HIT381

Team Report 2HIT381

Team Report 2: Adding Functionality and Preparing Testing

Introduction

This document will evaluate the current progress of the project, detailing our project brief, results of user testing, changes, and improvements that we have made to the design of our mobile application prototype ‘Plantify’ based on this user feedback and an expert review conducted by each team member. Supporting documentation has been provided and can be accessed through the links below, and include the prototype created with Figma and a link to the updated implementation plan based on the progress of the project thus far.

Project Brief

Our project aims to develop a user-friendly mobile app for plant enthusiasts, designed to address the disconnection from nature as urbanisation increases.

The app will emphasise four key features:

1. Plant Recognition: This feature enables users to identify various plants and receive personalized care advice.

2. Customised Care Advice: The app offers tailored care recommendations, including fertilising, watering, and lighting requirements, based on each plant's specific needs.

3. Online Flower Marketplace: Users can easily purchase and/or sell plants, flowers, and gardening accessories to expand their collections and enhance their homes or gardens.

4. Community Platform: The app connects users with fellow plant lovers, allowing them to share advice, showcase their collections, and join plant-related groups, fostering a supportive network and a source of inspiration.

 

Link to the Prototype, and Supporting Documentation (+ Team Report 1)

Prototype:

Documentation for Team Report 2:

Team Report 1 Documentation:

User Feedback

User Feedback	Description
Positive feedback on ease of use	Users found the prototype easy to use and navigate
Confusion over purpose of some buttons	Some users were unsure of the purpose of certain buttons or icons.
Request for additional features	Some users suggested additional features they would like to see implemented in the prototype
Positive feedback on aesthetics	Users appreciated the design and overall aesthetics of the prototype
Questions about functionality	Some users had questions about how certain functions worked or how to access certain features

Expert Review

Navigation	Clear and intuitive	Could benefit from more visual cues	Consider adding icons or colour coding to aid navigation
Visual Design	Modern and visually appealing	Some elements may be too small or hard to read	Increase font size or adjust layout for better readability
Functionality	All essential features included	Some advanced features may not be immediately discoverable	Consider adding tooltips or a help section to explain more advanced features
User Experience	Simple and easy to use	Could benefit from more personalization options	Consider adding options for users to customize their experience, such as the ability to save favourite items or create custom settings
Accessibility	Design appears to be accessible and inclusive	No major issues found	N/A

Changes & New Interactions

Based on user feedback, we made changes to clarify the purpose of certain buttons and icons. We added tooltips and labels to provide more context and information about what each button or icon does. We also simplified some of the icons to make them more intuitive and easier to understand. Additionally, we adjusted the placement of certain buttons to make them more prominent and easier to access. These changes were made to improve the user experience and ensure that users can easily navigate and use the prototype.

It is important that users can easily understand and navigate the interface of the prototype. Adding labels and tooltips can help clarify the purpose of buttons and icons, while redesigning unclear elements can improve the overall usability of the prototype. We added tooltips or pop-up messages to provide additional information or context for buttons and icons.

Some users were unsure of the purpose of certain buttons or icons. To fix this, we add labels to most buttons and icons to clearly indicate their purpose.

‘Return / Go Back’ button has also been fixed, in addition to the ‘set reminders’ button being more functional.

Some users found the interface confusing, so we improved the prototype interface to be more intuitive and user-friendly based on some of their feedback. We added swipe to browse to help users browse and view information more easily. We also updated the labels of the buttons and icons to make them clearer and easier to understand. Additionally, we have tried to improve page load times and optimized page layout and design to better accommodate various screen sizes and device types.

Influences on Mobile Design Patterns

Visual Design: The visual design of a mobile app can greatly impact the emotional response of users. Mobile design patterns such as colour schemes, typography, and imagery can all influence the user's emotional response. Emotional design considerations such as using calming colours or images of nature can help create a more positive emotional response from users.

User Experience: Emotional design considerations can also impact the user experience of a mobile app. Design patterns such as intuitive navigation and clear calls-to-action can help users feel more in control and less frustrated. Emotionally designed interfaces can lead to greater satisfaction and a more positive emotional response.

Micro Interactions: Small interactions that occur within a mobile app that can have a big impact on the user's emotional response. These interactions can include things like sounds, animations, or haptic feedback. Emotional design considerations can help ensure that micro interactions are engaging and emotionally resonant, creating a more enjoyable and immersive user experience.

Branding: Emotional design considerations can also play a role in branding. By creating a consistent emotional experience across all touchpoints of the app, users are more likely to develop a strong emotional connection with the brand. This can lead to greater brand loyalty and advocacy.

Teamwork Progress

A bulleted worklist of what has been completed this week and who did what:

User	Team Member	Task
1	Limin Ni	Conducted research on user preferences for plant care apps
1	Limin Ni	Designed wireframes for the plant recognition feature of the app
2 & 3	Dylan Kennedy and Andrew Mu	Integrated the customised care advice and online flower marketplace features into the app prototype
3	Andrew Mu	Worked on the development of the online flower marketplace feature
1 & 2	Limin Ni and Dylan Kennedy	Conducted user testing on the wireframes and made necessary design iterations
4	Md Saharia Hossain Sajjad	Developed the customised care advice algorithm based on plant needs
2	Dylan Kennedy	Worked on the development of the Community platform feature

Presentation

The topics we are discussing and by which team member are listed in the table below:

Topic	Description	Team Member
Plant recognition feature	A feature that uses image recognition to identify plants	Limin Ni
Customised care advice algorithm	An algorithm that provides plant care advice based on needs	Md Saharia Hossain Sajjad​
Online flower marketplace feature	A feature that allows users to buy and sell flowers online	Andrew Mu
Social connectivity platform (community forum)	A platform that connects plant enthusiasts for discussion	Dylan Kennedy

Group 12

Group 12