Zizz

Responsibilities

  • User Research

  • UI Design

Project Context

  • Designed in 4 weeks

  • Group Project

Background

My project partner and I embarked on a brainstorming session to explore common challenges people face in their daily routines. Our focus zeroed in on the initial morning struggle when the alarm clock rings – the dilemma of hitting the snooze button versus waking up promptly. This concept captivated us as we both empathized with the difficulty of rising early and sought to discover motivating solutions for this issue

Problem

Frequently encountering challenges in awakening punctually when the morning alarm clock rings in the morning. How can we enhance the user's morning routine by optimizing their experience with the morning alarm?

Solution

We created Zizz to help individuals wake up to their alarms once the alarm goes off in the morning. 

We have identified that users often feel the need to snooze their alarm and forget about it, leading them to oversleep and not wake up on time. Users love to customize their alarm sounds, which is what many of them are searching for in an app. We had this idea where users could choose a unique activity when setting their alarm to prevent those snooze-and-forget moments. We offered options like solving a puzzle, tackling an equation, typing a sentence, shaking the phone, or getting moving before being able to silence the alarm.

User Interviews

To kick off our research, we began by conducting user interviews. We asked questions about the relationship that people have with sleep and what seems essential in an alarm app. We found similarities in the answers that were provided and organized our data through affinity mapping.

Questions

What is your relationship with sleep?

How many hours of sleep do you get daily?

How many alarms do you usually set?

How often do you snooze your alarm when it rings in the moning?

What kind of alarm do you use? (phone app, computer/website, alarm clock, rooster, etc)

Do you keep your alarms default settings? (ringtones, snooze off switch etc)

Do you set alarms for anything other than sleep?

How do you think your relationship with alarms impacts the rest of your day?

What are some features you'd like from an alarm app? (How could you improve your current alarm clock?)

Whats an experience you have had where you over slept due to an alarm?

User Persona

Shifting Our Research Focus to Usability Testing

We initiated the process by constructing a low-fidelity prototype, enabling us to commence user testing based on our initial app design concepts derived from the interviews we conducted. After collecting valuable user feedback, we progressed to the development of a mid-fidelity version, which also underwent user testing. Our primary objective was to conduct extensive user testing to ensure that users can navigate the app seamlessly, with the ultimate goal of optimizing its user-friendliness.

Lo Fidelity Prototype

Mid Fidelity Prototype

High Fidelity Prototype

Reflections

  • User testing is important in research. It's essential to place trust in users and value their feedback regarding the app based on their firsthand experiences

  • Implementing minor design tweaks to enhance a user's experience is highly crucial during the app development to ensure user-friendliness

  • We were content with the outcomes that were attained within the given time constraints. This marks the inception of the app, revealing a glimpse of its immense potential. The future goal is to advance its features, expanding functionality, and create a comprehensive system.