Considering Aggregate Market and Ecosystem Positions for Mobile App Development - Datenite Mobile App

Overview:

Have you struggled with switching it up? Tired of going out to the same old places? Datenite is here to help you with "venue fatigue".

Datenite is a mobile application that hosts restaurants and other popular spaces and makes suggestions to users based off location and retroactive data.

In a mobile app development market dominated by dating and social media apps, Datenite sits at the bottom of the digital-to-reality interaction funnel.

Datenite's position in the ecosystem means it uses social media, Google search, and dating apps respectively as Top-of-the-Funnel qualifying mechanisms for generating user interest.

The app includes pre-generated go-to categories including popular near the users location and first date options.

The apps opens into a card based user interface where the cards offer the minimal amount of information a user needs to make a decision.

If the user is inclined to learn more information about the venue presented on the card they may tap and expand the card to see a summary of the venue and reviews.

Options on this page also include prompts for making reservations or getting directions.

Process: Initialization and Discovery

My Role: 

This is an idea I would like to develop into my own company. I owned the product and conducted the process from research to prototyping. I was the UX and the UI Designer.

Goal:

The goal was to create an experience that enables users to streamline their process of selecting venues for dates based on preferences and retroactive data.

Challenges: The Missed Opportunity 

The internet has changed the way modern generations meet and court. In addition to this filter, the addition of smartphones and specialized applications has added even more nuance to these rites. There are many applications that allow people to meet but do not necessarily on places users can go after they meet.

Many of the dating applications available to the market now concentrate on top-of-funnel interactions; the base of dating: meeting people. Datenite takes advantage of this missed opportunity by participating in the dating industry not as a dating app, but as an app that suggests places for dates and "datees".

Problem Discovery:

As a person who goes out frequently, I found myself patronizing the same venues.

Further, certain places are good for dates, while bad for getting together with college buds. We want to make sure people have enough information by which to select a venue appropriate for their needs. 

Comparative Analysis:

To understand where this app fits in the aggregate ecosystem I did an analysis of current parallel apps. I found OpenTable and Yelp and constructed this table.

Comparative analysis help us to identify gaps in the offerings of our competitors and allow us to integrate and innovate our product design to gain market share.

System Architecture:

In order to get an understanding of the current online and mobile dating landscape,
I mapped the system as it currently exists taking into account all the components that could have an influence on the experience.  I wanted to understand which hardware and software contributes to modern dating.

Research: Understanding and Mapping Users

I conducted several in-person informal interviews with colleagues and friends about their experiences with several different restaurants all over the city.

Here Are some statistics I pulled from a Pew Research analysis of Online Dating:

The research explains the stigma of online dating is rapidly decreasing and the prevalence of online dating is increasing. Also represented in this data is online dating seems to be an activity of affluent millennials who may be willing to pay for exclusivity which is an opportunity for monetization.

This research concludes, there is lucrative opportunity in the dating market for Datenite. 

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Personas:

Using direct quotes from theses interviews and group surveys I developed three user types:
First Daters, Person in a relationship that has gone on many dates with their partner, and a person looking to meet up with friends.

Meet Rich, Kenny, and Rihannon.

RICH

He has recently become close with someone who lives in his apartment complex.

after weeks of flirting and subtle suggestions they agree to a date with Rich. 

Rich really likes the person and wants to make a good first impression. He knows 

the first date can potentially land him a second date and maybe a relationship thereafter. 

INSIGHTS  

Rich wants to take his date to a venue that is affordable and does not have a lot

of background noise or music so he can hear his date.

KENNY

Kenny has been with his partner for a year. It is time for their anniversary. 

He and his partner have been to many restaurants but Kenny wants to step it

up a notch. He wants to impress his partner by taking them to a place that

is a little higher-end and well-known. Kenny knows the venue has to 

be perfect so he wants to make sure the place has good reviews. 

INSIGHTS

Social currency is important to Kenny. He wants to make sure when his partner

tells others where they went the name is recognized. He also wants to make sure

there is optimal risk management in terms of service and date experience. 

RIHANNON

Rihannon is looking for a place to meet up with her friends to catch up. 

She wants to share a few intimate developments in her life and wants a 

venue that is cozy and bears some privacy. She wants to meet on a weekend 

and needs a caffeine kick if she is going to get out of bed before 11am!

INSIGHTS

Rihannon takes her weekends seriously and wants a calming experience and 

all of her friends to be on the same wavelength... so bottomless mimosa brunch is out.

Customer Journey Mapping:

For a new product, customer journey mapping is a crucial step in understanding external and internal factors that can influence reception and interaction.

There are many use cases where we can map a journey. In the instance of Datenite being a new product we are bringing to market, we can concentrate on a journey starting with a first touchpoint from digital marketing initiatives.



I used the Persona of Rich to demonstrate this methodology.

Information Architecture: Organizing Data into Design

Site Map:

After looking through the needs and goals of the personas, the competitive analysis, and some of the other collected data. We can start to work through some of the product requirements and start mapping our product.

Initial Sketches:

Considering each of our users and site map, I began to develop practical solutions that would address each users wants and needs. I started with some rough sketches of a mobile app.

Userflows:

After research  I determined a mobile app was the best conductor of great UX considering the apps functionality in congruence to offline events and other applications that solve the dating problem.

As a mobile application, users will be able to manage their getting and setting a date ecosystem from one device and move about this ecosystem with relative ease.

Offline events include dry-runs, conversations with fellows. Other applications that assist in solving the problem include, SMS applications and navigation applications.

Below are the userflows of our personas.

RICH

KENNY

 RIHANNON

UI Library:

By defining and creating a UI library ahead of low-fi prototyping designers can save time and help define a brand by way of digital product.  

Font styles, brand colors, icons, and base shapes can be chosen and repeated for reference during user interface designing and rapid prototyping.

CLICK FOR PROJECT ON DIGTAL PRODUCT AS BRAND IDENTITY 

Wireframes:

Though the app was initially designed for people to find date spots the open-functionality allows the target audience to expand to anybody who is looking for a place to hang out according to their immediate needs as the personas typify. 

Therefore we can maintain one UI to match many needs.

The app is bootstrapped on a card based UI that opens into a larger synopsis these are the two most important interfaces of the app.

Usability Testing:

Usability and user testing is one of the most important steps of the design process. Iterative and never ending there are many stages in the user interface design journey where we can start testing.

A good rule of thumb is to begin testing as early as possible. User testing can help us identify gaps in our designs. As UX professionals we are very close to the challenges and have insider information on processes and data that can lead to bias and oversight.

Below is an example of how to initiate a simple user test.

Once the first phase is over we will have gathered enough data to iterate and test further once we have made improvements. 

Conclusion:

Over the course of this project. I applied research, design, and user experience and user interface skills to own and incubate a product that fits into the modern lifestyle and can have a wide range of applications. 

I believe Datenite has the potential to expand and include categories that would make our personas searches even more quick. Including Anniversary, Cozy/Intimate or even Budget.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about Datenite!

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