The motivation behind Swell! stems from a desire to address the challenges faced by Swing and Blues dancers in accessing personalized guidance. By providing a user-friendly platform that connects dancers with trusted experts, Swell! aims to empower individuals to improve their skills and confidence on the dance floor. Ultimately, the goal is to foster a supportive community where dancers can thrive and grow together.
Connect
Access a curated list of Swing & Blues dance experts providing bespoke guidance tailored to individual needs.
Video Feedback
Receive constructive feedback through personalized video evaluations
Real-Time Video Sessions
Engage in live video sessions with dance experts for an exclusive learning experience
Instructor News
Stay updated on dance experts teaching locations to join festivals or schedule private lessons
Competitive analysis
While there are numerous dance apps available, none currently provide the distinctive feature our app strives for — connecting users with professional and qualified Swing & Blues Dance experts for personalized advice.
During my research, I encountered two comparable applications: Parley and Intro. Conducting SWOT analyses on both, it became evident which features are essential for the Swell! App to stand out, emphasizing the importance of a robust expert base.
Opportunities for the Swell! App
By showcasing experts from various countries, we aim to attract a global user base, nurturing a diverse and vibrant community. Incorporating video, audio, and written content alongside live conversations enhances user engagement, providing a dynamic and immersive experience. Utilizing user data and behavior analytics allows us to tailor recommendations, refining the user experience and ensuring that the Swell! App stays finely tuned to individual preferences.
“Struggling to find information about dance experts and the range of dance styles they specialize in, I want to know which dance experts fit my personal preferences.”
Understanding the User
I’ve conducted some User Interviews to gain knowledge on their experiences, needs & goals, behaviours as well as their pain points.
My primary research objectives were to uncover the ways in which individuals seek advice and guidance from experts in Swing & Blues Dance. Additionally, I aimed to understand the needs and preferences of users when utilizing an app, with a particular focus on unraveling the motivating factors behind their choices.
"Personal feedback, faster learning pace, addressing my own topics, exchange with other dance professionals."
"I would get in touch only with pro dancers that I admire the dance style."
Ilsa 36
social pedagogue
Stuttgart, Germany
"If it is practical for everyday use and allows quick, uncomplicated access to dancing and learning and provides a good entry into the swing world: who are the dance teachers? What are their focuses? Etc."
Insights from the research
Transforming the insights gathered from interviews into practical guidance for future design and decision-making, I employed the affinity mapping tool. By distilling these patterns, it becomes evident that enhancing the app's navigation, simplifying design features, and making the interface more accessible would likely elevate the overall user experience.
Takeaways
• Offer bundle pricing for cost-effective options
• Implement user level determination
• Provide transparent calendar for scheduling
• Allow video uploads for feedback
• Include slow/fast video function
• Offer music suggestions for training
• Implement topic filters for tailored learning
Humanizing the research
The insights I gathered were used to develop detailed user personas based on synthesized data, incorporating demographics, motivations, frustrations and goals. Those two personas serve as essential archetypes and represent key segments of the Swing & Blues Dance community.
Sarah
„Chasing connection with global swing experts, every misstep is a leap toward improvement in the rhythmic dance of life.“
Goals
• receive personalized feedback by international Dance experts
• broaden understanding of different styles
• personal guidance fitting her schedule
Taylor
„Balancing the dance of career and passion, my challenge is to pirouette through a demanding schedule.“
Goals
• seeking flexibility in accessing expert guidance
• exploring unique dance styles from renowned international instructors
• book in-person privat class, if dance expert is in vicinity
Touchpoints and emotions
The next step was to capture Sarah’s and Taylor’s highs and lows, allowing us to empathize with their user experience, identify pain points, and strategize ways to enhance and optimize the overall user journey.
Step by step
By mapping out Sarah’s and Taylor’s steps and decision points, user flows help to identify potential friction points, optimize the user interface, and ensure a smoother, more intuitive interaction for the user.
Sarah’s objective
„Frustrated by the lack of local expertise, I want to receive personalized video feedback from an international Swing Dance expert so that I can improve my skills .“
Assembling the map
To develop a sitemap I examined the app navigation structure. To ensure its logic and user-friendliness, I fine-tuned the sitemap through card sorting using standardization grid and similarity matrix. So here’s the refined sitemap after the tests.
Insights from the tests
Users associate calendar with planning and organizing dance-related activities, such as scheduling sessions and tracking events.
Users see home as the starting point, expecting a dynamic dashboard that caters to their preferences and recent activities.
Users expect a dedicated space for communication with instructors and peers, emphasizing the importance of seamless messaging features.
Users appreciate a centralized space for staying informed about instructors news and relevant updates within the dance community.
