Filling Needs, Designing a Calendar App
We all have needs. There are endless apps that try to fill these needs, but sometimes they just fall short.
The inspiration for my direction with this project started with a conversation I overheard. Someone was complaining about not being able to find a calendar or planning app that had all that they wanted. They wanted a to-do list, a place for notes, and their calendar with different view options. In the end, they settled with downloading multiple apps to meet their needs.
But multiple apps means more time, and if you’re downloading an app to help you be organized isn’t the goal to save time? So, I set out to fix this.
As I explored this problem I decided the best way to explore possible solutions was to build a prototype for an app that would include everything this person wanted and was also simple to use. My focus landed on this question: when presenting a participant with multiple options, how do I clearly lead them through the navigation without intruding on the the experience?
Sketches
I started by sketching out my ideas for the interface. I came up with this:
I decided on splitting the screen in two. Each half of the screen has two view options and each half is independent of the other half. The top half can show the month calendar or your day calendar. The bottom can show your to-do list or notes. The participant can choose which view each half shows at any time.
Testing
Then, I created a prototype in InVision. I started by creating the interface in Illustrator and later linked them in InVision.
The navigation is simple: tap the arrows in the top corners of each half to view the other screen. Participants can choose any combination of the two screens to view at one time. In the images above you see the Monthly Calendar and Notes view and the Daily Calendar and Tasks view. However, participants can also choose to view the Monthly Calendar and Tasks or the Daily Calendar and Notes.
I determined two tasks for participants to complete in this test.
1. You want to see your daily schedule. Navigate to your daily schedule.
2. Navigate to your task list.
The first screen they saw was this:
Participants often hesitated with the first task. Some tried to tap the day and go to the schedule, a functionality that didn’t exist. Eventually, all found the daily schedule.
Finding the task list was harder. Most saw the notes, thought they were the tasks, and tried to navigate to tasks through the notes.
Basked on these results, I adjusted my design to make the navigation easier and clearer. Now, if you tap the day you will go to the daily schedule. I also changed the bullet points for the notes to dashes instead of boxes so it looks less like a task list.
The tasks I asked participants to complete in the second test were the same as in the first:
1. You want to see your daily schedule. Navigate to your daily schedule.
2. Navigate to your task list.
Most participants completed the first task by tapping the date in the monthly calendar.
The task list still confused most participants. Even though the bullet points were changed to dashes instead of boxes, the notes part of the app was still what participants chose as their task list.
Other participants tried to navigate to tasks by tapping on specific hours in a day. Others tried to find a menu in the top corners. Few tried to navigate with the arrows.
In future iterations of this prototype, I think there needs to be a menu or even four separate buttons indicating that there are different sections of the app. This will help participants learn how the app is structured. The arrows should also be more prominent to draw attention to themselves and nudge participants to use them.
Link to prototype:
Conclusion
The problem I set out to solve was not having notes, tasks, and all your calendar options in one convenient app with simple navigation. As I worked through different iterations of this app, I learned that the navigation that seems simple to me is not necessarily simple to others. Participants need multiple nudges because what may nudge one person may not nudge another. Simple may not be clear. This is why research and testing are so important. That’s how we, as UX designers, meet the most needs in the best ways.
