Atomic Monsters

Platform: iPad Application

Skills: Illustration | Research | UX Design

‍The Brief

The brief of this new project is to design an interactive digital product that explains at least 5 elements of the periodic table.

We were given the choice of two target audience, I chose to focus on persona A - a child aged 8-10.

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‍Idea 

I had a lot of questions upon deciding on my target audience. It was important to consider what children this age were interested in, would the app be fun/include gamification? Would I have to consider leaving some information out due to the age of the audience? How can I make learning about the periodic table fun? Before beginning to design something it is important to consider who it is we are designing for. Although the topic is the same, depending on the candidate the final product will require a very different style of design in order to facilitate their learning needs.

‍Research

To inform my design, I conducted extensive desk research by observing children's TV programs and videos, studying the periodic table and its presentation for different audiences, analysing children's books, and reviewing similar educational apps on the market to take inspiration from their strengths. To gain further insights, I also planned and executed a research survey and series of informal interviews with a group of primary school students.

This hands-on approach provided valuable feedback that allowed me to create a user-centered design solution that was both engaging and effective for this particular target audience. The feedback and interactions with the students were invaluable and fueled my motivation to incorporate their ideas and perspectives into my design.

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‍Process

Having conducted sufficient research and analysis within the given timeframe, I utilised the developed user personas to ideate possible user journeys and screen designs.

During the ideation and sketching phase , my concepts began to materialise. I kept the end user at the forefront of my mind, considering factors such as ease of navigation, button and text sizing, and the clarity of the body copy.

After wire framing I moved on to complete a range of low fi digital mock ups which I then developed into a high fidelity prototype. In an ideal situation I would have then taken this app into a classroom in order to test it with the desired users however due to COVID 19 hitting this was not possible.

Illustrations 

I used insights from the children as well as inspiration from competitors to decide on a design direction that would be attractive to the end users. Bright colours were important, I used monster characters to bring an element of fun whilst being educated. Previous to this stage I created a visual grammar so I was able to work from this to create a series of illustrations that worked well alongside the rest of the branding. I created my illustrations using Procreate.

Reflection

Reflecting on the project, I realised the significance of user research and discovered a true passion for this aspect of UX design. I'm pleased with the final outcome of the application, confident that it meets the requirements and needs of its target audience.

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