RESEARCH

Seven user interviews, including Zoom Interviews, phone and in-person interviews were conducted. We developed two interview guides, one for each user base. One was directed to quilt creators (suppliers) and the other toward quilt recipients (consumers). I conducted a Google Forms survey to get feedback from those who would be donating their quilts.
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EMPATHY MAP

We created empathy maps for the Quilt Creator and the Quilt Recipient based on our interview and survey data to help us better understand the two users' behaviors, attitudes, and needs.

 Key findings we derived from the interview and survey:

• Quilters find joy in the creative process, but don’t always know where to find people who will find their quilts useful.
• Quilters enjoy getting to know the people who receive their quilts.
• Quilt makers interviewed were women over age 60.
• Most quilters rated themselves a 2 out of 5 for tech savviness. 
• Recipients would like to know the maker’s story and the characteristics of the quilt.
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USER PERSONA

I created a User Persona based on our observed and researched data to help us define the user we are designing the app for. We decided to focus in on the quilt creator Susan.
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USER JOURNEY MAPS

We created a User Journey Map for the quilt creator Susan to help us visualize and better understand her needs, so we could meet her needs in our app design.

We also decided to create a journey map for the quilt recipient Adam so we could get a better understanding of the other target user's needs.

FEATURE PRIORITIZATION MATRIX

Based on the data from user interviews, we conducted a feature brainstorming session. We used the “I like, I wish, what if” design thinking method with low complexity, high impact/priority to help us decide which features should be a priority.

• We decided to focus first on features that would allow quilt creators to create a searchable profile to showcase their quilts and their personal stories.
• We then decided we needed a search feature to allow quilters to find quilt seekers with whom they might want to converse and potentially arrange an exchange. A “favorite” function would allow quilters to save profiles of interest to them.
• Quilter’s profiles would include photos of themselves and their quilted creations, with the ability to tag quilt attributes to aid seekers in searching for quilts that might speak to them personally.
• A chat/message feature would be designed to facilitate conversation between users.
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USER FLOW

Next we created a user flow to define the path in which the user will navigate through the app. We created three flows the user will go through: entering the app, creating a profile, and viewing/sending messages.
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WIREFRAMES

Once we created our user flow I did some quick sketches of mobile screens for the creating a profile flow steps.

I then created some digital low fidelity wireframes for the creating a profile flow steps.

Some of my teammates created screens for the other two flows. We combined our flows and decided to test them with users over Zoom.

USER TESTING

We asked users to walk through the prototype and offer feedback. Users asked for:

• Clearer descriptive language on coaching pages.
• Dummy heads to indicate which are profile pages.
• A logo that tells a story.
• Labels and descriptors for icons.
• Consistent icon sizing, and clear use of back buttons and hamburger menus.

My Wireframes with changes made after user testing feedback:

PROTOTYPE

Here is our final app prototype with our combined flow screens.

VIEW PROTOTYPE

CONCLUSION

In a moment when people are feeling atomized and disconnected — after the upheaval of a global pandemic — our research shows that many of us are craving authentic connections. Our research shows that many people who create quilt crafts would enjoy giving them as gifts, and that there is a large number of people who would enjoy receiving a gift for themselves, or facilitating a gift for a loved one.
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FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

Adding UI and taking the app to high fidelity.
We also think there is a market opportunity for one of the large craft suppliers to create social communities among their user base.
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