APP OF THE ANOINTED
CASE STUDY / UX
Bridging
the Universe Language Gap
TIMELINE
4-Weeks
PURPOSE
Vocabulary app for Olivia sci-fi series
RESULT
Voice-command app
Introduction
Dive into a realm where learning meets imagination with App of the Anointed (AOTA), the innovative vocabulary app that transforms the way readers of the Olivia Book Series experience this science fiction world. Crafted as part of CareerFoundry’s Intro to UX project, AOTA aims to enhance the reader's understanding of world-specific complex concepts and characters, making their reading journey more immersive and engaging.
My Role
UX Researcher and Designer.
The Challenge
Science fiction enthralls us with its intricate realms, futuristic marvels, and otherworldly ideas. Yet, embarking on these journeys can prove daunting, particularly in the face of unfamiliar terminology. The Olivia Sci-Fi Book Series presents a similar conundrum, unfolding on a fictional planet with its distinct culture and rules, demanding a lexicon of its own. Whether you’re a devoted parent, a soul crunched for time, or an impassioned reader, the intricacies can disrupt the harmony of your odyssey.
The Mission
AOTA’s mission is threefold—
Enhanced Comprehension
Empower readers to grasp vocabulary effortlessly, so they can focus on the thrill of the story.
Seamless Immersion
Immerse readers in the sci-fi universe, staying absorbed without interruption.
Personalized Assistance
Minimize reliance on context and memory, allowing the reader to fully enjoy the narrative.
The Desired Impact
By bridging the gap between series enthusiasts and intricate terminology, AOTA promises to elevate the reading experience and deepen one's connection to the series.
Meet the Readers
Through in-depth user interviews, I’ve identified three reader personas—
The Busy Parent
Juggling numerous responsibilities, they yearn to maximize their limited reading time.
USER STORY
“As a busy parent I want to be able to access world-specific vocabulary definitions, no matter what format I’m reading in, so that I don’t lose too much of my valuable and limited reading time.”
The Busy Beaver
With a bustling work and social life, they seek a seamless way to stay engaged in their favorite novel.
USER STORY
“As someone with limited time to dedicate to my hobbies I want an easy-to-use resource for accessing vocabulary definitions, character profiles, and world mapping so that I can remain engaged in reading with the smallest possible interruption.”
The Serial Reader
Consuming multiple books at a time, they require a tool to navigate the intricate web of vocabulary that is part of the Olivia series.
USER STORY
“As an avid sci-fi/fantasy reader—and huge Olivia fan—I want to be better able to understand the vocabulary, characters, and other world-specific content relevant to the book I am reading so that I can better follow along with the storyline.”
My Approach
To develop AOTA, I followed a comprehensive process:
Competitive Analysis
Studied popular vocabulary apps Memrise, Vocabulary, and WordPal to distill best practices.
User Interviews
Engaged with avid sci-fi and fantasy readers to uncover pain points and needs. During this process I learned that users get frustrated when reading a book that has too many details and/or characters to keep track of, that it takes seeing the vocabulary words a couple times before they recall it, and they find that it can be difficult to reference back to challenging vocabulary.
Persona Creation
Metamorphosed the insights from those virtual interviews into a relatable persona, Samantha “Sammie” Brown. As a busy mom of 2, she leads a very full life with limited downtime. She loves reading whenever she can and can benefit from having limited distractions while reading the latest novel from her favorite Olivia series.
Problem Statements
Defined Sammie’s challenges and formulated a hypothesis:
Sammi needs a way to be able to fully enjoy, follow along with, and stay engaged in her sci-fi novel during the limited time she has available to read.
We will know that this is true when she believes herself to have a better understanding of her novel, thus an elevated reading experience, while lessening the need to rely solely on context and/or her memory.
We believe that by developing a mobile application that integrates seamlessly with the voice command functionality of mobile devices, thereby creating the ability to be able to ask the device for the definition of a story-specific word or concept for Sammi, we will achieve maximizing her coveted story-reading time by enabling her to better connect to the story.
User Flows
Mapped out intuitive user journeys for seamless interaction. This included the main tasks: account sign up, manually request information or definition, and using the phone's voice command feature.
Sketches
Translated user flows into tangible app screens for clarity. I first quickly iterated some lo fi sketches to flesh out my idea of what I thought the screens should look like.
Prototypes
Crafted mid-fidelity wireframes to visualize the app’s core features. I took my sketches and recreated them in Adobe Photoshop, iterating as I did so.
Onboarding screens—I created 3 screens to introduce users to the most important features of this app.
Account Set-up screens—To personalize the user's experience, it was important to input which books the reader has read, allow readers to set up reminders, and inform the app if hearing impaired so it can return results on screen when asked a question.
Home screen—I created a simple to use Home Screen that utilizes a dynamic search field and displays the results in a pop-up overlay.
Usability Testing
Involved real readers to refine the app’s usability. I created a usability test plan that involved five 10-minute sessions with potential users and observed their words and actions as they attempted to complete specific tasks.
Feedback Integration
Organized observations into a test report with scoring based on 'Jakob Nielsen’s Error Severity Rating Scale' in order to know what user feedback to incorporate to enhance the final design
The Solution
AOTA’s design is elegant and user-centric. Seamlessly access word definitions by typing them in the dynamic search field or effortlessly integrate the app with voice command features like Siri or Alexa. For visually impaired users, the voice command feature displays answers on-screen for easy comprehension.
Unveil the Secrets of the Anointed
With AOTA (App of the Anointed), you’ll explore this science fiction world with newfound confidence. Say goodbye to interruptions, lost context, and confusion over terminology. Immerse yourself in the intricate details of your favorite series, as AOTA transforms your reading experience into a captivating adventure.
AOTA: Bridging the Universe Language Gap.
My Learnings
There were a couple key findings that came out of my Intro to UX project experience:
Recognizing the Value of User Research
Although interacting with potential users has always been a part of my design approach, I hadn't traditionally integrated it into my initial process. The eye-opening experience of conversing with users prior to embarking on the design journey profoundly altered my preconceived solution. What I first thought was the answer shifted dramatically upon hearing user perspectives. These revelations prompted me to recognize that integrating voice commands could be a pivotal app feature, not only for this series but could be beneficial for other extended sci-fi and fantasy stories.
Beyond the Glossary
Numerous science fiction and fantasy novels incorporate glossaries to introduce readers to crucial terms and ideas, yet these references are seldom revisited. Readers often perceive glossaries as diverting them from the narrative, leading them to decipher nuances through contextual cues. This presents a great opportunity to improve the experience for readers of this series and other series.
What's Next?
The scope of this project extended solely to the creation and testing of an initial prototype. Subsequently, my next steps involve expanding the concept further, infusing it with style, and establishing a more refined layout for subsequent testing phases. This entails crafting a distinct visual identity and developing the user interface. However, the crux of the matter lies in concentrating extensively on the information architecture of this application. A well-defined and meticulously structured database forms the backbone of the application, and its success hinges upon this critical foundation.
