Natalie Aaronson

Re(mind)ers Study

Re(mind)ers Study

Re(mind)ers Study

Executive Summary

Project Overview: In research, Apple’s “Reminders” app was described as “easy to ignore” and “annoying.” This modern iteration implements more options for notifications, personalization, groupings, and rewards so that users stay engaged and on-track with their goals.

Project Plan:

  • Two weeks researching and defining
  • One week wireframing, prototyping
  • One week testing

Goal: This team set out to iterate upon Apple’s “Reminders” app in order to increase engagement and expand upon scope of use.

My Role:

  • Interviewing
  • Problem & User Definition
  • Feature Prioritization 
  • Low Fidelity Wireframing (this Case Study goes through Mid-Fidelity)

Context

Apple’s “Reminders” app is a task-management system which allows users to add items onto to-do lists and sends push notifications to ensure they are completed. Our iteration implements socialization features in order to produce a sense of sharable accomplishment. Re(mind)ers also takes on a new “Goal” oriented information heirarchy which encourages users to celebrate the many small steps that make up a singular “Goal.”

What I Did

Interviewing: The Re(mind)ers Case Study was an exercise in exhaustive research to understand where gaps existed and how to properly fill them. Because of this, the interview and testing processes were especially important. I executed this segment’s research.

Problem & User Definition: Once we better understood the user through interviewing, I created an Empathy Map and User Persona to synopsize the information we had gathered. From there, we defined the problems facing said user and began to think about how to solve them.

Feature Prioritization:  As this project was iterating upon an already-existing app, the biggest question that needed to be answered was: “What can features can be implemented to expand and streamline what already exists?” Answering this question involved brainstorming both what was possible and what would have the greatest impact. A majority of the brainstorming phase was spent here.
 

Low Fidelity Wireframing: Envisioned Re(mind)ers on a Low-Fidelity scale, implementing the features we decided upon as a team. 

Research & Define

Research Findings

First, we needed to research in order to Define the Problem. We collected:

24

Survey
Responses

5

User
Interviews

We needed to answer two main questions: “What issues do users have with the current Reminders app?” ….And more importantly, “How do we fix them?” 

We took away one main positive about the current Reminders app, and one main negative:
Pros:

“There is a satisfaction … that I gravitate towards … to checking things off my list.”

Cons:

The current app was described as: “annoying,” “frustrating,” and “easy to ignore.”

These user insights taught us that people are in need of a service to better organize and manage their time and tasks. However, most of these same users admitted to actively avoiding the current Reminders app as they find it annoying and easy to ignore.

We realized that our iteration of the app needed a “draw” or “hook” that would both encourage users to complete their goals and provide them with the sense of accomplishment they crave.

Defining the User & the Problem
Defining the User & the Problem For our User Persona (simplified version below), we went with a 28 year old named Jack who is constantly being bombarded with the sentiment that he isn’t “adult” enough. As much as he, too, wants this for himself– he gets overwhelmed easily. “Adulting” (as it has been coined by our target demographic), or “getting it together” feels like too daunting of a task.
Jack needs an app that celebrates his small victories. He needs something that rewards him when he puts away the dishes because it understands that the small act of cleaning up is a step towards the bigger goals of running a tidier household and maintaining a healthy relationship!

Problem Statement

Problem Statement: “Reminders” is an app that is meant to help users stay organized. However, the current iteration lacks personalization/incentivization features and doesn’t account for–or celebrate– the progress that a user is making. Therefore, the app feels overwhelming, unfamiliar and unmotivating which makes continued use and self-improvement unlikely.

How might we create an updated “Reminders” app that incorporates more options for notifications, personalization, groupings, and rewards so that users stay engaged and on-track with their goals?

Our Hypothesized Solutions

First, we needed to differentiate between what features we wanted to implement, and what features were feasible to implement. We began with an “I like, I want, I wish” brainstorm, then structured that data into a Feature Prioritization Matrix:

User research led our team to several modifications such as changing the term “Reminders” to “Goals.” In our iteration, users create small action steps that work towards each large goal. Through socializing the app to create positive reinforcement for good behavior, Re(mind)ers keeps the user motivated while simultaneously making their otherwise-overwhelming goals (such as to “get a job,” “buy a house,” “have a healthy relationship,” etc) seem accomplishable.

Re(mind)ers creates a positive experience, not a nagging experience. When users are reminded of the reasons they are working towards a “goal” and to reward themselves for doing so– they aren’t just building healthy habits, they’re building self-esteem. That is the true goal– not to complete tasks, but to use those completed tasks as a reason for the user to feel good about themselves.

Research & Define

Research Findings

First, we needed to research in order to Define the Problem. We collected:
We needed to answer two main questions: “What issues do users have with the current Reminders app?” ….And more importantly, “How do we fix them?” Users said:
We took away one main positive about the current Reminders app, and one main  negative:

 Pros:

“There is a satisfaction … that I gravitate towards … to checking things off my list.”

Cons:

The current app was described as:  “annoying,” “frustrating,” and “easy to ignore.”

These: user incites taught us that people are in need of a service to better organize and manage their time and tasks. However, most of these same users admitted to actively avoiding the current Reminders app as they find it annoying and easy to ignore. We realized that our iteration of the app needed a “draw” or “hook” that would both encourage users to complete their goals and provide them with the sense of accomplishment they crave.
Defining the User & the Problem
Defining the User & the Problem For our User Persona (simplified version below), we went with a 28 year old named Jack who is constantly being bombarded with the sentiment that he isn’t “adult” enough. As much as he, too, wants this for himself– he gets overwhelmed easily. “Adulting” (as it has been coined by our target demographic), or “getting it together” feels like too daunting of a task.
Jack needs an app that celebrates his small victories. He needs something that rewards him when he puts away the dishes because it understands that the small act of cleaning up is a step towards the bigger goals of running a tidier household and maintaining a healthy relationship!

