A startup named LifeOnScreen has a solution for screen-owners to rent out their own screen space to advertisers and at the same time have a content management system for their own promos.
I had the opportunity to design their first app. The target audiences were primarily existing users that either have a screen they want to make available to the world (screen-owner) or want to rent a screen (advertiser).
The main functionalities were not too many:
basic dashboard of the screen-owner (or advertiser, if you were one)
overview of the screens you owned
change of wi-fi network
interface to connect their hardware to the screen (and thus, to their network)
First things first: get the info needed so we check out some mockups that were already done.
I decided to first think about the stats each target audience might interest, so we'll know what to show on the dashboard. And because money talks - that's the most important piece of info the user needs. Any additional info is basically a bonus.
Then we went to see how the connection between their hardware and the screen-owner's screen is established. It was a bit of a long process, but we managed to have a few debates and in the end minimized the user effort as much as possible (simplified a few steps, tried to get the number of steps down). Currently it is as optimal as possible with this OS + hardware combo (when upgrading on that, the steps could be even more downsized, yay!).
After the screen is added to the network of screens, it is ready to be booked. The screen-owner now has overview over his screens and in case any of them have issues (i.e. loss of network) can immediately act upon it (be it changing the network or getting support from the company).
When all the mockups were ready, I prepared an interactive prototype (with my favourite: Invision). This is how I check for inconsistencies in the feel and flow of the app - plus you get to show the interaction to the client.
Next step was to work closely with the mobile developer, to see if there's any weird things that would make their job harder.
Hint: if you have the mockups already in an interactive prototype the developers can start working on the main logic even without the final design. So while you're working the pixels, they can already work on the app simultaneously - and presto! it gets the app done quicker.
The graphic design was next on my list. In style with the simplicity of the brand, I went for a clean, sharp and minimal style:
Just created a few additional icons and graphics for the app store and just like that the first version of the app was done. The developer was cool with it, I was stoked about it, the startup was happy. A win-win(-win?) situation!
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