Month: April 2017

User Surveys

Rachel Hamilton Leave a comment

JAMR distributed an online survey in order to collect information from potential app users in regards to their needs and preferences.

Following ERGO ethics committee authorisation, the platform Survey Monkey was implemented to set up an online survey with a variety of nine multiple choice, sliding scale or open ended questions.

The survey URL was emailed out to the student population of the University of Southampton who fall into the user profile demographics of our design.

The responses were analysed and are discussed below.

 

Question 1. Your Age.

survey Q1

Data suggests that interested users of this app are within the age category of 18-20 (36.36%) and 21-23 (40.91%) with some users aged 24-25 (22.73%).

This matches our predicted demographic of users and aim to market the App at the 18-25 age range, focusing on University students.

 

 

Question 2. Your current level of education.

survey Q2

Data suggests that interested users of this app are currently studying or are about to commence study at degree level.

This supports our intention to market the app at University students.

 

 

 

Question 3. Do you have any travel experience before you started university degree?

survey Q3

Data suggests that majority of interested users of this app have some travel experience (61.9%) with almost one third of users having a lot of experience.

This data has justified our responses have come from users with experience that can better suggest travel app solutions and those who are more likely to use the app itself.

 

 

Question 4. When do you use the internet when searching for travel inspiration?
survey Q4

Data suggests that interested users of this app search for travel inspiration in the weeks prior to travel and during travel (86.36%).

 

 

 

 

Question 5. During travel.
Survey Q5a

Data suggests that interested users of this app mainly use online public searching platforms such as google and bing (77.2%) whilst travelling, or social networking sites such as facebook (54.55%).

The ‘Other’ response was Twitter.

This suggests that there are no travel specific social networking platforms currently being used.

 

Survey Q5b

 

 

 

 

 

Question 6. What online platforms(s) do you use for travel socialising and sharing?

survey Q6

Data suggests that interested users of this app rely on facebook (77.27%) and TripAdvisor (45.45%) social networking platforms for travel based information sharing.

This suggests that there are no travel specific social networking platforms currently being used.

 

 

survey Q6b

 

 

 

 

Question 7. How often do you use mobile apps?

survey Q7

Data suggests that interested users of this app are keen users of mobile devices for information seeking, either solely user a mobile smart phone (40.91%) or using one at least daily (40.91%).

This data supports our decision to focus development of our app for the mobile smart phone market initially.

 

 

 

Question 8. Why do you choose the internet to help you pick travel destinations?

survey Q8

Data suggests that interested users of this app use the internet to help choose travel destinations because it is convenient (72.73%) or that they don’t need to rely on other sources (36.36%).

This supports our decision to focus development of our app for the mobile smart phone market initially.

 

 

 

 

Question 9. Further suggestions.
survey Q9Four of the respondents that were interested users of this app have suggested:

Offline functionality. Which will will include with downloadable maps and guides.

Find a buddy – Tinder style function. Which we will include with the connection feature.

Area specific things to do. Which we will include on our downloadable maps.

Anonymous users. This is not something we plan to include, since the social networking aspect relies on users being visible in order to connect.

Mockups and Prototypes

Maria Bobkova Leave a comment

App product teams need mockups to present their vision and views of the final product and that is why here, in NaviGap, we use top tools to present best UI solutions.

In this post, we will present our mobile screen mockups to show the basic functions of our outlined scope.

Why prototype

No secret, that there is no perfect User Interface which will be explicit, intuitive and efficient for all users. However, close to perfect is possible and achievable with countless efforts, many hours of work and constant improvement. Thinking and interacting with your app just like your user is the key. A prototype is not a final product, it is the field for improvement and work. It starts with simple sketches and gets augmented by adding features, links, interactions, design improvements on its way to perfection. Prototypes allow prototypes allow us to test the feasibility and usability of our designs before we actually begin writing code. They allow to actually test and play with various user interactions scenarios.

