This course focused on venture creation in the media industry for Farley Center Northwestern students. The project was focused on solving an issue chosen by the professors, then creating a profitable, scalable, startup solution.
My group and I tackled the problem of civil engagement and developed a solution through innovation and venture development. Our team was made up of individuals with diverse skillsets and we were able to utilize our collective expertise to develop a comprehensive solution to this problem.
Solution
We discovered that there was a gap between the desire of individuals and groups to get involved with their community and the information resources available to them. Our solution was to create an app to bridge this gap and make it easier for people to find information about civic engagement opportunities in their community.
As the Product Designer on the team, I was responsible for executing all of the UX/UI design and the development of our MVP (minimum viable product). This included conducting interviews and research to understand the needs of our target audience, as well as design work to create an app that was user-friendly and easy to navigate.
MVP
I started by conducting interviews with individuals and groups who were interested in civic engagement but found it difficult to find information about opportunities in their community. This helped me gain valuable insights into the challenges they were facing and the features that would be most useful to them.
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Based on this research, I created wireframes and mockups of the app, taking into account the needs of our target audience and the feedback we received from industry veterans. I worked closely with the rest of the team to ensure that the app was easy to navigate and that all of the features were intuitive and user-friendly.
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Once the MVP was developed, I conducted user testing with a diverse group of our target audience. This helped me to identify any usability issues and make any necessary adjustments. The feedback we received was used to improve the app and make it even more user-friendly.
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Overall, my role as the Product Designer on the team was crucial in ensuring that the app we developed was user-friendly, easy to navigate and met the needs of our target audience. My research and user testing allowed us to create an app that was tailored to the users' needs and provided them with the information and resources they needed to get involved in their community.