Application Design / Class Activity

20.05.24 - 24.05.24 / Week 05
Name: ALYSSA AISYAH BINTI 'ARIEF NASRAN (0364017)
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Application Design (DST60504) 
INSTRUCTIONS

  

CLASS ACTIVITY

Card Sorting

For our first Class Activity on week 5, we were required to bring sticky paper in order to carry out our class activity which consisted of the task of sorting cards according to the category that they belonged to.

Topic
  • Travel Planning Mobile App
Scenario
  • You are designing a mobile app that helps users plan and organise their travel itineraries efficiently.
Purpose
  • The travel planning app is designed to help users plan their trips, organise itineraries, and manage travel details in a convenient and interactive way.
Goals
  • Provide users with an easy way to plan and organise their travel itineraries
  • Encourage users to explore new destinations and travel experiences
  • Connect users with a supportive community of fellow travelers
First, we were split into groups of 3-4, then we were given a list of features the hypothetical app had along with their functions and descriptions.
  • Itinerary builder: Allows users to create and organize their travel itineraries day by day.
  • Destination guide: Provides detailed information about various travel destinations, including attractions, restaurants, and activities.
  • Flight tracker: Helps users keep track of their flight details, including updates and
  • notifications.
  • Accommodation finder: Assists users in finding and booking accommodations such as hotels, hostels, and vacation rentals.
  • Expense tracker: Helps users manage their travel budget by tracking expenses.
  • Packing list: Provides customizable packing lists to ensure users don't forget essential items.
  • Currency converter: Allows users to quickly convert currencies based on current exchange rates.
  • Weather forecast: Provides weather updates for the travel destination.
  • Travel journal: Allows users to document their travel experiences with notes and photos. Travel
  • Checklist: Offers a comprehensive checklist for travel preparations and tasks.
  • Local events calendar: Provides information about local events and festivals happening during the travel period.
  • Navigation: Integrates maps and navigation to help users find their way around their destination.
  • Travel deals: Alerts users about travel deals and discounts on flights, accommodations, and activities.
  • Social sharing: Allows users to share their travel plans and experiences with friends and other app users.
Next, to make it more challenging, the lecturer decided that instead of sorting these features into pre-given categories, we would make our own categories- this helps to gauge user perception on how they would classify each feature which uncovers insights that help in app design.

We were allowed to make as many categories as we wanted as well as add additional features to app if we believed it to be beneficial.

Once the briefing concluded, my group and I started with the task, first by writing out each individual feature on a piece of sticky paper as we were to stick and sort them on a whiteboard in class. Then, we started discussion on first grouping similar features together as it seemed the most coherent and logical at the time before creating our categories. 



1st Prototype

Once we had sorted them, we then created our first prototype and made 4 categories based on each group we created for the set of features; 'Utility', 'Planning', 'Finance Management', 'Experience & Engagement'



Under these categories, this is how we sorted the features:

Utility
  • Language Translator
  • Navigation
  • Flight Tracker
  • Weather Forecast
These features were sorted under utility as these are common features that are generally grouped under this category in other existing apps.

Planning
  • Itinerary Builder
  • Destination Guide
  • Accommodation Finder
  • Travel Checklist
  • Travel Deals
  • Packing List
These features were sorted under planning as they involved the planning portion that a user must carry out before going on a trip, in other words, these are where the details of the trip are sorted out.

Finance Management
  • Expense Tracker
  • Currency Converter
These features were sorted under financial management as they involved features of the app that dealt with money- thus it seemed convenient to put them in one place for ease of user navigation/searching.

Experience & Engagement
  • Local Events Calendar
  • Social Sharing
  • Travel Journal
These features were sorted under experience & engagement as they included the personal experience, community based, social features of the app.


2nd Prototype

For our 2nd prototype, a groupmate of mine proposed sorting them in a different way with different categories as he saw the sorting to be incongruent and completely different to my ideas, so we tried sorting them out according to his idea.


We had retained the experience & engagement category from the previous prototype, but created new ones such as 'Personal', 'Exchange/Conversion', 'Guide', 'Tickets'

Under these categories, this is how we sorted the features:

Personal
  • Expense Tracker
  • Itinerary Builder
  • Travel Checklist
  • Packing List
These features were sorted under personal as he saw these features to be more 'personal' features of the app where the users could customise them to be more personable and individual to them.

Exchange/Conversion
  • Currency Converter
  • Language Translator
These features were sorted under Exchange/Conversion as he saw them as similar features that included the conversion of something, whether it was language or currency.

Guide
  • Local Events Calendar
  • Navigation
  • Flight Tracker
  • Weather Forecast
  • Destination Guide
These features were sorted under 'Guide' as he saw them as features that acted as a 'guide' for planning before going on a trip, it acts similarly to the first category we had before of  'Planning' but under a different name with slightly different features under it.

Tickets
  • Flight Tickets 
  • Travel Deals
  • Accommodation Finder
  • Local Transport 
These features were sorted under 'Tickers' as he saw them dealing with the booking and purchasing of services. 

Experience & Engagement
  • Local Events Calendar
  • Social Sharing
  • Travel Journal
This is the only category that was retained from the 1st prototype, thus these features were sorted under it for the same reason as before.

Additionally, we also added 2 new features we thought would be beneficial to the app to make it more comprehensive
  • Flight Tickets: We added this feature as it didn't seem to make sense to have the feature of 'Travel Deals' yet no specific section on where to book/purchase the tickets since 'Travel Deals' only inform the user of what discounts are available. With this new feature, users will be able to make their bookings directly on the app rather than going to another website or app which makes the overall experience more efficient as an app that deals with travel.
  • Local Transport: We added this feature gaining inspiration from the 'Accommodation Finder' for the convenience of the user as travelling also includes transport. With this feature the user will be able to find local transport in their destination area along with booking them as well.

Final Outcome



We decided to go with his idea instead as he was quite confident and persistent with it since this sorting felt 'right' to him. It was interesting for me to see the difference in perception of how someone else would sort these features since it somewhat revealed how they think in general, it was very different from mine, so I appreciated the difference in opinion and exchange of ideas.

Then, we presented our card sorting to the class, giving our justification for each category and why we sorted the cards like such.


FEEDBACK

Overall Feedback: 
As you can see, the features are sorted somewhat similarly but with different names for the categories. It shows you how the user thinks compared to your own thinking which is different.

Specific Feedback: 
Overall its okay, maybe can sort the features of the app that deals with money under a more suitable category and group them together and switch some features of  'personal' category with guide, other than that its good.

REFLECTION

Reflecting on our card sorting class activity, I found it to be an insightful exercise in collaborative design thinking and user experience (UX) analysis. The task of categorizing features highlighted the importance of diverse perspectives in the design process- especially in relation to the user as they may think differently and have a different opinion. It showed me the importance of flexibility, critical thinking, and effective communication in UX design, and taught me to appreciate different viewpoints and the iterative nature of creating user-centric solution. Most of all, it taught us how collaboration is something that can be utilized as an effective tool in the creation of UX design.

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