Google UX Professional Course
Sole UX/UI designer, steering the PetalYare App from a budding idea to a full-blown, user-friendly tool.
Remote
A tool that would seamlessly bridge our dreams of a bouquet to its tangible reality, whether you're a bouquet enthusiast or a professional florist. Drawing from a rich flower database, and a specially crafted arrangement tool, I wanted to revolutionize how we all connect with and imagine floral designs.
Creating a bouquet that truly represents an individual's vision is no small feat. Mismatches between envisioned and actual designs can often lead to disappointment.
Develop an innovative application, PetalYare, that empowers users to visualize, design, and export bouquet blueprints with pinpoint accuracy, ensuring their envisioned bouquet comes to life just as imagined.
Leading the PetalYare initiative, my roles spanned from conducting user interviews to designing prototypes and managing usability studies. Navigating these tasks remotely presented unique challenges. Yet, my focus remained unwavering: to deliver an exceptional user experience rooted in the artistry of floral design.
The design methodology is crucial in the UX Design process as it fosters better work organization and leads to more creative and innovative outcomes. With this in mind, the Design Thinking process was selected for the PetalYare app. This approach provides efficient methods and stages, all centered around the user experience.
To set the stage for effective problem-solving, an initial grasp of the broader context is paramount. In this phase, not only did I embark on an exhaustive Desk Research leveraging insights from websites, news outlets, and articles, but I also critically analyzed the competition. By understanding market leaders and emerging players in the floral app sector, I was able to identify both gaps and best practices. This competitive analysis ensured PetalYare wasn't developed in a vacuum but was positioned with a keen awareness of the existing landscape.
According to the International Trade Centre, the global floriculture market has been seeing a steady rise, with developed countries being the largest consumers of floricultural products.
Floristry is increasingly moving online, as suggested by the growth of major online flower delivery services. Platforms that offer unique selling propositions, like bouquet visualization, have potential advantages.
General consumer behavior trends have indicated a preference for seeing a product before purchase. Visualization tools, like 3D previews and AR, in other sectors have increased consumer confidence in online shopping.
While not strictly quantitative, there's an anecdotal understanding within the floristry industry that consumers appreciate learning about the symbolism, care, and origin of flowers they purchase, which adds to the bouquet's sentimental value.
With the globalization of trade, consumers are now exposed to and demand a wider variety of flowers, beyond just local species. This calls for an extensive database that covers flowers from around the world.
Given the myriad of flower types, colors, and meanings, a user-friendly database that provides this information in an accessible format can enhance user experience and decision-making.
Companies in various sectors, from furniture to fashion, have started incorporating AR tools to aid online shopping. Its application in floristry can allow users to virtually 'place' bouquets in their spaces, giving a realistic preview.
Tools that allow customization and personalization, such as designing one's bouquet, can enhance user engagement and satisfaction, as seen in other customizable product platforms.
During the Ideate phase, we delved deep into understanding our user's psyche, crafting detailed personas and mapping their journeys. This allowed us to visualize their interactions, anticipate pain points, and tailor the app to genuinely resonate with their needs and desires.
Visualization Difficulty matching flowers to occasions/preferences.
Matching Platforms lack user-friendly bouquet selection.
Interface Some bouquet preview tools are non-intuitive and overly complex.
As professionals invested in tech and design, both Isabella and Julian seek a reliable and intuitive app to preview bouquet designs, ensuring they enhance and harmonize with their respective spaces.
Mapping the user journey of both Isabella, a tech-savvy individual, and Julian, a seasoned interior designer, showcases the significance of a dedicated bouquet preview app tailored to their specific needs.
This technique is used to generate as many ideas as possible in a short amount of time. I gathered several questions starting with "How could we…" and jotted down every solution that came to mind.
After creating the wireframe screens, a navigable prototype was developed to test the flow with users and ensure it met anticipated needs. During these tests, tasks such as previewing/selecting a particular flower arrangement, customizing bouquets, or accessing detailed flower information were simulated.
Tasks Completed: All users were able to complete the tasks without significant difficulties.
Option to Order Through the App: Some users mentioned the possibility of ordering the flower arrangements directly from the app.
When crafting the design and universe of the PetalYare app, the intention was to emphasize the sophistication and modernity of the platform, ensuring that the stunning flower images were the stars. This minimalistic UI approach was chosen not only to let the floral visuals shine but also to cater to our refined personas. Despite aiming for an elegant and contemporary look, it was imperative to maintain a straightforward and functional interface, especially for accessibility reasons.
With the high-fidelity prototype of the PetalYare app at hand, I conducted another usability test to validate the refinements and enhancements made in the previous phase.
Tasks Completion: All users successfully completed tasks without major difficulties.
Intuitive Design: Users expressed satisfaction with the app's usability.
Crafting the PetalYare app through the Google UX Professional Course was both a challenge and a revelation. This journey not only honed my technical expertise but also instilled a deeper appreciation for the user-centric approach. The practical application of tools and methodologies reinforced their significance beyond the classroom. I'm grateful for this enriching experience, which has profoundly shaped my perspective and skills inside the multifaceted world of UX design.