Imagine

Sketching an app helps to ‘feel’ the actual thing and maximise ideas if only on the paper. Various techniques from pencil sketches to post-it notes dashboard can be used. We used a simple sketch to get the whole picture and then moved to available prototype tools to implement click-throughs interaction.

mock

Figure 1. A sketch of what we wanted

Click-Throughs

Then, we used JustinMind software to build our prototype and show our user interactions with it.

Here is the basic interaction map:

Picture1

Figure 2. Interaction map

Figures 3-6 show the initial set of Navigap screens simulated on iOS. Interactions are listed according to user action and marked with blue circles.

   Picture2

Figure 3. ‘Main_screen_feed’. Main screen with latest expert feed

Interactions:

4 on Click:   goes to ‘Q&A_with_experts’ with effect: pop

5 on Toggle:   goes to ‘Location_on_map’

6 on Click:   goes to ‘Expert_story’

7 on Click:   goes to ‘Expert_story’

8 on Toggle:   goes to ‘Location_on_map’

9 on Click:   goes to ‘Q&A_with_experts’ with effect: pop

Picture4

Figure 4. Q&A_with_experts. Interaction with expert users

Interactions:

2 on Click:   goes to ‘Main_screen_feed’

 

Picture5

Figure 5. Expert_story. Extended travel story of an expert user

Interactions:

1 on Click:   goes to ‘Main_screen_feed’

Picture3

Figure 5. Location_on_map. Extended map of chosen destination

Interactions:

1 on Click:   goes to ‘Main_screen_feed’

The interactive simulation can be accessed via the link: https://www.justinmind.com/usernote/tests/25458829/25462335/25465092/index.html

Final thoughts

We understand that our highest priority is the user and making their experience pleasant and fun in lines with our goals is a challenge. However, using different approaches, tools and techniques to reach the ultimate App prototype is something we take seriously within our team.

Mobile App Research

amy Leave a comment

 

waving man

 

Mobile apps access a lot of data and are now thought to be integral to many individual’s daily life. They are thought of as an asset or an extension to daily life and can hold a lot of data about individuals, such as location data in travel apps, that can be used to enhance user experience and to customize it.

How it affects us

The first social network appeared in 1997 (Boyd and Ellison, 2007) and since then they have grown exponentially . As our app will also be a social network, the aim is to build trust and ensue the usability of the ap, ensuring the best user service. Online personas are a big factor, anything that can be done to enhance this persona is something to be valued. Our app will enhance the online persona of the  individual, by tailoring it to the specifications and persona of the individual and to ensure it is not a generic user experience. (Harper, 2014)

Apps are now integral to online life but they also enhance an individual’s offline life. This growing app world provides users with vast amounts of information but also to dedicated services, (Kugler, 2016). It has revolutionized ways to communicate, share and create (Harper, 2014) this is why the use of travel apps has grown and the need for them has increased.*

As this CNN article points out, mobile apps are used by many as a substitute for their computer, therefore they wish for everything to be as easy and accessible as it would be on their computer.

Article:

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/20/business/travel-apps/

So what does this mean for our app?

There are always opportunities on the App market, but to truly harness this, ideas must be unique, original and created with users in mind. Apps may one day be the main force of the Web, a connection between online and offline life. Travel company’s and developers are harnessing this potential and understanding that is the next direction for travel if they wish to excel against competitors and be a force in the market (Morley, 2014). This is great news for us as we are able to take our unique idea and user this growth in the market for our benefit.

App’s not only provide content and services, but they break down barriers between users, and provide for a more tailored approach to marketing and advertising. (Richard and Harper, ) Technology is seen as a way to inform and engage and to also bring other closer together. (Dalstrom et al ,2013) The difficulty in developing apps is there isn’t a ‘standardized platform,’ (Heitkotter et al, 2013), therefore in order to be able to ensure saleability the use of advertising and sponsors is integral and to also ensure the freedom for our users when using the app and to not stifle progression in continual development.

hit the nail on the head

Evolving Technology and Saleability 

In order to maximize the benefit of the app market, there needs to be a saleable idea that can be translated through to potential users. Even if the app starts off as being free, in order make money from it it has to appeal to as many users as possible. Society is also susceptible to influence, so the more people who like and recommend the app the more likely it is to transcend past a few users and to reach a target market, (Cheng et al, 2017).

