Client: Taggr App by Spatial Canvas
Spatial Canvas created an API that enables them to build multi-user, shared AR experiences. The platform automatically recognizes indoor spaces as users enter those spaces. 3D content placed in a physical space persists across devices and time. Version 1 of the Taggr application allowed users to place GIFs that could be viewed by anyone using the app in that particular space. Our task was to take Version 1 and add features in order to create a fully functional social media app based on posting digital content that is anchored to a particular location.
KEY QUESTIONS AND CHALLENGES
Role
Methods
Co-lead on a team of 4 designers
Contextual Inquiry
Affinity Mapping
Competitive Analysis - Hooked Models
User Flows
Sketching and Wireframing
Comprehension Testing
Final Visual Layout
Usability Testing
Results
One of the most valuable takeaways from working on Taggr was learning firsthand that while working with an emerging technology there are still many ways in which to employ existing ‘mental models’. These familiar patterns act as guides, allowing users to intuitively understand how to interact with a technology they had not previously encountered. In this case, as people inherently understand how to interact with social media features, we simply applied and adapted those features to the physical realm in a way that didn’t obscure their functionality.
Another thing that I found to be of extreme interest in working on this project was the general curiosity about the app, both on the part of our users and those that encountered people using the app ‘in the field’. Coming from a background in interiors and architecture, I have an interest in how people live and interact with their environments. Witnessing people using this application left me hopeful that an interest in technology and a sense of discovery in the physical environment are not mutually exclusive, and that a hybrid application might help to encourage curiosity, a sense of wonderment and new types of digital interaction in the spaces we all share.
Research and Analysis
User Research, Hooked Model Analysis
Our first step in determining the features required to apply a social media app to augmented reality was to look at other successful social media applications and to analyze the features that led to their success in order to apply similar features, as required, to Taggr.
Our team did a research and brainstorming session focussing on the Hooked Model for forming habit loops that other social media applications employ. Based on this strategy session we decided to prioritize features that would reward feelings of belonging, social validation (likes) and variable rewards to keep users returning to the application. We found that notifications and boredom were key external triggers.
Next we felt like we needed to explore the location based aspect of the application. We determined that the best starting point for this was to create a study using the existing application. We found a group of 7 volunteers within our co-working space and set them up with the application for a week. At the end of the week we conducted interviews focussed on the triggers for posting and viewing posts, the types of posts made, the locations of posts (communal areas vs. private space). We also conducted a solutions interview at the end of the interview focussed on the Hooked Model analysis we had compiled.
The results of the testing and interviews uncovered the following findings:
6/7 users opened the app when they received notifications
6/7 wanted greater control over placement and size of GIFs
5/7 users wanted to know who posted content (accounts)
5/7 users wanted to be able to like or comment on other peoples posts
5/7 users recounted episodes of using with friends or groups of friends
These findings aligned nicely with the hooked model research we had done and supported our initial suppositions about the features required.
One unintended finding from the experiment was that other people using the co-working space that were not participants in the study made inquiries about what participants were doing and we even had a few that requested to be involved if we ran additional studies.
Design and Implementation
User Flows
Based on our research and analysis we quickly understood that the scope of this particular project meant that a number of different flows needed to be designed and implemented. The team broke these out into: posting content, viewing and interacting with content, profile viewing and editing, and setting up spaces. We then joined these various tasks together into an overall user flow that provided a smooth and cohesive user experience.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Our team then moved into low fidelity wireframes. During the wireframing process we made several key decisions. We decided that given that the app was being asked to support multiple types of content we would create a “posting wheel” that would allow users to select from the five types of content with an easy tap of the thumb.
Because the nature of the app is inherently location based we also had to make a decision on how users would interact with a post. Rather than a feed, users interact with a post by walking up to it and “clicking” on the post through their screen. Although this was originally visualized through a “focus square,” this was eliminated in the final version in favor of a more streamlined “tap to interact” prompt.
We also increased the prominence of the notifications icon as we attempted to strengthen the habit loop for the application.
Final Screens
Once we had completed comprehension testing on the wireframes using our original test subject group as well as a group of new users, we began creating high-fidelity mockups for the entire application. Below are a few selected flows demonstrating the added social media features.
ADDING / SCANNING A SPACE
PROFILE AND ACCOUNT SETTINGS
POSTING
VIEWING / INTERACTING WITH A POST
Conclusions and Lessons Learned
This project was a wonderful collision of worlds for me. Being able to combine my product design experience with my expertise on how people interact with spaces through interior architecture has convinced me that AR is a technology that has immense potential to become something we encounter on a daily basis. Working on Taggr also reaffirmed my belief in research, even when there aren’t products that are directly comparable. By committing to understanding the principles of success of the products most closely analogous, and combining that knowledge with in depth user interviews, we were able to quickly iterate and design a completely new product that was successfully intuitive for new users.