From User Flow to Sketches

After completing many user flows and establishing a site map for this project, I felt confident beginning to sketch what these interfaces may possibly look like. I had a few objectives when it came to planning what my UI’s might look like, and these were:

• LARGE BUTTON SIZES - Accessibility is integral to this app, as it targets a wide range of users with varying levels of technological abilities, visual abilities and many other factors that can make it difficult for users to interact with a digital product. Creating interfaces with large button sizes makes it easier for the user to navigate the product and lowers the probability of a user pressing the wrong button by accident.
• LOW COGNITIVE LOAD PER SCREEN - Considering Hick’s UX Law, it is important to consider the cognitive load in each screen. In my sketching, I want to try and prioritise a one action or question per screen approach to most of the UI, with the exception of the home page.
• MINIMALIST APPROACH - I want to hone in on the approach that if something does not need to be there, then it should be cut. Arguably, I want this app to keep the functions of this app to a minimum. If I include too many features then it becomes confusing for users and threatens it’s usability.

Getting Inspiration

‘StopCOVID NI’ - Designed by BigMotive

I drew a lot of inspiration from the design of the StopCOVID app. This is one of the few examples of design excellence associated with any NI public sector product. I just love the design of this app. I think it is highly accessible with great attention to button sizes as cognitive load per screen throughout. I also think the copy is just great. The tone it asserts is a perfect blend of informative and simplistic. I will have to pay attention to the copy in the design of my app as I want it to assume a similar simplistic and accessible style.

EXAMPLES OF STOPCOVID NI:

Sketches

I began by sketching the home screen as it was something I was very unclear on. This is were I drew a lot of inspiration from the StopCOVID app. Similar to their interface, I only had 4 main buttons to display in the home screen, and I think the way they did it on their home screen was great. I sketched many iterations below and landed on my 4th as the strongest design.

I took a lot of time deciding if I need to include a nav bar. Every app I have designed has had a nav bar, however I felt that it had no real use in this app. I sketched one and tried to allocate a function to each button, however I felt myself thinking that it just did not need to be there.