Diversity App Step 11: Design Writeup

Hi everyone! The last time we spoke, I was designing the wireframes of my project. I have now moved on to the design aspects of my game app.

When designing for an app with multiple screens, there will usually be lots of repeated elements within it. This could include the style of colors, fonts, buttons and more. You have to develop consistent imagery and style in these types of projects so that the experience of the app feels unified.

While creating the style of my app, I had to make specific design decisions that would help form a more user friendly environment for my target audience. Here are a couple of design choices I decided to use for my app Able.

The Colors:

I chose to use bright fun colors for this project since I am dealing with a much younger audience. The app itself is mostly colored in blue. I did this because the color blue is very calming. It would put the users at ease and make the environment feel more friendly and open. The color blue can also be energizing. Social medias use the color blue because it keeps the users awake while using it. I believed using this color felt appropriate since this is an app with games to play.

The Descriptive Buttons:

I made sure the buttons in my app experience were large and noticeable. This will make them easier to see and easier to tap on. When designing apps, you have to think about the space these apps are going to live. I made sure to test my app out on my ipad while designing the wireframes to make sure everything was easy to tap on with our fingers. I also made sure that the text inside the buttons were at a large enough font size so the kids can read it. They all have a short and clear statements so that the user understands exactly what will happen when you tap on them.

Pause Button:

During class critiques, I kept getting feedback on how it is not clear how to exit the game portion of my app. It is unclear what the user should tap on if they wanted to quit after starting the game. I needed some sort of indicator so the user would know what to do. I struggled with this opstacle a lot but eventually ended up creating a pause button that floats in the top righthand corner of the game. When the user taps on the button, it pauses the game and a popup appears asking the user if they want to quit, continue, or start over.

My Characters:

I decided to make each of my characters out of simple shapes. The goal was for them to appear friendly and playful. I accomplished this by making each character have round edges. They each have their own bright color to appear nice to the user. This message would have not been clear if I used darker colors. The characters would have appear mysterious and aggressive.

Icons and Symbols:

In my design, I had to create an icon for each character to represent the type fo activity they like to play. I also had to make symbols for exiting, sound, and traveling backwards through the dialogues. These are all communication tools for the user. I designed all of these icons and symbols to have round edges to help fit my overall style of the app. the round edges make each of them feel more playful and childish which matches my target audience.

All of these design choices service a purpose. It is crucial to think through our designs to make sure everything is unified and user friendly. This will create a stronger impact on our user’s experience.