Citizen Science App Design Write-up

Summary

My design for my citizen science app is tree/forest themed, since the app is about tracking deforestation. I’ve chosen to use greens and browns in order to create the atmosphere of a forest, as well as keep the color pallet simplified to just two colors.

Tree Theme

I designed the app so that it had a tree theme, since it’s all about tracking deforestation. The level exp bar is shaped like a log. Then the buttons are shaped like leaves. The “x” on pop-ups are two twigs, and the lines separating the menu items are sticks. All these little details give the app some personality, as well as helps create an atmosphere for the app. It also lets the user be a little more immersed within the app.

Levels/Achievements

Another design choice I made was to have achievements, and levels. The reason for having these seemingly unnecessary, but they are there to reward the user and make them feel like they are having a greater impact on the data. This also encourages the users to keep working on the citizen science project, since they are being rewarded periodically. Each achievement that you could has a unique badge, and when you click show more, a small overlay with a short description on how to get the achievement pops up. The creates a clean look, that is easy to follow and only gives you the information when you want it, keeping the design uncluttered.

Menu/Navigation

One of the last major choices, was how to do the navigation, and menu. I decided to created a sandwich menu button and have the navigation menu extend from the left side of the screen. The menu items are separated by sticks, this is to continue the tree theme and atmosphere. The rest of the menu was kept simple to keep the user from being distracted, and then the corners were rounded, to create a more friendly look.

Conclusion

Overall the design choices I made were to better immerse the user, and to create an atmosphere fitting of the app.