top of page
Timer Pal
ROLE
App Designer
SKILLS
UI/UX
User Flow
AUDIENCE
College Students
TIMELINE
5 Weeks
TOOLS
Figma
Photoshop
User Research
Overview
Introducing an app specifically for students, featuring a timer function that helps improve and accountability. This case study examines the research and processes involved in my first UI/UX design, highlighting the development of a useful tool for success.
Deliverables
Figma Prototype | User Flow
BRIEF + OPPORTUNITY
The opportunity given for this project was to create and design a single-function application within an assigned app category.
In this project, the randomly assigned category was education, and the target audience for the app was college students.
OBJECTIVES
The project aimed to create an app with distinct features to set it apart from other apps in the educational category, while also being easy to use. The interface was designed with familiar UI design conventions, using icons and actions that users are already accustomed to. Additionally, the design was kept simple and visually pleasing to improve the user's experience.
The main goal of the app is to assist college students in boosting their productivity by keeping them responsible for completing a task within a set time frame. The app aims to create a calming and relaxing environment to alleviate any stress that students may feel while using it. The app's primary feature is a customizable timer that allows users to set the task work time, and timer layout, including background, music, and color.
The app includes a distinctive feature where the timer operates only when the app is active. When the app is closed, the timer stops and reminds users to resume work. This feature helps promote accountability and minimizes distractions, particularly from mobile phones, which are a source of distraction for college students. Additionally, the app has an override feature that enables the timer to be canceled through an external contact.
PROCESS
Initially, the project involved ideation to generate twenty potential concepts for a single-function app in the education category. From these concepts, the best five were selected, and the strongest one was chosen. These concepts were asked in a "What if?" question format and were informed and influenced directly by college students.
There was a student task organizer app
What if...
There an assignment process tracker
There was a timer/pomo timer for students
There was a test/quiz app for students
An app worked with short attention spans
The subsequent steps involved creating a series of lofi prototypes and a task list to guide users through the app. The first lofi prototype was created using paper to mimic the app's flow. The target audience was tested with a minimum of twenty users, and feedback was received. A second round of lofi prototype testing was conducted, implementing feedback to enhance usability.
After the two rounds of lofi testing, the style tile embodying the app's visual direction was designed. The style tile included color palettes, button designs, cards, and other necessary design elements. The style tile was designed to be calming, and relaxing. After the style tile was reviewed, feedback was provided, and a second round of style tiling was conducted to implement the suggested areas of improvement.
The next step was to design the hifi prototypes entirely using Figma, with elements and icons designed through Adobe Suite. The lofi prototypes and elements from the style tile were combined in the process of designing the hifi prototype. A task list was created, and the hifi prototype was tested with a minimum of ten users within the target audience. The hifi prototype was revised twice based on the feedback received.
RESULTS
The app's vision remained consistent throughout the development process. The colors selected were conducive to the learning experience, backed by research. Through testing it proved to be very intuitive, easy to follow, and overall very visually appealing. Students would enjoy using this app and would find it helpful if it were to be fully developed and launched for public use. This all relates back to the brief; an app with a single function and a unique feature designed for college students that is easily navigable and flows nicely.
FINAL APP DESIGN
bottom of page