EcoPal
(2020)
The goal of this project was to create an app that encourages people to get involved in the conservation and protection of endangered species that greatly influence our ecosystem. I wanted to create a solution that would educate users on these creatures and would encourage them to be more mindful of the world round us. It is designed for anyone interested in learning about these creatures and their impact.
I developed a multilevel quiz app that tests users on vulnerable species. Each level focuses on one species with multiple-choice questions. A wrong answer restarts the level with the same questions, reinforcing learning. Completing a level rewards users with a planted tree.
User Research
Analog Prototype
To create the analogue prototype, I uploaded images of my screen sketches onto Marvel and linked the screens using hotspots.
User Testing - Guerrilla Testing and Questionnaire
I created a prototype on Marvel and asked my user testing participants to use it freely. One finished I asked them to complete a questionnaire.
The questionnaire consisted of 5 questions which asked the participants if they liked the app and why they did/did not; if they would make any changes to the app; whether or not they found that the app was easy to navigate; their opinion on the question difficulty in the levels; and what colour they would like to see on the app.
Results:
The overall consensus is that the app was enjoyable with many stating that they had learned something new. It was a also said that the app was easy to navigate, but to add more potential answers to some of the questions to make it more difficult to play, and therefore more desirable to play. This comment was referring to some questions that I had just two potential answers to choose from.
Here I focused on the UI Design and the Information Architecture.
I user tested this prototype by asking participants to use it independently, and then following up with a short questionnaire.
The questions were similar to the previous session, where I asked the participants about what they think of the colour scheme, what changes would they make, and what do they think of the question difficulty.
Results
It came to my attention that there was no way to exit a level you are playing, without completely exiting the app, I added an ‘x’ in the corner of the screen allowing for an easy exit from the level. By doing this it simplifies the navigation, making it more appealing to potential users.
The feedback from the participants also brought to my attention that the overall look of the interface is ‘plain’ and ‘boring’. To fix this, I added an image to every screen, blurring them slightly, so as to not overpower the text I put on top of them. The images will be of nature, with bright colours, most of them being a species that correspond to that species level.
Lo-Fi Prototype
Using the feedback from the questionnaire, I created the second iteration of the application using Adobe XD.
Card Sorting Exercise
While developing my second iteration, I conducted the card sorting exercise to organise the level questions in the app based on difficulty. It was a closed card sorting exercise and the categories I gave were ‘Easy’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Hard’. I gave the participants the list of questions and asked them to organise the questions into the category they think best describes the question.
The information I gathered from this card sorting, I applied to the final design. This helped with designing the information architecture.
Final Design
The user can find most functionality on the home screen, from this screen they can access their account, levels, the leaderboard, the information section, and start a level from where they finished last. Changes made from the last user testing session would be the background image has changed as well as I added in a feature that brings the user to the information page in the bottom right corner of the screen.
The Levels screen gives you access to all levels in the app, where the user can choose what topic they would like to get quizzed on. The levels increase in difficulty the further you go down. Since the last user testing session, I have added an arrow that would indicate to the user that you can scroll down to see more topics. I also added an ‘X’ in the corner which gives the user the option to exit the screen.
On the account screen, the user can change aspects of their account such as their username, password, and account photo. It also informs the user of their location and gives them the option to log out of or delete their account. Since the last user testing, I added a feature that gives the user the option to get to the leaderboard from this screen as well as a feature that informs the user of how many seeds they’ve planted.
The leaderboard informs the user of the top planters in Ireland as well as the top planters in their area. Since the last user testing session, I have added a feature that shows the user how many seeds the top planters have planted.
Since the last prototype, I have added a feature that brings the user to an information page. The information page explains to the user how the app works, for example, how to play the game and how exactly the plants are being planted.
5 different screens can appear in a level. The first type of would be a question and answer screen which gives the user the questions and the possible answers. The second screen congratulates the user for passing the level and informs them what seed they have planted.
The third screen you see is the screen that informs you that you have failed the level. It gives you the option to either restart the level, or exit it completely. The fourth screen is the screen that pops up if you click the ‘X’ in the top right corner of the question and answer screen. The fifth screen is the screen that gives a fact. Not all levels have this screen as I only created them for questions that were difficult, or if the answers needed more clarification.
How this is a solution to my problem
The application is an educational tool that promotes the conservation and protection of the species around us. I know that it is an educational tool as during user testing, participants mentioned that they have learned something about the species from using the application. I encourage the user to learn from using repetition, like when they get the questions wrong and restart the level, and from gamification, as it is a multilevel quiz.