 

In fact many would say that a main draw to using smart phones is the ability to access so many things in app form (Morley, 2014). This efficiency is important and is why travel apps in particular do so well, developers know that people want to travel around, and as easily and stress free as possible. This then paves the way for more and more travel related apps to make sure people travelling have little to nothing to worry about (Molloy, 2013). Apps available free of charge or for a nominal amount mean that they can access a wider audience andare more readily used. (Morley, 2014) .The app market is very versatile and with the use of revenue from marketing and advertising and sponsors, free apps are more and more common.

Also the good thing about app development is that it is constantly evolving and changing to meet new demands, trends and technology, (Kugler, 2016). Also more than ever with this increased development, even if an app is on the same creative lines as another app there is still enough room in the market, people like trying different apps and also are susceptible to the newest app that comes in to the app store (Briz-Ponce et al, 2016). This means that with constant development it is the older apps that must appeal to their users in order to retain them, to keep up with the evolving technology and create new things, (Chen et al, 2017).

What the app offers is also important, to have a diverse range of options is important, whilst also sticking to what the function of the app is. An app can deal with simple daily tasks or more specific needs, such as travel apps. If there is enough need in the market this can set app developers apart. Knowing what functions the app will have is important as it will ensure a direction for the app, but also continually think of new ways to develop the app is also important to retain user interest (Molloy, 2013).

As highlighted by a recent article (EBSCO, 2017**) mobile apps have been valuable to the UK’s economy and the market grew by 0.9% in 2016 and is only set to continue with an increase of 46.6% 5 years. This predicted rise is due to the growth in the market that has been shown and its continued use and the still growing need for apps. New phones are released even more often than they were before and apps have to keep up to date with the new features on smart phones. This is true for all app developers from big companies to individual developers. This rivalry pushes even more creation and innovation and helps to facilitate growth (Molloy, 2013).

References:

Boyd, d. m. and Ellison, N. B. (2007), Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13: 210–230

Briz-Ponce, L, Juanes-Méndez, J, García-Peñalvo, F, (2016) Book of Research on Mobile Devices and Applications in Higher Education, IGI Global Books.

 

Chen, Q, Zhang, M, & Zhao, X (2017), ‘Analysing customer behaviour in mobile app usage’, Industrial Management & Data Systems, 117, 2, pp. 425-438, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 29 March 2017.

 

Dinsmore, J, Swani, K, & Dugan, R, (2017,) ‘To ‘Free’ or Not to ‘Free’: Trait Predictors of Mobile App Purchasing Tendencies’, Psychology & Marketing, 34, 2, pp. 227-244, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 29 March 2017.

 

Heitkotter, H, Hanschke, S, and Majchrzak, T, (2013) Evaluating Cross-Platform Development Approaches for Mobile Applications, Available at: http://www3.nd.edu/~cpoellab/teaching/cse40814/crossplatform.pdf

 

Harper, R. (2014), Trust, Computing, and Society, Cambridge University Press.

 

Keengwee, J, (2013) Pedagogical Applications and Social Effects of Mobile Technology Integration, IGI Global Books

 

Kugler, L, (2016), ‘Smartphone Apps for Social Good’, Communications Of The ACM, 59, 8, pp. 18-20, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 29 March 2017.

 

Molloy, S, (2013), Appvertising – How Apps Are Changing The World, Amazon Digital Services.

 

Morley, D, (2014) Engrossed in social life. Understanding Computers in a Changing Society, 6th Edition, Course Technology.

 

**Why pay for apps And ‘Mobile Apps in the United Kingdom’ (2016,) Mobile Apps Industry Profile: United Kingdom, pp. 1-39, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 29 March 2017.

 

*http://www.nbcnews.com/video/travel-apps-that-will-save-you-money-on-the-road-719410755787