Givingli Case Study
Project Type: Adding a Feature
MY ROLE:
UX Researcher, UX Designer, Project Manager
PROJECT TIMELINE:
3-4 Weeks
PROJECT SUMMARY
The Problem:
With the pandemic these past few years, celebrating special occasions has become more difficult than ever. Although Givingli already has build a wonderful solution to this issue with their E-card platform, the app was still missing a feature for full creative expression from users. That let me to think: What additional features could be added to help users feel even more connected across this digital gifting platform?
The Solution:
Create a custom artwork upload and group sharing feature based on detailed user research to help solve the lack of interpersonal connection when sending E-gift cards.
PROJECT DETAILS
EMPATHIZE
Background:
“…Givingli is the design-forward way to make everyday connections with people, simple, and more meaningful.”
What: E-card/gift card designing mobile platform
Why: Focuses on the idea of “bettering the human connection”
Initial Problem Discovery:
Users want to send E-cards for loved ones through mobile devices, but struggle with finding a platform that offers fully customizable, aesthetic designs that mimic real-life card signing experiences.
Competitive Analysis
Did other competitors have similar existing features?
Since I didn’t know too much about the current E-card platforms out there, I drew up a quick analysis that compared relevant features similar to what I was envisioning.
Key Takeaways:
Most of them do not have the availability for group editing, or require further subscriptions or fees for full access to design tools.
Only a select few have the option to sign by hand if created on the mobile device/through the mobile app.
What are pain points that users experience within the world of online gift-giving?
User Interviews
To stay within Givingli’s focus on the human connection in gift giving, I conducted several initial interviews to gather individual story points. This allowed to define the problem statement clearly before finding the solution.
Main Insight:
Most participants rarely send E-cards because of the lack of customization and realism found within current existing platforms.
Most participants also prefer the ability to adjust template designs when customizing cards.
User Persona
Who is the target audience?
Taking the statements from my user interviews, I created a user persona that embodied an “ideal user” for the new features I was designing for Givingli. This persona helped bring focus to the user needs as I designed the final product.
Main Problem Statement
Users want to send E-cards for loved ones through mobile devices, but struggle with finding a platform that offers fully customizable, aesthetic designs that mimic real-life card signing experiences.
DEFINE
If our research showed that customers who use the site prefer to have product photos and detailed descriptions to better understand their customization process, we could break the redesign down into a few areas:
Proposed Solutions:
● Help by creating a feature that allows users to upload their own cover art
● Help by allowing users to adjust elements in artist designs for more customization options
● Help by linking a feature that allows users to sign with devices such as phone or iPad/Apple Pencil/ other tablets
● Help by creating a group sharing feature that allows collaborative group editing on a single card design
How Might We:
… use a custom design upload option to allow for more customization freedom?
… incorporate native features of mobile devices to allow for more personable details in the E-cards?
DESIGN IDEAS
What steps would Grace need to take to use these potential new features?
Task Flows
After defining the problem users were facing, I created simple task flows that mapped out the steps for my feature idea.
What are some pain points Grace could have when using the current Givingli app?
User Journey Map
Based on previous user research, I went through different possible thoughts that the user (Grace) could have when using the current app.
User Storyboard
How would Grace use the new potential features?
For better visualization of the user needs, I illustrated a scene based on the persona to demonstrate how the feature would function from beginning to end.
What solutions could help mimic more in-person features lacking in the digital platform?
Sketches
To quickly explore various solutions, I used a combo of rough sketches and lo-fi wireframe screens to bring the ideas to life. Throughout the entire process, I made sure to think about how this feature would fit within Givingli’s existing design pattern.
Due to the timeline of this project, some of these sketch ideas were not realistic as solutions to the user needs. If there was more time to conduct further research, some of these ideas could still be promising feature solutions.
As a result, I chose to continue with “add your own art” and “share to friends” feature for this project.
After many iterations, I finalized my solution into 3 main features:
Customized Signatures
users would be able to add their signature which could be accessed as a stamp feature in the design section
users can upload an image of their handwriting and the system would match their style to the closest font available
Users would be able to upload their own designs as the cover of the cards
Users could toggle between the “featured artists” and “create your own” pages
2. Add Your Own Art
Users could share the design to friends via email or sharable link, creating a collaborative platform
Collaborators have to sign within given deadline
“Shared with me” section would appear under profile settings for users to sign shared cards
3. Share With Me
PROTOTYPE & TEST
What was your initial thought on how the feature would work?
Is there anything that you expected to see but didn’t?
Would you see yourself using this feature? Why or why not?
Top Interview Questions:
Affinity Map
What are the main struggles with these new features?
In order to find overlapping themes from the usability testing, I organized the findings into an affinity map to better determine the features that need iteration.
Major pain points
Using the results and feedback I got from my usability testing research, I gathered the main features that needed immediate revisions to better the functionality of the design.
PRIORITY REVISIONS
Camera UI
Share With Friends Page
Share With Me Navigation
Confirmation Page
FINAL PRODUCT
NEXT STEPS
IF I HAD MORE TIME…
Build out a detailed prototype that matched Givingli’s app as much as possible
Test with additional participants for more detailed data
PROJECT REFLECTION:
This project helped me to understand the importance of remaining true to the existing design system. Because Givingli had such a strong emphasis on building human connection through their product, I had to ensure that my feature designs fit well into the brand identity.
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