Citizen Science Step 11: Finalize Design
Hello everyone!! I am proud to say that this app design is officially finalized. After user testing my design, I went back into the prototype to make some final touches. These changes increased the clarity of my design which allows the users to be able to fully understand the content within the app.
One change I made within the design was the visual of the dying plant on a fellow friend’s profile. When I placed a screenshot of that page into the color blind generator, I reaized that my indicators between a healthy plant and dying plant heavily relied on colors. If a green-blind user were looking at my app, he/she would not be able to tell any difference between the plants. I decided to redesign the way the unhealthy plant looks by making a leave from the plant fall off. This was a better way of showing off the condition of the plant without relying solely on color.
On a user’s profile page, you can look at the badges they have earned and the plant they are currently growing. I felt this was a good way to keep people motivated in making sure their plant stays healthy and grows. However, I found that the section felt unclear because nothing explains its purpose. I decided to add a short description so that the user will have no trouble understanding the role of the page.
In my original design, the homescreen showed the amount of points you have earned so far for your plant. I discovered through my user testings that people read “0 points” as “OPTS”. It wasn’t clear whether the phrase showed a zero or the letter “O”. I solved this through the use of scaling. I made the abbreviation of the word “points” all lowercase and at a smaller font size than the number zero. I also decided there needed to be a section that showed the current points the user has earned for their plants versus the total number of points the user has earned in general. That way the user knew how many points that had and needed to grow their plant and how many total points they had from all the plants they have grown.
It is these small choices in a design that deteremine the clarity within it. It is our job to think about how others interpret the information we present. We may see one thing but they may see something entirely different. I am really happy with the way this project turned out and am thankful for the people who helped critique my work. It was those critiques led me to a more successful app.
