The Journey of Peripterapp
Continuing from where we left off last time, after having chosen our final app concept, it was time to start bringing our idea to life.
What is Peripterapp?
As we moved from theory to practice, it all became clear in our minds. Peripterapp would make the average person’s life easier by allowing them to order from the comfort of their home any kiosk item they pleased and have it be delivered directly to them, at minimal cost. Peripterapp aims to create a network that connects kiosk owners to potential customers and brings them together through just a few taps.
How does it work?
After you log in to the app, you are automatically transferred to a map screen that shows partner kiosks near you. After choosing your desired kiosk, you are able to view its complete catalog and add the products of your choice to your cart. A process anyone who has ever ordered anything online will be very familiar with. From that point on, you can choose from three payment methods and confirm both your address and your final order. The rest is up to us.
How did we do it?
In order to create a working prototype, we tried to maximize the knowledge we had acquired during our Digital Creativity Lab course. So, we started from the very beginning. We wondered: “Why are we doing this?” The answer was almost immediately obvious, to fundamentally change life as we know it and make it easier for everyone.
Now, for the implementation, we all sat together and discussed our brand equity, our values. As the Creator Conspiracy is all about making life easy and simple, our first app had to reflect that by being clear and concise, practical and leaving no margin for anyone to be confused. We decided that we would structure both our app and our site so that they would have the features deemed absolutely necessary but use them to the fullest degree! When everything was finished you wouldn’t be able to take anything away in the same way that you wouldn’t be able to add something without it being redundant.
For this step, what came in really handy was the User Experience counseling session we had received from UX Prodigy during the semester and Maggy Kontou’s excellent advice regarding overall app design. As UX Prodigy advocated, we created a persona and imagined what their ideal experience with our app would look like. What does the average user want to achieve? How much should it take them to do so? What options should be available and what sort of problems would occur? Later, we took advantage of Maggy Kontou’s advice and created a screen flowchart with all the potential paths and links a user could follow, consciously aiming to make them as minimalist as possible but clearly organized.
We took note of what is absolutely necessary for any app to have (namely user-friendly visibility, intuitive flow, a menu that is always accessible, etc.) and carefully structured our app around them. Then, we looked at other similar delivery apps and referred to an E-food heuristics evaluation we had done as coursework for the Lab. Using these as examples (either to draw from or avoid) we concluded to the number of screens we would need and the function of each and every one.
We minimized the number of APIs the app would use (thanks Maggy!) and made sure to prevent any dead-ends from happening, prevent our users from making silly and/or unintentional mistakes and make “Return to Home screen” as easy as it should be (props to UX Prodigy).
Lastly, we made sure the order of things was evident and the flow of use was organic.
When it came to the implementation of everything, Proto.io was both our greatest ally and our greatest foe. After fighting with it and against it, we came to create something we are really proud of, something that works, is practically accessible and aesthetically consistent.
Pretty much the same rings true with Tilda. Something worth mentioning here though is that we aspired to follow the trend of “Mobile First” and this I why we made orders available only through the app. The site’s mere purpose would be to inform people about our mobile app and guide them to it, while explaining the service we provide as efficiently as humanly possible. Also, it would be the place to go as a kiosk owner if you are interested in signing up to our platform and become a partner.
What we learned
The first thing we learned is that everything we had read and discussed during this course could go largely unnoticed if we didn’t have to apply it in a practical way. Furthermore, none of us could have done it alone. Teamwork was a key aspect of our success. In addition to that each and every single one of us came in contact and developed different skills and knowledge we otherwise wouldn’t have. By pushing ourselves to our limits, we understood how difficult the design process can be and why User Experience is such an established field.
Something for the future
Overall, the process was as intimidating as it was rewarding. We questioned ourselves and our choices constantly but when we made the right ones we were overwhelmingly satisfied. Our advice for anyone that hopes to face the challenge is simple: be patient, it’s going to be worth it. Educate yourselves, use every weapon you have in your arsenal and J U S T H A V E F U N!!
The Creator Conspiracy team consists of:
Christina Gourgoura (Raed Raees)
Special thanks to:
