This project was completed at Adobe Creative Jam during San Diego Startup Week 2018. We were given the theme “emojis” and 3 hours to design a prototype using Adobe XD. Afterwards, we presented our app in front of a large audience and competed against other teams for Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice awards.
In a team of two, my teammate and I worked collaboratively on ideation, persona, user scenario, and user flow of the app.
I was responsible for copywriting and designing the screens of the app while my teammate focused on gathering emoji assets and creating a clickable prototype.
Design Competition
In order to tackle the challenge within three hours, we used an accelerated version of the Design Sprint method as a guide to help us create an MVP (minimum viable/valuable product).
Jump to PrototypePrior to the competition, my teammate and I got together to create a plan, set a common goal, and make a checklist of the tools and materials we needed for the competition.
Because we only had three hours to design a prototype, we mapped out our process and allotted time for it; this served as a general guideline during the competition.
My teammate and I engaged in a discussion of our goals and objectives. We agreed as a team to design an app that is both meaningful and impactful. This helped align the team in choosing the best idea during the competition.
We gathered assets that we would potentially need, such as color palettes, icons, and UI kits. We also built a checklist of items we needed to bring to the event.
We used an online theme generator and timed ourselves to come up with as many ideas as we could. We then voted for the best ideas for each theme. This exercise helped get our brains warmed up for the event.
Once the competition began, we were given the theme “emojis”. We immediately engaged in rapid brainstorming to come up with as many ideas as we could surrounding the theme. We spent the first few minutes mindmapping on our own before converging.
After brainstorming on our own, we converged to share our ideas. We looked at how our individual ideas could be combined to create a more meaningful and impactful app. We bounced more ideas back and forth to arrive at Peacemaker.
Kids experience emotions before they fully understand them, so we thought of using emojis as a nonverbal way to help them identify what they are feeling, especially during times of conflict. We based our app on cognitive behavioral therapy to help kids with their social-emotional development.
Peacemaker is a mobile app that helps children identify, express, and manage their emotions during times of conflict. The app also guides them through cool-down activities so that they can handle a conflict in a calm manner.
Once we arrived at an app idea, we identified a user and user scenario to capture the goals and needs for the app. Setting the scenario in which Timmy would use the app helped ensure we were designing for our users every step of the way.
Timmy’s sister broke his favorite toy. He yells at her then runs to his room sobbing. The Apple Watch he’s wearing detects his high heart rate and prompts the app to check in on him. Timmy goes through the app to express how he’s feeling and to cool down so he can calmly handle the conflict in person.
Referencing Timmy and his scenario, we visualized the path Timmy would take while using the app.
After the 3 hours, my teammate and I went on stage to present the app to the judges and the large audience. We received 2nd place in People’s Choice Award.
After the event, we spoke to parents in the audience and received positive feedback on our prototype. They found it not only relevant to children but to adults as well.
From the competition, I learned that having the right partner is vital to the team’s success. We both collaborated and communicated very well together. We were also very proactive individually and were able to make decisions quickly.
It is possible to design an MVP in a very short period of time. I learned to not get caught up in the details while designing the prototype, especially during a time constraint. Afterwards, we were able to validate the app idea from the audience. By creating a quick low-fidelity prototype, we were able to get feedback early on; this can save the team a lot of time and resources in the long run.