R.I.O

I designed Stroop for expats in the Netherlands. Stroop creates your profile based on your general information, location, hobbies...etc. Your main goal is to fill up your Stroop (syrup) jar. Each time you complete a Stroop challenge, (which requires you to go outside and be active) more stroop gets poured in to your jar. Stroop also creates friendships. Based on your general info and location, Stroop spots users around you that have a similar profile to yours. What better bonding experience than working on a challenge together? You can invite people on a challenge and meet through Stroop, or find the friends you already have on the app.

Stroop

FINAL DESIGN:

How I got the idea/inspiration:

The testing of the idea + the psychology behind it:

My user group

105 interfaces collection:

Click on the image to see the full collection

Nicole Mano Yafe 1001229
Interface: App
User Group: Expats ( 18-40 )
Connecting expats with nature routes

As an expat myself, I designed Stroop based on my own experiences. For example, in Rotterdam I desperately wanted a friend to go on hikes with. I couldn't find anyone for that. If I had Stroop that would not be an issue. Also having challenges would be great because as an expat, you don't know many places to go to. When you run out of activities to do and places to go, you could just open Stroop and find a reason to step outside.

1st design try:

This design plan was temporary. I used the layout of an existing app for reference to explain my ideas and plan.

Then I started designing independently. The idea behind this design was to be as clean and straightforward as possible. I focused more on the function aspect here. Later on, one of my teachers advised me to pay more attention to the design and relate it more to the context of the app...

After my feedback session, I changed my color palette to represent nature, played around with different fonts and used visuals to demonstrate what the app is for. I also made these postal card illustrations to represent the cities. However, I didn't feel fully satisfied with the result. I wanted to make the app look more fresh and modern. I felt like this design was not fit for my target audience. At this point I also started having second toughts about the name...

I decided to change the name to Stroop. The reason being; when I think of Rotterdam, I immediately think of stroopwafels for some reason. It's fun and doesn't make much sense, just like any other app name. Also, the dutch word represents the location which the app caters to. I continued the stroop concept through the design. Instead of a cycle, I decided to make a Stroop (syrup) jar. When it's filled up, you earn a stroopwafel, which are prizes.( I explained how this works in my app introduction video).
I mostly used my own footage for the main page to make it genuine. Also I taught that putting real life footage instead of illustrations would push people to go outside. I used love using shadows and depth so I encorporated that in to my design. I added character to the design while also keeping it design look compact and clean.

During the month of April, I set daily goals for myself. At the end of each day, I filled out a timetable rating my mood, productivity, habits...etc. My friend Tara joined me in this experiment. On May 1st, the entire timetable was filled . Since then it has been 30 more days and all the habits we wrote became permanent for the both of us. The habits we wrote stuck. Around the same time, I was also thinking about my interface. These were the two things on my mind, So I taught to myself; " Why not make an app out of this?" This is why at first the app was called R.I.O, but then I decided that it sounded too tropical for the Netherlands...

1st design try:

2nd design try:

3rd design try:

1st design try:

FINAL DESIGN:

At first, my user group was expats above the age of 41. Then I realized that it would make more sense if I targeted a younger audience for several reasons:

1) This app will encourage the users to be more social and active on the daily. So a younger audience would make more sense.
2) Since many expats are international college students, this app could be very useful for them.
3) It's benefitial for me to be familiar with my audience + this system got tested by young adults.

Goal setting increases the chances of success
- It takes at least 30 days to create a habit.

After testing both of these theories, I saw how effective they were. This is why Stroop works with challenges, because checking off goals is a huge satisfaction. Also decision making crates a big waste of time for most people. So Stroop provides users with calculated routes. After completing a challenge, the user can have the satisfaction of watching the syrup rise higher up.

From my research and testing, I have realized that if you set a personal goal for yourself, it's very easy to give up. Since no one's gonna know if you gave up or not, there's less pressure. However if you set a goal with a friend, it becomes harder to back up. Because now theres 2 people to disappoint. The app also creates competition: " Who has filled up more syrup jars?" ," Who can fill theirs quicker? ", " Who has earned the most prizes?"...

The design process:

a) Goal setting ( the psychology behind it)

b) having company & competitive mindset