Analysis of An App and UI Elements

Brief

Perform an analysis of a less-than-perfect App to develop an understanding of the UI and UX design considerations for an App.

Selected Application

I have chosen to perform my analysis on the app The Happiest Hour (which is an app version of the site https://www.thehappiesthour.com/)

What is the purpose of this app?

The Happiest Hour is a bar-finding application, with a USP focussing on finding nearby bars with drink specials.

From a customer perspective I have defined the primary goal of this app as find a nearby bar for a cheap drink.

Who is the target audience of this app?

It is a convenience app, targeting someone who is looking for a alcoholic drink but perhaps does not know the area they are in too well. I would say it is for people aged 18–35yrs and living in a populated area (city or surrounding suburbs) where the available choices for bars is medium to high.

Created Persona

James Rogett / Age: 25

Employment: Full time retail in a fashionable, contemporary men’s clothing store. $50k annual income.

Location: Lives in Richmond (VIC) and works on Chapel St.

Lifestyle: Loves his job and the people he meets through it. Likes to socialise over a few drinks after work but has a terrible memory for the location of bars. Likes cool locations, prefers craft beer to wine or spirits and likes trying new venues.

Technical Experience: Typical Gen Y. Uses various technologies proficiently and is highly adaptable to new tech.

Device: Samsung Galaxy 6, Android operating system

Situation: James has met up with a friend in the city, went for a coffee but now they are both thinking a drink is in order. He only knows a few bars in the city but they’re too far away from where they are now. His friend doesn’t know the area either, but suggests trying an app he has heard of called The Happiest Hour.

What is the main goal of the app?

Primary goal: find a nearby bar for a cheap drink

Secondary goal(s): find bars that are recommended / find bars that fit certain criteria (beer/wine/cocktails) / see additional information on suggested bars

additional functions: the ability to review bars / save bars for later

Sketch the Wireframes

Sketch the Informational Flow of the App

Happiest Hour Style Tile

Strengths and weaknesses of the AI

What the app does well

• simple layout, particularly the menu
• good choice of homepage being the large map

Weaker points of the app

• venue list page kind of redundant
• specific venue pages lack purpose
• directions from where you are would be an obvious addition

Ease of navigation

• navigation is relatively easy. The limited menu helps with this.

Readability of content

• hierachy of the content is actually quite good. The major text is large, which is probably desirable for an app centred around drinking.

Ability to achieve set goal/task

• Moderate. The goal here is to find the nearest, easiest place to grab a drink. It presents almost too many options for a “simplest method” app.

Usage of icons

• the settings app looks like a settings icon, but really just leads to app information.
• The prompt to rate venues looks like a dodgy facebook like button, and then they have stars as well, a much more obvious icon for ratings.

Recommendations/changes

• For an app based on a simple resolution, it isn’t simple enough. If I am after somewhere, anywhere, to drink I need a simple solution, some direction, or decision on where to go.
• The app doesn’t really provide any reason regarding quality to visit the prescribed venues, basing their suggestions solely on the availability of a drinks special
• The ratings system makes no sense at all, everything seems to have 5 stars as long as it exists.

Competitor Analysis

Where the fuck should I go for a drink
A very simple version of a drink-finding app. Purely based on location it finds a place relatively nearby, and just allows you to cycle through them until you find one you’re happy with. It’s good in the sense of ease of use, but, like the Happiest Hour, does not really base it’s suggestions on much, is not really customiseable, and lacks any additional features.

Boozinga
Probably a bit closer in design to the happiest hour, but in reverse, showing the map only when you have selected a place. It has good points: the advertisement on the front page gives room for profitability, and again the interface is foolproof. But you’re only basing it on location, and it has a sever lack of any information on WHY you should visit the places it is recommending to you. Also, there is little opportunity to use the app more extensively.

App design proposal

key features

Primary Function

• Refined map (less choice, more specific) and add directions to venues
• Customising drink type earlier in the process
• Make drink specials the priority
• Additional Features

Additional features

• Check in feature (check in to venue, access further specials)
• Save Venues (create an ongoing list of your favourite venues)
• Links to social media (customers are able to access further information about the venue, and venues are able to cross-promote the app)
• Rate and Review venues and specials

Performance objective, task complexity, skill level required

Performance objective is finding a bar suiting your needs, and as an additional objective to interact (through review/save/check-in).
The task complexity level is low, as is the skill level required to use the app. The only possibly complex task is reading a map, but this is well within the capabilities of the target audience.

App Flowchart

1.0 Home
2.0 Specials map 
3.0 Map
4.0 Venue page
___4.1 Check In
5.0 Reviews
6.0 My Venues

Sketches of wireframes

1.0 Home

2.0 Specials Map

3.0 Map

4.0 Venue page + Check in pop up

5.0 Reviews

Visual Flowchart

New Style Tile + Colour UI Solution

App Prototype

Using Adobe’s XD prototyping program, I developed a semi-interactive version of the app, showing a basic pathway for someone looking for a cheeky beer nearby. Click the link below to play around.

User Testing Report

The biggest challenging of creating this app prototype was maintaining a degree of restraint and focus on the key customer goal. There are many additional functions that could be added but each one detracts from the point of it being fuss-free and easy to use. They would add to the overall experience in terms of things you could achieve with the app, but increase clutter when considering that primary goal.

In terms of that goal, to find a nearby bar for a cheap drink, the user can achieve it on just the second screen, after making one selection (drink type) and clicking the submit button. This provides the user with the details of four well-reviewed nearby bars, that currently have a drink special specific to their requirements. If the customer has some knowledge of the area, this is all they need, as the address is provided. If they do not know the area, directions are provided by an additional click (See Map or by selecting the venue). This additional click then opens up options relating to the secondary functions or goals of the app:

• additional drink specials
• basic rating system
• the ability to review the bar
• social media links