InnoChat is an Android/iOS app that allows users to share photos and videos with friends. Users have the ability to like and comment on content that disappears within 24 hours. Its philosophy is very closely related to that of Snapchat, however my client (a classmate from university) thought the design of Snapchat had become difficult to use, which isolated new users. I agreed and decided to take on the job as of April 2018 and completed the job on September 18, 2018. My goal was to create a simple and familiar user interface/experience by using elements that are native to iOS and Android.
I designed the branding, marketing material and the iPhone/Android app for InnoChat. Since the vision for the product was crafted with care, doing the same for the design process was an easy choice.
The philosophy of SnapChat still rings true with many of its users. However the problem with SnapChat is simple; the UI/UX is awful. After reading reviews from the app store (SnapChat had 2/5 stars) my research suggested 40% of its current users found it difficult to use and 90% percent of new users simply quit the app and never used it again.
If I can create something similar to SnapChat, while implementing upon the native design interface and experience of Android/iOS, the app will be easily adaptable by new users.
1. Likes are private.
2. Comments are public.
3. Group stories.
4. Use native design principles.
Before starting the process, we spent a lot of time discussing the vision for the app and sketching ideas on the office whiteboard. After the whiteboarding process I moved onto making high fidelity wireframes.
Before diving deep into the pixels, I always do basic research and test the early stage wireframes to make sure that the overall flow and interactions make sense. The general user flow is geared toward users getting the most out of what they are presented with, without any unnecessary features, or visual fluff.
After final refinements and discussions, I transitioned files to the client and stayed on board to help with assets, interactions and testing.
InnoChat is all about content and users creatively approaching this content. I focused on designing an interface that was clean, minimal, and familiar by using the native iOS design elements.
Using the high-fidelity screens I designed in Sketch, I created a simple prototype so that I could further test usage scenarios. I had some designer/developer friends take a look and share their insights.
Once I had the UI/UX established for iOS, I began designing for Android. I found it much easier to create, since the user flow and general design experience had already been defined.
