discover a new hobby
discover a new hobby
Overview - what is aces?
Aces is an application for hobby discovery and making new friends. Whether diving into a new interest or finding a community of like-minded individuals, Aces is the key to exploring a vast array of hobbies with step-by-step guides and video tutorials. Aces also connects with others who share your passions, join hobby groups, attend events, and make lasting friendships.
Background - developing a functional platform
This capstone project was the culmination of my cohort's journey, providing an opportunity to showcase the skills I had developed over the past months. As someone eager to achieve personal and professional success, I became fascinated by the idea of discovering hobbies that align with my goals. What new hobbies should I explore? How can I find activities that truly resonate with me? What apps are out there to help me discover and plan to pursue these hobbies? How do I stay engaged and motivated? Will these hobbies be sustainable in the long run? In this case study, I delve into my discoveries and insights on how exploring new hobbies can drive personal growth and fulfillment.
initial problem statement
How might we help users manage their time so they have free time to have hobbies?
I’d like to explore ways to help busy young professionals meet new people who share the same interests as them because it is hard to meet people out of work in a new city.
white paper research - navigating loneliness
I first started with white paper research to better understand users and their relationship with hobbies and how being lonely can derive from that. Through these findings, I know that:
The feeling of loneliness gets quite normal as you get older. Especially, after graduating high school or college depending on what path you choose there aren’t as many easily accessible opportunities to join clubs or a community where everyone has the same interests as you. According to USNews.com, about one in three U.S. adults said they feel lonely at least once a week. One in 10 Americans say they feel lonely every day. Younger people are more likely to experience loneliness, which is defined as a lack of meaningful or close relationships. It merely depends on your situation and the circumstances of who is surrounding you in your life.
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Thompson, Dennis. “Loneliness Is Plaguing Americans in 2024: Poll.” U.S. News, www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-02-01/loneliness-is-plaguing-americans-in-2024-poll. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
user research
Research Objectives
Determine the prevalence of individuals who do not currently have a hobby or feel they lack one.
Explore the desire among individuals without a hobby to connect with others who share similar interests.
Understand the factors influencing individuals' motivations to seek connections with like-minded individuals in relation to hobbies.
Identify potential barriers or challenges preventing individuals without a hobby from forming connections with others who share similar interests.
Evaluate the potential interest and feasibility of creating a platform or service to facilitate connections between individuals without hobbies and those with shared interests.
Research Plan
Aim to assess the number of individuals who perceive themselves as lacking a hobby so that we can further investigate whether these individuals are interested in connecting with others who share similar interests.
User interviews to delve deeper into one’s answer, gain empathy for their answers, and find out qualitative data
Surveys will help find quantitative data and prepare individuals that I will interview for what could be asked
Methods
Interviews
In my research, I gathered quantitative insights on common pain points and experiences from seven participants. Each participant was either open or not to learning online but expressed interest in an application focused on discovering new hobbies. I followed up with user interviews to delve deeper into their experiences, pain points, and desires. Throughout the study, it became clear that while participants were eager to explore new hobbies, their struggles with being consistent in using an online learning platform outweighed their other answers.
user persona - jane johnson & Alex Baker
competitive analysis
To gain a comprehensive understanding of the existing solutions, I evaluated 3 related platforms that can form a community within the hobby you pursue to identify their key features, strengths, and weaknesses. I focused on assessing the company as a whole, its advantages, and its disadvantages to understand better how it supports its users.
site map
user flow
Task flows
low-fidelity wireframes
I wanted to create a visual representation of the sequence of steps and interactions I wanted the user to go through when accomplishing certain tasks. The initial task flow helped guide me with the low-fidelity screens I provided below.
high-fidelity wireframes
I developed a high-fidelity, interactive prototype for the usability test to allow participants to experience the app as if it were live. I sought feedback on various aspects, including the concept, visual design, overall feel, emotional impact, usability, and accessibility. Below are key sample screens used during the usability testing.
usability testing
Will - 23
Completed the tasks easily
Thought the UI looked appealing
Easy to go through
Maybe add gender/age to the quiz
Olivia - 23
It was hard to navigate at first because didn’t know it was supposed to be auto-generated
The design was nice and clear
Maybe make the Google button not in a disabled-looking state
Leona - 42
Sign up and log in page the button was hard to tell if it was clickable or not
Thought the purple colors would be nice for the background instead of red to show some contrast
Thought the concept and layout were nice
Gina - 48
Hard to click through
Thought the cards looked nice with the gradients and background color
They could pop out even more with some lighter colors
Adina - 31
Suggested changing the button state from light gray to a different color
Suggested changing the red background to white so the buttons can be red
The show password box on the sign-up page could be below everything instead of next to each other
All participants
On a scale of 1-7, participants ranked between 5-7
They believed the design layout was simple and fun
key learnings - reflection on my process
Throughout this project, I’ve been grateful for the chance to apply my past learnings and experience meaningful growth as a designer, especially in the area of discovering new hobbies. Looking ahead, I’m committed to continuous learning and development. This project highlighted the non-linear nature of the UX process, pushing me to question assumptions, ask "why" more often, and dive deeper into research and design.
Even with the time constraints, I’m proud of the rapid, interactive prototype I developed, which received positive feedback during usability testing. The experience was exhilarating, and while I'm a bit sad to see the project come to an end, I recognize that with more time, there are certain steps I would take differently to further enhance the journey of discovering new hobbies.