users will be able to have a way to switch their locations and connect with others in different cities they plan to travel to.
Visual Identity:
When designing Gravitate our team wanted to give a vibrant appeal to the fun and lively spirits of travelers. Adding vibrant colors of teal along with shades of tan and yellow to the design, led us to our visual identity of Gravitate.
Hi-Fidelity Wireframes:
For gravitate we wanted the main focus to be that the users have control of who they see on their main feed. Beginning from the onboarding process, users are allowed to select their passions and interests.
Change Location Feature:
We wanted to incorporate a change location feature for users to be able to simultaneously switch their locations and connect with others in the city they plan on visiting. With this feature, users can make new connections, make plans within the city with locals and other travelers.
Gravitate To Others, & Make A Connection
Users will be able to make new connections with others who share the same passions and interests. With these shared passions and interests, travelers will feel more confident in meeting and socialize with those they meet on Gravitate.
Walking Through the Experience:
Next Steps:
- Test, test, test
The first immediate step would be to test our prototype with users and implement any necessary changes to Gravitate.
-Visual Design Improvement
After user testing we will make the necessary changes, then incorporate additional screens for the users who will be local in the cities.
-Incorporate Expansions
We are planning on implementing a "hot spot attraction" section for local businesses within than city to be able a well-known hot spot for people to Gravitate to new connections in person.
Takeaways:
For our Miami Hack Week challenge when creating Gravitate, we kept in mind our users who would-be travelers. It was not to be seen as a dating app but a way to connect with others who share the same passions and interests. With this concept, we were able to have a better understanding of travelers who travel solo or with friends. The opportunity to work closely with people from different cities and quickly create a concept that will benefit travelers and locals was a memorable experience for me. This project allowed for us to learn together and challenge each other on our team, which has truly made me a better overall product designer
