UX Project: Remember App
Full UX exploration of the app Remember
- a work-in-progess
I am exploring the user-experience of Remember because it’s a powerful tool that is under-utilized and just short of serving its users the best it can.
Remember Redesign Proposal
STRENGTHS Currently looking at the product as-is, it has some incredible tools built-in. For example, the automatic geo-location tool, and the social network prompt sync are slick and helpful to the key goal of remembering more names.
WEAKNESSES I think the entry and welcome phase of the product has some mis-steps. Until you have built some content, the tool appears a little over-simplified. Requiring a Facebook Connect as the only registration option eliminates users without a Facebook account. Additionally, there could be a tool built in to remind people to take notes after events or gatherings. Another feature I think would help is giving hints and simple lessons in how to build your name memorization skills.
Research Plan
The objective of my research was to gain insight into the pain and problems people experience while learning and forgetting people’s names. The intent of the research was to find a better understanding how many people feel they experience name memory problems, as well as what sorts of tools people already use to help their name recall. The goal will then be to find a way to utilize natural intuitions to help people easily record/recall names.
I chose my research participants based off the personas I created. These are people working daily in a role where remembering names, colleagues, connections, and clients is important to their success. I had originally used teachers in my research but eventually moved away from that after learning in face-to-face interviews that teachers use their own methods for name recall much separate from the way most other people do.
Usability Heuristics Analysis
I have compared the usability of Remember alongside the competitors Namekeeper, Name Shark, and Namerick. Please visit the the report for my full analysis.
Empathy Maps & Personas
MVP Features & User Stories
Please visit the user story sheet to explore the user paths I wrote based off of Ruth, Jolene, Chris, and Jill.
Card Sort & Sitemap
Card sort for the Remember app began with recruiting three people who very closely represented three of my four personas. I saw a theme in most of the process, where all three saw a division of the app into Account Creation or Login, Navigation or Functionality, Network Expansion, Adding a new connection, and Reviewing Existing Connections. The one area where there was a clear division, was adding syncing methods related to finding new connections' social media accounts. These tasks are very related, so the disconnection and overlap makes sense. My users interchanged the terms connection and friends often, so I can probably pursue either route on that terminology. Based on the app's existing layout, I think I have a good grasp on how to add the additional features and still allow a simple user path and experience. I think adding the new functions will be carefully built upon the existing layout, while focusing on keeping the present user-experience similar in-order to build it out while staying familiar and simple.
Please visit the card sort sheet to explore the data.
User flows
Initial Sketches & Wireframes
In the rough draft sketches and first draft wireframes, I explored three main layout structures for the app. One is basically using the existing UI structure, of a scroll home screen with previews of the secondary screen's content. The second was a dashboard with the main functions offered up front. The third UI structure option is a fixed navigation at the bottom with the app's main features accessible on all screens. I moved forward with option two, as it seemed most obvious how to utilize the functions with the app in this layout and structure.
Wireframes v1
Prototype v1 for User Testing
This is an example of the first round of prototype I tested. Below you'll see my second iteration.
Wireframes v2
Prototype v2 for User Testing
I'm currently testing these mid-fidelity prototypes with users. Please visit for a click-thru experience of the app.
Remember Pattern and Style Guide
Usability Research Evaluation
Conclusion and summary after round 1 and round 2 of designs and testing.
From my first round of user testing with a prototype in InVision, I was able to pick up on some patterns of misunderstanding or language problems. The intro and login was easy, but once on the home dashboard, some of the options seemed redundant or too similar. The LISTEN NOTES and Listen action button, though closely related, were too similar to understand the reasoning for two buttons. The Remember action button and the Reminders, although two very different tools, seemed to be almost the same to a user, thus a vocabulary change needed to be assessed.
The recording or listen tool was confusing as to why or when you would use it. To review, more context into the higher fidelity design was needed to understand how to quickly review your listening notes.
The calendar was pretty easy to use and understand, although why to have reminders in a calendar for name recall was something I needed to address. Some rewording of the on-boarding and hint messaging was the route I took.
In the People section, the Met Recently and Met Through was too subtle. When adding a new person, the best way to gain more info is by using your mutual connections, but this was hidden and understated in the app’s original design.
V1 Screens For Round One Usability Prototype Testing
Taking cues from my first round of designs and testing, I reworked the home dashboard to three main sections and two action buttons with icons rather than words. Upon testing, the reduction to three main sections by removing Places made sense to my users since they didn’t find a reason to use Places as a source to recall names. Maybe in a later iteration when Places is more fully developed, this can be reintroduced.
However, the icons for action buttons caused a little confusion. I would go back and add the word labels to these action buttons on a third round of designs and testing.
The Listen/record tool still has some language issues in the on-boarding hint screen. Once the user plays around with this tool, but they are still initially confused about the use of it at opening of the tool. The Listen/record screen and saving and review designs are easy to use and actually delight the user once they realize how simple it is to pickup names from their conversations and have them saved for future profile creation.
The People screens are a little easier to use, but the Met Recently and Met Through are still a little too subtle. The user really wants to use the search method, so developing that for testing would be key as well.
The new design for adding a new connection is much more intuitive, having the prompts to predict via geo-locate and then ask if they have met through a mutual friend. The speed to sync the profile via Facebook was much faster and intuitive as a useful method to the user.