Seizing the Nightlife Scene

OVERVIEW

As a freshly-turned adult, there are countless obstacles we have to navigate in life that no one has prepared us for. One of these would be the exploration of nightlife.

This case study was conducted to thoroughly understand the issues users experience when navigating nightlife as first-timers or in unfamiliarity and develop a design solution that actively addresses these issues identified.

ROLES

UX/UI Design
Prototyping

UX Research
Interaction Design

TIMELINE

February - May 2023

BACKGROUND

Whether it be coming of age, traveling, or moving, several situations create a situation of unfamiliarity with current and local nightlife scenes. And navigating it blindly could lead to dangerous situations.

Although mainstream apps offer navigational and informational assistance with this, they don’t have comprehensive details that target the specific market and audience.

PROJECT PLAN

This entire case study was conducted over 15-14 weeks, meeting with team members at least once a week. The key milestones outlined were the following in chronological order:

Empathy Map
Project Proposal
Jobs-to-be-done Graphs
Competitive Analysis
Persona Development
Storyboarding

All of which followed an average of 2-week timelines for each item.

USER RESEARCH

Initial research focused on newly-turned adults and newcomers to the nightlife scene, revealing current information and navigation-related issues. These were achieved through interviews, empathy maps, competitive analysis, and JTBD graphs.

Jobs to be Done Graphs

USER PROBLEMS

Pain points identified through user research mainly centered on the accessibility of niche information regarding bars and other liquor-serving establishments, creating a complicated user flow in researching such information on available platforms. This information includes the following:

Bar/establishment type
Music/Decor style
Environment and Ambience
Crowd style/energy
Safety

"I wish there was an easier and safer way to explore the nightlife scene in my city, especially because I recently just moved here for college"

"It's hard finding the right places for a night out, especially for
people my age. The newer generation prefers high-energy parties,
it's just not my style."

DESIGN SOLUTION

The concept of a mobile app dedicated to nightlife was at the forefront of ideation sessions. The app’s goal is to streamline user flows for more efficient access to nightlife-related information that is mostly niche and cannot be easily accessed on mainstream platforms.

IDEATION

BarFinder’s main goal is to create a platform with easily accessible information about bars and nightlife. This, along with a match and messaging feature, aims to create the ideal platform wherein people could easily navigate this industry compared to available products that don’t cater specifically to this niche context.

A competitive audit was conducted to inform the design process and analyze current market trends and effective features present in direct and indirect competitor products. This, along with data collected from user research helped the ideation of features and potential design of the product.

PERSONA DEVELOPMENT

For our personas, we decided to cover the two ends of the spectrum of the market we’re targeting along with incorporating different circumstances or contexts the product might be used in the real world.

Our first persona, Adrian Scott, is a working adult in his 30s currently working a full-time job and would like to explore the nightlife and events of his city which he never had the chance to do so before. This persona aims to cover one of the two major user groups this app caters to: adults looking to explore the nightlife scene amidst their busy schedules.

Persona #1 - Adrian Scott

On the other hand, the second persona of Wendy Kim is a freshly-turned adult and college student looking to discover the nightlife scene and explore its multiple facets all the while being in an unfamiliar city. This persona aims to cover the other major user group being targetted–which are the freshly-turned adults (mainly college students) who need guidance in exploring nightlife.

Persona #2 - Wendy Kim

STORYBOARDING

Our storyboards aim to showcase two key features BarFinder offers and its use in the real world, as well as in different contexts, utilizing the created personas as potential users.

Storyboard 1 features Adrian’s first encounter with BarFinder. He utilizes the app’s streamlined information to efficiently look for events and bars in his area that suit his taste and busy schedule. From this, he schedules his plan accordingly and now has something to look forward to.

Storyboard #1 - Adrian Scott

Storyboard 2 features Wendy’s dilemma and how BarFinder was able to solve her issue through its messaging and connect feature. Wendy is in an unfamiliar city with no one to go out with. As it could be dangerous to go out at night alone, she dismisses the idea of going out at night until she remembers her new friend she matched with. Now, she has someone to go out with and keep each other safe.

Storyboard #2 - Wendy Kim

WIREFRAMES

BarFinder’s structure and features borrow from the available mainstream products and direct competitors that were evaluated through the competitive analysis. Through the use of mid-fidelity wireframes, the app’s structure was established, alongside the features that will aid the navigational aspect for its users.

Digital Wireframes

UI DESIGN

A design system that reflects BarFinder’s eccentric style and branding was developed, which can be primarily observed through the font choices along with the primary use of purple throughout the app’s UI design.

Mockups

TESTING, DATA COLLECTION, & ITERATION

Usability testing was conducted on the prototypes to inform the iteration process. A total of five users participated in the testing phase, whose feedback was used for iterating the designs. Most changes in the prototype related to interaction such as animation and action feedback, as well as navigational tools.

Iterations

NIGHTLIFE MADE EASY

Catering to the nightlife market, niche information is easier to find than other mainstream products. Users can efficiently skim through the catalog of businesses and events, and find the best one that matches their style, taste, and needs.

EFFICIENT NAVIGATION

Users can easily navigate through the app’s wide range of features through its simple and intuitive layout. Access to category pages, map pages, business profiles, and social pages found on the home page.

SEAMLESS CONNECTIONS

Add a new dimension to the nightlife experience through BarFinder’s connection feature. Users can quickly expand their network with like-minded users and carry conversations within the platform.

MOVING FORWARD

BarFinder would be the ideal platform for people, both familiar and unfamiliar with nightlife, to use for efficient access to information and assistance in navigating this complex industry. From its streamlined user flow, trending, and match and messaging features, users will be able to easily plan out the perfect night out personally tailored to their tastes, needs, and preferences.

This case study was conducted to design a product that would help address the current user needs of a target population, and this has been met. However, there are multiple steps along the way that could have been seen or executed in better circumstances, mostly caused by time-related factors. These include user research interviews, persona development, and timeframes.

Moving forward, these missteps will be taken more into consideration by dedicating more time to initial user research and developing more diverse personas.