Users expect a robust search functionality, emphasizing the importance of quickly locating relevant content within the app.
Users view settings as a place for tailoring the app to their preferences and ensuring a personalized and secure user experience.
Takeaways
• The home category is crucial for creating an engaging and personalized user experience.
• Prioritize seamless messaging features under the messages category to enhance user communication.
• Consider implementing a robust search functionality to fulfill users' expectations.
• Keep the calendar category user-friendly for efficient event tracking and scheduling.
• Use the news category strategically to keep users informed and engaged.
• Ensure that the settings category is easily accessible, reflecting users' desire for personalized control over their app experience.
From paper sketches to clickable prototypes
Starting with my sitemap and user flows, I translated ideas into basic sketches on paper, eventually refining them into interactive mid- and high-fidelity wireframes using Figma.
Let’s dive into Usability Tests!
My aim was to check how effortlessly and intuitively newcomers can explore the Swell! app in their first interactions. A well-structured test plan guided remote moderated sessions through Skype and other video conferencing tools, with the participation of six users. The six participants were active Swing or Blues dancers with varying skill levels, including some who teach. They ranged in age from 26 to 41 and had diverse demographic backgrounds. Despite some minor technical hiccups, the test went well, thanks to a thorough test script. Everyone agreed the app is easy to use and intuitive. I've detailed the results in a test report, using tools like affinity mapping and a rainbow spreadsheet.
Pain points from the tests
Users lacked a comprehensive overview of instructors on the home screen.
Users desired a search bar directly accessible from the home screen.
Users wished to connect with experts through Spotify for playlists.
Users found the schedule and video session shortcuts confusing and preferred news notification alerts.
The terminology used for communications (comms) was unclear to users.
Possible solutions
• Include a comprehensive overview of instructors on the home page, offering users quick access to browse and select preferred instructors.
• Place a search bar prominently on the home screen for easy access, enhancing user convenience.
• Integrate a Spotify button on instructors profile to connect with experts for playlists.
• Implement small notification alerts on the home screen to inform users of important instructor updates or news.
• Replace Comms with a more intuitive term, such as Chat ensuring clarity in the menu options.
More Testing
To find out which landing page users prefer, which will set the overall look for the whole onboarding process, I conducted some preference tests using Lyssna.
While Option 2 holds a slight majority, many participants praised the readability and contrast of text in Option 1. On the other hand, participants felt that the darker tones in Option 2 complemented the dance style, capturing the essence of Blues and setting the right mood.
Although the initial motivation for Option 1 was readability and contrast, I've decided to tweak Option 2 to ensure it meets AA and AAA compliance for text visibility (as per WCAG standards). This way, the updated design promises both improved readability and a richer user experience in terms of mood and atmosphere, aligning with the vibrant vibes of the Blues.
Option 1
47%
Option 2
53%
Updated design
“I am motivated by dance experts who inspire me. I want to be able to see their unique style before I decide to contact them.”
More feedback, more iterations
Guided by peer feedback and design principles like gestalt laws and Material Design, I refined my design iteratively. My aim? Crafting a user-centered experience that captivates and engages effortlessly, ensuring seamless interaction and meaningful engagement.
Polishing the Design
After numerous iterations and user feedback, the Swell! app has reached its final design iteration. The interface now seamlessly blends elegance with functionality, offering users an intuitive and delightful experience.
From vibrant hues to intuitive layouts, every detail embodies the app's mission to connect enthusiasts with expert instructors in the world of dance. The project was delivered in a Styleguide.
Learnings
The journey of crafting the Swell! app has been an enriching experience, from delving into user research to fine-tuning with usability testing and embracing Material Design Guidelines. Each step has been a collaborative adventure, driving the evolution of Swell! to new heights.
Discoveries made along the way have been enlightening, especially through the iterative process fueled by qualitative and quantitative data from user tests. Engaging with interviews, surveys, and tests has provided eye-opening perspectives, reinforcing the user-centric ethos at the core of design.
During the testing some challenges surfaced. Guided remote testing encountered technical hurdles with software and connection, requiring thoughtful consideration and troubleshooting. Some participants found themselves overwhelmed by technology, affecting their efficiency during testing sessions. Additionally, enthusiast participants tended to explore all functions extensively, even when not specifically tasked to do so. While certain participants with critical attitudes tended to offer more criticism, their input proved invaluable in providing constructive feedback. However, these challenges provided invaluable insights, reminding me of the diverse user experiences and attitudes I must accommodate in my design process.
Looking ahead, alongside ongoing testing, my focus shifts to enhancing dance style matching accuracy by dissecting existing recommendations and user behavior data. Introducing Swing & Blues dance organization databases promises to elevate the app further, ensuring a seamless experience for dancers seeking guidance and connection.