Daniel Thorson
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Overview
I created this original app design for an annual men's event called The Guy's Weekend with the goals of making the process of learning about the event, finding the physical location and registering as simple as possible. One of the biggest needs was to get the guys registered quickly for this event, so the register button was highlighted green to give it a strong call to action. Some of the other most needed features such as a map of the camp as well as the schedule for the weekend were located on the homepage for easy access.
Key Developments
I interviewed four specific groups of users. Those who had attended this event before, those who had not, younger users and older users. I selected these four categories to get a better idea of combined needs from new users and returning users of this event as well as whether or not the navigation of this design was easily understood by varying age groups.
I sketched my ideas on paper to help me quickly flush out deigns and explore concepts. This is vital to getting the foundation of an idea worked out before jumping too early into UI design. It also helped me consolidate and streamline functions and information which made the presentation of content much easier to comprehend.
I used Figma to design the user interface and setup the high fidelity prototype for testing. This prototype used some of the newer features in Figma such as component variants that were used for a todo style checklist of camp items the men would need to bring on the trip. Using the variant feature gave the prototype interactive elements for the test users to experience.
I was responsible for designing and creating a logo for this event. This logo was used for brand association as well as for merchandise. Designing logos and icons is something that I really enjoy doing. My favorite part about this logo is the design of the lumberjack’s head. It was inspired by a friend of mine who happens to have an equally epic beard!
The Details
Originally the register button was placed in the middle of the screen with a strong call to action in order to encourage the users to register since that was deemed the most needed feature by the event organizer.
The Problem
Originally the register button was placed in the middle of the screen with a strong call to action in order to encourage the users to register since that was deemed the most needed feature by the event organizer.
The Solution
The registrer button placed at the bottom in order to create a linear experience. This update resolved the layout design and no further issues were reported on the home page. This change did not impact the user’s ability to find the registration or diminish the call to action.
The Details
Payment needed to be integrated into registration in a way that would record the payment option users choose so that the admin could ensure that those payments had been received in their various forms.
The Problem
There were several pieces of information that needed to be collected. Some users would need to pay now, some would need an option to pay later and some would need a request a sponsor. The other issue was that the registered users would need to have their payment options recorded so that the event organizer to track which users had paid, which users had not paid yet and which users required sponsors.
The Solution
I developed a payment option funnel that forced the users to select either:
This step finalized the register information and gave the event organizer the needed payment history embedded into the user’s registration information.
After designing the initial interface in a flat design for testing, the app owner wanted a more fancy visual style, but he gave me free reign to play with colors. I began different mockups and came up with these five styles.
Users were then polled on which of these visual styles they preferred and which style they found easier to use. Ultimately the "Minimalistic Design" was the overwhelming winner, so that was the final design choice.
I enjoyed this part of the project the most since my background is in graphics. I'm one of those people that actually like pushing pixels around.
