Vanessa Noueider
Vanessa Noueider
  • Home
  • About
  • UX Design
    • beHere Case Study
    • WorkPal Case Study
    • PlayStation App Re-Design
    • ElderDog Website ReDesign
    • UX Design Challenges
  • Graphic Design
    • Branding
    • Posters
    • Jersey Design
    • Social Media Posts
    • Photography
  • Contact
  • More
    • Home
    • About
    • UX Design
      • beHere Case Study
      • WorkPal Case Study
      • PlayStation App Re-Design
      • ElderDog Website ReDesign
      • UX Design Challenges
    • Graphic Design
      • Branding
      • Posters
      • Jersey Design
      • Social Media Posts
      • Photography
    • Contact
  • Home
  • About
  • UX Design
  • Graphic Design
  • Contact

beHere App

What's the Problem Space?

Immigrants living abroad find it challenging not to be able to interact and engage with their loved ones online like they used to do in real life.
 

  • Duration: Nov. 2021 - Jan. 2022  
  • Project Type: School Project (my capstone project)
  • Role: UX/UI Design, Branding, Website Design, Research, User Testing, Wire-framing & Prototyping
  • Tools: Figma, InVision, Adobe Illustrator
  • Process: Research & Discovery, Synthesis, Ideation, Prototyping
  • Methods Used: Secondary Research, Paper Prototype, Usability Testings, Interviews



What is it?

A new immersive and interactive messaging app that brings people closer through 360° video calls.

View Full Prototype

Key Research Insights

According to my extensive research, immigrants makeup about 15% of the total population of the US, with Mexico being the largest origin country for immigrants. 

In Canada, each year, around 300,000 people immigrate to Canada, which is 22% of the overall Canadian population.

 

According to National Center for Biotechnology Information, the process of immigration could be stressful and could lead to mental illnesses. Add to that a global pandemic, and you’ll see a decline in mental health furthermore.

That’s when communication and technology come into place. According to Family Separation and the Impact of Digital Technology on the Mental Health of Refugee Families in the United States study, analyses showed that communication between separated families through ICTs (information and communication technologies) was a major source of emotional and mental well-being for a large number of refugee participants.

Existing Solutions

To tackle this problem, I looked at existing solutions like the traditional messaging apps (WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Skype, Zoom etc.) as well as more immersive platforms like Traces and Kumospace. 

However, these apps are limited and don’t provide an immersive experience. 


With further development of my project, I realized that Instagram had a cool feature that lets you replace your background with any image you have while sharing a story or video chatting.

Another inspiration for me was the virtual background of Zoom.


With that in mind, I was set to:

  • Create an innovative app where the user is displayed as their real self for maximum authenticity
  • To be able to see your loved ones in a new and immersive way and to interact together
  • Create the feeling of closeness

Assumptions

When immigrants talk to their families and friends online, there’s always a missing component that makes the experience less immersive, which makes the participant more distracted.

To test this assumption, I had to do remote interviews with people that had the following criteria: 

  • Immigrants or family members of immigrants
  • 18-40 years old (immigrants), <60 for a family of immigrants
  • Has a smartphone
  • Uses messaging apps


How Might We

After conducting my interviews, I was able to confirm my assumptions and come up with a How Might We question. 


HMW provide immigrants with a fun and immersive way to connect
with others in order to help them feel closer to their
families and friends back home? 

Persona

User Stories

User Stories

With that in mind, I came up with my persona. Veronica is a 27 years old immigrant living in Canada. She left her home country of Mexico to find a better future. She is close with her family and video chats with them on a regular basis.


Motivations 

Veronica is close with her family and video chats with them on a regular basis.


Pain Points

She feels frustrated that she misses them and can’t see them like she used to which makes them feel distant. 

User Stories

User Stories

User Stories

With my persona in mind, I had the following opportunity: A video chatting app that shows the surroundings of the user for a more immersive experience when video chatting.


After creating my user stories, I had chosen one epic to work on:

"As an immigrant, I want to share my environment with my family and friends so that they can interact with it and feel immersed." 

Sketching

  After doing research for inspiration and creating a mood board, I created concept sketches, and eventually my solution sketches.

Concept Sketches

Concept Sketches

Concept Sketches

Concept Sketches

Concept Sketches

Concept Sketches

Solution Sketches

Solution Sketches

Solution Sketches

Solution Sketches

Solution Sketches

Solution Sketches

LO-FI Prototype

FULL PROTOTYPE

User Testing

Overall Testing Results

Overall Testing Results

I conducted 2 rounds of usability testing with 10 users (5 in each) in order to obtain practical, real-time feedback that can be incorporated to improve the design, in order to provide a more optimal user experience. 

The tests were done virtually on Dec. 17 and 18, 2021.


Scenario

An existing User (Persona):

  • Summary:
    • Have used a messaging and video calling app before
    • Has moved to another country/has family abroad
  • Goal:
    • to make an engaging 360° video call with their mom

Overall Testing Results

Overall Testing Results

Overall Testing Results

The user testing proved to be really beneficial. 

The testers struggled to grasp the full concept of the app because in real life, they’re supposed to pan their phones, whereas in the app they’re clicking and dragging which might be confusing. 


Prototype Changes

After the first round of testing, I iterated the prototype according to the majority of the feedback I got.  After conducting a second round of testing, the users now seem to understand how the 360° video works with the help of the added instructions.

1/2

Prototype Version 3

FULL PROTOTYPE

Brand Development

Brand Development - Finalized Branding

HI-FI Prototype

FULL PROTOTYPE

Tablet Version

FULL PROTOTYPE

Marketing Website

FULL PROTOTYPE

Key Learning & Future Thinking

Key Learning

Building upon my existing design skills, I have discovered that good design ideas come from extensive research and trial and error. 

Starting my project, I had a clear idea in mind but limited to one solution. After doing research and conducting user testing and prototype iterations, I learned that the design only gets better and better.

It is important to tackle any problem space with an open mind and embrace the ambiguity that comes with it.



Future Thinking


Some other features that would be added to the app in the future:

  • VR (would require a headset) for a fully immersive experience
  • The ability to take a screenshot or record screen of the video call
  • The ability to share the 360° photo background with other users


Answering the tarot card of tech on the right:

  

If two friends use my product, it would bring them closer together because the 360° video call feature is immersive and interactive. The users would feel as if they were together sharing the same experience.

They can also schedule a phone or video call to suit both their convenience which will result in better and more consistent communication.

Copyright © 2022 designedbyvanessa - All Rights Reserved.

Vancouver, BC, Canada

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept