Simply Sage
Mobile and desktop app
(8 mins read) Life events are major occurrences in our lives. These events can turn into personal projects – the major ones where planning and managing really matter. As a former project manager, I understand how important it is to handle these moments right. Having a lot of friends getting married soon, I see the opportunity in wedding planning.
Capstone solo project - research, user interviews, product strategy, UX/UI design
Project Type and Role
Feb 2023 - May 2023
(4 months)
Timeline
Figma
FigJam
Tools
Links
Make planning major life events easier
Planning life events, like weddings, can often feel like an overwhelming puzzle for those unaccustomed to organizing. My goal is to transform the chaos of wedding planning into an enjoyable and organized experience, allowing couples to savor the happy moments.
Design Process
The design process for this project is the double diamond process, broken down into 4 phases:
1. Discover (Research and Insights)
2. Define (Synthesize and Ideate)
3. Develop (Prototype and Test)
4. Deliver (Final design for desktop & mobile)
Discover
How do couples plan the process and feel about their weddings?
Competitive Analysis
Opportunities
User Journey
Insights
What we found out about users through interviews?
User Interviews
Affinity Mapping
Design a product for wedding planning that supports mental preparation, task management, document organization, and learning.
Define
Based on user testing, I focused on the 4 features that got the highest ratings to develop. In addition, 3 meta-insights in this round helped guide the refinement of these concepts into tangible solutions.
Lofi Sketches
Based on the 5 actionable insights, I generated 10 solutions to test with users. The ideas address mental preparation, people involved in planning, task planning, document organization, and wedding knowledge acquisition.
Takeaways
Develop
With the 4 feature solutions, I expanded the ideas and came up with 2 divergent versions of each to see how users react with the different directions
Mid-fi sketches with divergent approach
After conducting user testing on two different midfi designs, I've gained three valuable insights that will inform and enhance the approach for the upcoming hifi round.
User Feedback
I streamline and separate some features to create clearer experience to address the how might wes identified during research.
Features
Incorporating user research and feedback, I developed both desktop and mobile versions to boost the app adoption and create seamless user experience across different stages of the planning journey.
Final Design
(Desktop)
Within Simply Sage, everything ultimately falls into two categories: tasks or files. This means you can include virtually anything in the app, such as adding quiz recommendations to your checklist or binder.
Checklist
Already Excel or Sheets files for your tasks? Bring them with you to Simply Sage!
Mini dashboard for high-level task progress overview
Effortlessly navigate tasks with sorting, data filters, tags, and search options
Other task view
Simplify file management with an all-in-one solution that offers seamless file uploads and tabs for organizing different media types.
Binder
Have a blast exploring your wedding preferences in different categories—it's a fun and delightful journey!
Quiz
Take good care of your well-being with mood tracker and check-in quiz for an enjoyable planning journey.
Mood tracker
Final Design
(Mobile)
We understand the importance of quick, on-the-go access to essential information and updates. With the mobile version, you can effortlessly reference your plans, checklists, and key details while on the move.
Simply Sage on mobile focuses on referencing, tracking (and fun!)
Features that are more interactive on mobile
Retrospective
I successfully adapted the designs for both mobile and desktop, tailoring them to their unique characteristics and emphasizing different aspects of the user journey, resulting in a seamless user experience.
What went well - Design for mobile and desktop
I aimed to enhance the app's UI and establish a stronger brand identity by delving deeper into design systems and branding.
What to improve - UI and Visuals
Refinements of design systems, focusing on a comprehensive inventory of design components used in both mobile and desktop versions.
Brand identity development, focusing on user persona alignment to ensure that the brand identity aligns with the preferences and expectations of the target audience.
Next steps
Next case study