Problem Statement

Problem Statement: “Reminders” is an app that is meant to help users stay organized. However, the current iteration lacks personalization/incentivization features and doesn’t account for–or celebrate– the progress that a user is making. Therefore, the app feels overwhelming, unfamiliar and unmotivating which makes continued use and self-improvement unlikely.

How might we create an updated “Reminders” app that incorporates more options for notifications, personalization, groupings, and rewards so that users stay engaged and on-track with their goals?

Our Hypothesized Solutions

First, we needed to differentiate between what features we wanted to implement, and what features were feasible to implement. We began with an “I like, I want, I wish” brainstorm, then structured that data into a Feature Prioritization Matrix:

User research led our team to several modifications such as changing the term “Reminders” to “Goals.” In our iteration, users create small action steps that work towards each large goal. Through socializing the app to create positive reinforcement for good behavior, Re(mind)ers keeps the user motivated while simultaneously making their otherwise-overwhelming goals (such as to “get a job,” “buy a house,” “have a healthy relationship,” etc) seem accomplishable.

Re(mind)ers creates a positive experience, not a nagging experience. When users are reminded of the reasons they are working towards a “goal” and to reward themselves for doing so– they aren’t just building healthy habits, they’re building self-esteem. That is the true goal– not to complete tasks, but to use those completed tasks as a reason for the user to feel good about themselves.

Research & Define

Research Findings

First, we needed to research in order to Define the Problem. We collected:
We needed to answer two main questions: “What issues do users have with the current Reminders app?” ….And more importantly, “How do we fix them?” Users said:
We took away one main positive about the current Reminders app, and one main  negative:

 Pros:

“There is a satisfaction … that I gravitate towards … to checking things off my list.”

Cons:

The current app was described as:  “annoying,” “frustrating,” and “easy to ignore.”

These: user incites taught us that people are in need of a service to better organize and manage their time and tasks. However, most of these same users admitted to actively avoiding the current Reminders app as they find it annoying and easy to ignore. We realized that our iteration of the app needed a “draw” or “hook” that would both encourage users to complete their goals and provide them with the sense of accomplishment they crave.
Defining the User & the Problem
Defining the User & the Problem For our User Persona (simplified version below), we went with a 28 year old named Jack who is constantly being bombarded with the sentiment that he isn’t “adult” enough. As much as he, too, wants this for himself– he gets overwhelmed easily. “Adulting” (as it has been coined by our target demographic), or “getting it together” feels like too daunting of a task.
Jack needs an app that celebrates his small victories. He needs something that rewards him when he puts away the dishes because it understands that the small act of cleaning up is a step towards the bigger goals of running a tidier household and maintaining a healthy relationship!

Problem Statement

Problem Statement: “Reminders” is an app that is meant to help users stay organized. However, the current iteration lacks personalization/incentivization features and doesn’t account for–or celebrate– the progress that a user is making. Therefore, the app feels overwhelming, unfamiliar and unmotivating which makes continued use and self-improvement unlikely.

How might we create an updated “Reminders” app that incorporates more options for notifications, personalization, groupings, and rewards so that users stay engaged and on-track with their goals?

Our Hypothesized Solutions

First, we needed to differentiate between what features we wanted to implement, and what features were feasible to implement. We began with an “I like, I want, I wish” brainstorm, then structured that data into a Feature Prioritization Matrix:

User research led our team to several modifications such as changing the term “Reminders” to “Goals.” In our iteration, users create small action steps that work towards each large goal. Through socializing the app to create positive reinforcement for good behavior, Re(mind)ers keeps the user motivated while simultaneously making their otherwise-overwhelming goals (such as to “get a job,” “buy a house,” “have a healthy relationship,” etc) seem accomplishable.

Re(mind)ers creates a positive experience, not a nagging experience. When users are reminded of the reasons they are working towards a “goal” and to reward themselves for doing so– they aren’t just building healthy habits, they’re building self-esteem. That is the true goal– not to complete tasks, but to use those completed tasks as a reason for the user to feel good about themselves.

Ideate. Prototype & Test

The Current App

First, consider the layout of the current app:

Mid-Fidelity Wireframe

After discussing the current layout of the Reminders app, we made several changes and drew out our Low-Fidelity Wireframes.
From there, we tested & iterated to create these Mid-Fidelity Wireframes. Below is a simplification of the user flow we created (full flow with links in presentation).

User Journey

With this flow in mind, watch as the new Re(mind)ers app helps Jack to get a job and take real steps towards “adulting” without overwhelming him:

Conclusion & Future Opportunities

Conclusion

So, what did we learn here? We researched to find out what young adults actually in order to accomplish their goals. We identified the problem. We came up with an artful solution.

Where do we go from here? 

Where do we
go from here?

Next steps could include:

  • Creating High-Fidelity, Picture-Perfect Wireframes
  • Continue researching task management apps to better improve user experience (Competitor Analysis available in full case study)
  • Create a user flow with additional features and functions
  • Iterate on digital wireframes and continue testing
  • Expand the social features of the app, potentially creating an in-app “Friends” system

Thank you for reading!

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