Project 1

Vela users need a way to access relevant info quickly because they are on-the-go and often in locations without wifi.

Solution

An app that can be used in remote locations that facilitates exploration and community.

Competitive Analysis

As someone who's unfamiliar with surfing, I began by learning about the apps already on the market for surfers. I first analyzed two leading weather apps for water sports, Surfline and NOAA Marine Weather. I considered their target audience, strategies and main objectives.

Based on this analysis, I realized there was a space on the market for a simple app that provides valuable data for all surfers in an accessible way.

User Interviews

Building off of my initial research into apps, I wanted learn more about the surf community before I designed anything. I interviewed three surfers in their early to mid 20s, mainly about their app usage and surfing habits. Here are a few of the questions I asked:

How do you connect with other people in your community?
Do you think anything is lacking in the current surf community?
Have you ever been disappointed by a surfing app? Why?
What is the most difficult part of planning a surf day?

Based on these interviews I had a few key takeaways:

Surf culture is very local, can be welcoming or somewhat hostile depending on where you are
Surfline is the main app people use, but they are very unhappy with the paywall
Surfers mainly find surf spots through word of mouth
Surf cams are very useful for deciding when and where to surf

Ideation

Based on the insights from my interviews, I created user personas and flows that mapped out Vela's main functions.

After this, I created a low-fidelity prototype that I used to conduct usability tests with. I tested the prototype with six people and created an affinity map with my main takeaways.

The feedback above, as well as feedback from mentors and fellow UX students, informed my process while creating my high-fidelity prototype. Below are a few of the key changes I made for the final prototype:

Final Design

Style Guide

Reflections

This is my first ever UX project! While difficult at times, I found the experience incredibly rewarding. As this project has come to a close, I have a few final thoughts: