Introduction
Background
Lynk was created to tackle a challenge that my peers and I experience: knowing where to go or what to do when we are looking to have a fun time— a feat that is especially challenging when we find ourselves in an unfamiliar city.
Role
• UX Research
• Information Architecture
• Visual Design
• Wireframing
• Prototyping
• UX/UI design
The Problem
1. Users who seek social events and places have trouble finding events that cater to their specific wants/needs/interests.
2. Users who seek social events and places have trouble gauging the reality of events they find online due to lack of reliability, photos, videos, and/or reviews.
3. Users who seek social events experience difficulty with finding accurate/up-to-date hours of operation, address, and prices.
4. User’s have difficulty keeping track of social events and places that they would like to visit.
The Solution
1. Lynk allows users to specify/narrow down results using an extensive filter feature.
2. Lynk provides users with the ability to gauge the reality of events with features such as real photos, videos, and reviews from verified customers. We've also included a “like”/”upvote” feature on all pictures, videos, and reviews to provide reliability ratings.
3. Users will be able to easily access logistical information about events such as hours of operation, address, and pricing which will be featured on the top of the events’ profile pages.
4. Users will be able to send events/places of interest in app via private messages, and save events/places to personal and shared lists for easy access and organization.
User Research and Insights
I conducted a survey which was distributed to friends and family. The survey explored the following questions:
1. What platforms do you usually use to find restaurants/bars/lounges/clubs/social events online?
2. How often do you search for restaurants/bars/lounges/clubs/social events online?
3. What is your main goal when searching for restaurants/bars/lounges/clubs/social events?
4. Is there anything you look for on an online platform to search for restaurants/bars/lounges/clubs/social events? If yes: what are you looking for?
5. How long do you spend on searching for restaurants/bars/lounges/clubs/social events?
6. Think about a frustrating experience you had searching for restaurants/bars/lounges/clubs/social events online. What happened to make that experience frustrating?
7. How would you improve the experience of searching for restaurants/bars/lounges/clubs/social events online?
The survey I conducted provided me with the following insights:
1. Users' main objectives when searching for social places and/or events are to find places that are within their price range, age range, and appeals to their personal preferences.
2. Two of the most sought after features that users' seek in a platform that connects them with social places and/or events are thorough reviews and advanced filtering options.
3. Lastly, the main pain points for users while using their current search methods are incorrect or misleading information and lack of reliable reviews.
Utilizing the insights I gained from my survey, I compiled the following user journey maps. The first follows the imaginary user's experience before using the Lynk app, and the later follows their experience after discovering Lynk.
Before Lynk:
After Lynk:
Information Architecture
Design System
Lynk is trustworthy and reliable, all while remaining fun and evoking a universal sense of play. This is stylistic choice is reflected Lynk's brand identity components shown below.
Here's a deeper glance into the individual page designs of the Lynk app.
Wireframes
Prototype
Now, it's your turn to explore the Lynk app via an interactive prototype.
Key Takeaways
1. Research
For future projects, I would like to place more time, energy, resources on user research and analysis.
2. Accessibility
I will take time to become deeply familiar with the specifics of A11Y, and make sure that my designs fit into the parameters outlined by these accessibility guidelines.
