FishID Revisited
After a few months of meeting with UX designers, getting feedback, and reading on the topic, I came back to an app I had created and made some changes.
Recap
FishID is an app that helps new anglers avoid FWC fines, while also teaching them about their local fish species and providing a fishing community. Photo-recognition is used to identify the size and type of fish, and each catch is stored in the user’s personal log for optional sharing. Users can communicate via comments and can search the area for other catches with a specific criteria in the settings.
Receiving Feedback
I brought my first version to a group of designers in the St. Petersburg, FL. area (Check out Design St. Pete on Meetup.com) and got some valuable feedback. The largest place for improvement was the UI, as there was a lack of visual hierarchy.
Creating a Visual Hierarchy
Color Palette and Medium Tones
The original design lacked an accent color to draw attention to action items. Adding accent colors helped to direct users through the app. I added medium tones to lend some depth and enhance navigation as well. If you compare the original to the newer version, you’ll notice that the new version’s header/footer elements look softer. Utilizing a softer-looking palette with medium tones made the app feel more pliable — easy to adjust to your preferences.
Font and Icon Size
In addition to adding various tones, I added fonts of larger size and varied weights to make certain items pop to attention immediately. Reducing the size of the icons made them easier to discern, given the increased negative space around each item. It looks sharper, and the orange detail is a less obnoxious way of showing in-app position.
Photo Ratio
I had used longer photos because I didn’t initially take into account that a fish could be oddly shaped, like how a stingray is diamond-shaped, or how smaller tidal fish could be box-shaped. I changed the photo ratio to 6:4 not only to help people determine the organization of information, but to include fish that weren’t just long lengthwise in the photos.
All of this helped produce a cleaner design that was easier on the eyes.
Other Minor Details
I fleshed out the map, user settings, and user profiles/commenting on posts. I also spaced out the hashtags in the search feature to let people with bigger thumbs have a chance at selecting something.
What I’d do next
On-boarding
On-boarding was a suggested next step. I think this would be a great idea, as it would result in people knowing how to use the tool successfully. Having good experiences with the app would encourage users to come back and use it again.
Program a Prototype
My next goal is to learn how to program a little and have something that I could actually use. The technology is out there! I’ve read about Apple’s new app, Measure, which would be perfect for FishID — less hands on the fish.
Thank you for reading.
