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Designing in Times of Conflict

I was assigned to a group of randomized classmates to create branding for business major students for a competition. The client’s company is an app where users can join or make groups to find people to participate in outdoor activities.

Goal:

Communicate with my teammates and
clients to design a mobile app prototype.

Tools:

  • Adobe XD

  • Adobe Illustrator

Playing
with names:

I worked with a group to brainstorm names for the logo. The client's idea was something associated with the outdoors. The client chose our combination of Off Grid.

Camp

Trees

Off

Road

Grid

Ope

Wildlife

Seasonal

Gravel

Khaki

Scenic

Green

Seasonal Escape

Trailing Pals

Ope'n Road

Forest Pals

Rocky Path

Khaki Pack

Off Grid

Let’s play with logos:

We did not have information to start on sketches for the mobile app, so we decided to come up with our own logo ideas. 

We showed the client our sketches, but my teammate emailed him her logo and said we chose it. That was not true. The client briefly looked over the rest of the logos but went with the one he was sent. 

A hurdle

A long list:

At the next meeting, the client started the conversation talking about his ideas for the mobile app. I started taking notes as he was talking but the notes were increasingly getting longer. 

The team leader didn’t like the direction and yelled at the client. My professor came in and took away the team leader, and the client. My professor told us we were meeting the next day. I managed to complete all the notes I could.

The last straw:

A quiet meeting:

During the meeting, the team leader did not speak the entire time. The client shared sketches he made of the mobile and I asked some questions for clarification about certain features.

​

My team leader spoke to me about how he does not feel like we can make this app. I told him we have everything we need to start. I created a site map of each section we needed based on the client’s sketches. 

Piece together the puzzle:

Proceeding digitally:

I showed my sketches to the client. They liked the direction it was going and said to proceed. I decided to work on the group section since I had a better understanding of the site map.

I showed the client the digital wireframes, so we were able to proceed with a low fidelity prototype. The client liked everything but suggested we have some imagery of the outdoors. 

A dash of color:

The finish line:

My team compiled a Google doc of images we took. I placed the images that fit well in the small scale. For this high-fidelity prototype, my aim was to have a bit of variety to represent the different outdoor activities in the app.

  • The final prototype was shared
    with the client, and he loved it. 

  • He was so happy his ideas were brought to life. 

  • The judges enjoyed the concept
    and liked the simple but efficient     flow of the app. 

  • In the end, the client placed high.

Conclusion:

  • This was the first client work I completed after learning about
    UX/UI design.

  • I learned the valuable skill of teamwork; even with conflict, I
    knew there was a way in order to navigate to the finish line.   

  • I hope to continue building collaboration and problem-solving skills in a team.  

Knowledge Gained:

Skill building:

Designing a mobile app is a skill I want to continue building upon in my career moving forward. Another skill I would like to utilize more is motion design…

Ready to see
The Motion of a Title Sequence?

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