Fish Bladder Games | Planet Possible Mobile Parent Portal
Project Overview
Fish Bladder Games is a company that makes fun and interactive games to help children get more active. Fish Bladder Games has created Planet Possible, a game for children ages 7-14 which integrates physical activity and gameplay. They are in need of a parent portal where the child’s in game activity can easily be monitored.
We set out to create a user-friendly parent portal that is used to track each child’s engagement and performance, with a focus on progression, trends and areas for improvement.
Goals
Health Tracking: Enable parents to observe stats of their children's physical activity, time spent playing the game and that of their children’s peers.
Streamlined Information: Provide parents with a user friendly centralized platform to enable parents to see real-time data on their child’s activities.
Reminders and Alerts: Implement reminders for events and alerts for their children's in game activity.
Approach
User Research:
Analyze competitors' apps to identify strengths and weaknesses.
Create user persona and user flow chart based on research findings.
Information Architecture:
Develop a clear and intuitive app structure.
Define the main navigation and information hierarchy.
Sketching and Wireframing:
Create low fidelity sketches which allows us to iterate our designs
Create low-fidelity wireframes to outline the app's layout and functionality.
Iterate on wireframes based on feedback from stakeholders.
Visual Design and Prototyping:
Develop a visually appealing and cohesive design language for the app.
Create high-fidelity mockups and design assets.
Ensure the app's design reflects the brand's identity and resonates with users.
Develop interactive prototypes to test user interactions and flows.
User Testing:
Plan and conduct usability tests.
Gather feedback to identify pain points and areas for improvement.
Iterate on the design based on user testing results.
Competitor Analysis
We chose to do a competitor analysis to get inspiration from existing solutions that tackle similar problems or achieve similar goals. We researched other parent/teacher communication apps and fitness apps for this exercise. We compared and contrasted Talkingpoints and Smart Gym.
Competitor Analysis Insights: TalkingPoints
TalkingPoints1 is a teacher and parent app, it is easy to navigate has a simple interface and has a analytics area to track the students performance. We can use the layout and color scheme as a reference for the communication and home screens.
Easy to navigate.
Analytics area to track performance.
Icon are easily recognizable.
Personal trainer version has a students section.
Students area shows performance analytics.
Competitor Analysis Insights: Smart Gym
Smart Gym2 is a fitness app that allows the user to track their performance. It is easy to navigate has an analytics area to track the users performance. The personal trainer version has a students section where the user profiles show each students performance analytics. We can integrate the fitness tracker and analytics utilized in Smart Gym into our parent portal.
Easy to navigate.
Clean interface.
Color scheme.
Can use either mobile app or web browser.
Ability to text
Analytics area to track performance
Icon are easily recognizable.
User Persona
A user persona was created with the research data provided by Fish Bladder Games. User personas are used to represent our product's target audience. Helping us to understand and empathize with users throughout the design and development process, ensuring that the product decisions are user-centered.
Our target user is a parent that wants to have a digital solution for efficiency and accessibility and is proactive in managing the children's education and extracurricular activities.
User Flow Chart - View Profile & Activity
A user flow chart was created to help visualize the path a user would take from the initial entry point through a series of steps towards a successful outcome.
Here the users path is to view a child's profile and their game activity. This visualization aids in understanding how users interact with the product.
Sketches
With sketching, we can rapidly visualize solutions. They are a low fidelity method which allows us to iterate our designs based on feedback from team members and stakeholders.
Sketches were created of the user flows for the parent portal where the child's performance can easily be viewed. The parent’s can also view the child's profile and alerts for upcoming events.
Wireframes
Wireframes are a simple, cost-effective way to demonstrate a layout and structure for an app. Allowing us to focus on usability, user experience and iterative design adjustments based on feedback. After presenting these wireframes we decided change the messages screen to a alerts screen.
Style Guide
Layout: A clean, minimalistic layout often improves usability and user satisfaction. We opted for a uncluttered interface with intuitive navigation paths to minimize the learning curve and enhance usability.
Color palette: Colors can evoke emotions and affect user engagement. Using a mostly blue palette can convey trust and security.
Iconography: Icons should be simple, recognizable, and consistent. They play a crucial role in the visual communication within the app, helping users to navigate and understand functionalities without relying on text.
Navigation Styles: Navigation should be intuitive. Research shows that users prefer familiar navigation patterns, such as tab bars for mobile apps or hamburger menus for more complex navigation needs.
Style Guide - Imagery
Style Guide - Colors & Contrast Grid
Style Guide - Typography & Icons
Style Guide - Component Samples
High Fidelity Screens
We built off the wireframes to create the high fidelity screens. Applying the change of the messages screen to an alerts screen where the parents can view their childs in game activity alerts along with their schools announcements.
Prototype
The high fidelity screens were used to create a prototype based off the user flow chart. With this we can proceed to user testing which will help us identify any usability issues with the interface.
User testing
User testing is a research method that involves evaluating a product or service by testing it with potential users. This process helps us understand user behavior, preferences, and challenges, enabling them to identify problems and opportunities for improvement. During user testing, participants perform specific tasks while observers note how they interact with the product, ask questions, and gather feedback. The insights gained from this testing guide designers in refining the interface, enhancing usability, and ensuring that the product meets the needs and expectations of its users.
User Testing - Findings
To help us understand user preferences, behavior and any challenges with using the app we conducted a usability test. The usability test was conducted in person with five participants who are parents through ages range of 30-45 years old. Each participant was given specific tasks to perform within the app. The tasks were to login or create a new account and to navigate to their child's activity screen.
Each participant was able to complete the tasks.
The participants found the app easy to use and familiar.
They appreciated not having to learn how to use the app as it was intuitive to navigate.
Found the layout to be clean and minimalistic.
A participant did realize there was no way to add a new prolife from the app. We implemented that feedback before continuing the testing.
A suggestion was to add a child's weight to the profile.
Summary
Fish Bladder Games required a user-friendly parent portal to track each child’s engagement and performance within their "Planet Possible" game. The portal was designed with a dual focus: maintaining user-friendliness and providing detailed insights into children's gaming activities. The portal has allowed parents to not only stay informed about their children’s physical activity levels but also to identify trends and areas where their children might need encouragement or improvement.
Feedback from users was positive, highlighting the portal’s intuitive design and real-time data capabilities as key factors. Parents appreciate the ability to track performance metrics and the motivational boost it would provide to their children, encouraging more consistent and enthusiastic participation in "Planet Possible".
Overall, the implementation of the parent portal will be instrumental in fostering greater parental involvement. This involvement will be crucial in reinforcing the game’s objectives of combining fun and physical activity, thereby enhancing the overall experience and benefits for both children and their families. Fish Bladder Games sets a strong foundation for future enhancements and potential expansions of the platform.