product.
House of Amal, a creative community for teens.
duration.
28 weeks (Mar/Sep 2022)
team.
Gabrielle H.
role.
Researcher, UX/UI, Brand identity
tool.
Figma
problem:
Even in infancy, the “House of Amal” brand struggles with its brand identity causing its target users, creative teens and their parents, to be unclear on what it is and how it works.
goal:
Create a product that provides its target user groups with both clarity and confidence to use the House of Amal platforms.
directive:
A mobile app concept, and responsive web-based redesign of existing platform .
research.
Two methods were used during the research phase.
First, there was an open forum with potential parent stakeholders to introduce the concept. Although I did not lead that forum, I was an invited guest and observer.
For the second method, there was a parental consented focus group with 4 teenagers that I led. There was also a short design challenge presentation with 2 teens, whose parents were present for the presentation. As "House of Amal" (HOA) moved into the design phase of creating a website, I was not part of the original design or ideation. However, I was later looped into lead the redesign of the information architecture - which allowed me the opportunity to create a case study and explore the UX problems a little further.
pain points.
access.
(parent) knowing where and how to find new activities for their kids.
(teen) finding accessible activities to do with friends.
value + safety.
(parent) transparency and clear indicators on the value for the kids as well as the safety practices in place.
(teen) finding interests worth spending time on.
cost.
(parent) funds on-demand to invest in affordable activities.
(teen) availability of own funds/asking parents to fund.
“I like having a place to hang out that is not just one person’s house.”
“I don’t understand what this place is.”
“This isn’t clear on the website, are these spaces in-person or online?”
usability study.
My first round of usability studies revealed that when booking, users like to see as much of the confirmation details as possible when moving through the flow.
After the usability study, more of the flow was centralized on each screen to provide clear indicators of progress and flow details, as well as inactivity indicators.
before usability study.
after usability study.
The framework for the initial concepts, responsive website and feedback from the usability study also informed the design for the mobile app.
takeaways.
What I learned:
Establishing use cases is important when designing across platforms because although there will undoubtedly be similarities, they should be different.
solution.
House of Amal aims to be a creative community for teens. Pre-launch, House of Amal was looking to rebrand in effort to drive education on its purpose for parents, stakeholders and investors while gearing up for phygital (physical and digital space) for the teens who serve as its target market. The design solution was tiered for phases I and II. Phase I's design solution was a responsive web-based platform that would help drive brand awareness, provide information and beta test interest in the House of Amal purpose. For phase II, the solution was a mobile application that would serve as the primary point of interaction and account management for creative teens. Many parents want a safe space for their teens to be teens, and explore their interests and House of Amal wants to be that pillar in the community.
Responsive use.
A responsive website will drive brand awareness, provide information and get stakeholders excited about this new creative community. On the site, users will learn more about the function of House of Amal, why this type of space matters and the value it provides for the teenage creative.
Application.
For the on-the-go teen, the mobile application is designed to build an in-house community where teens across spaces can share their creative interests, talents and experiences with House of Amal. There won't be a need to externally search for other creatives, because the phygital space House of Amal provides will be that place.
