Snapshot
Reimagining taking pictures. The pictures we take are massively impacted by the content we consume, bringing a solution that merges the gap of finding inspiration and implementing that inspiration.
Reimagining taking pictures. The pictures we take are massively impacted by the content we consume, bringing a solution that merges the gap of finding inspiration and implementing that inspiration.
Research
Conducted 2 in-person user interviews to learn about the initial concept to help create a product from just an idea.
Implemented usertesting.com for tests around the mid-fidelity and high-fidelity designs, followed by SUS scores to help gauge the direction of the progress.
Conducted 2 in-person user interviews to learn about the initial concept to help create a product from just an idea.
Implemented usertesting.com for tests around the mid-fidelity and high-fidelity designs, followed by SUS scores to help gauge the direction of the progress.
Design
Created a design systems based on the learnings from surveys and interviews, which was scalable on Figma helping cover all basis on the platform.
Sketched low fidelity designs which were moved into testing cycles moving forward, followed by creation of high fidelity designs.
Created a design systems based on the learnings from surveys and interviews, which was scalable on Figma helping cover all basis on the platform.
Sketched low fidelity designs which were moved into testing cycles moving forward, followed by creation of high fidelity designs.
Aim
Snapshot is an intelligent camera app designed to make your photo and video-taking experience seamless. With real-time feedback and suggestions, it helps you capture perfect shots effortlessly. Whether you're recreating iconic movie scenes or seeking creative inspiration, Snapshot offers templates based on your location, ensuring you never miss a moment. Our app addresses common photography challenges by providing image stabilization, editing tools, and pose guidance.
Snapshot is an intelligent camera app designed to make your photo and video-taking experience seamless. With real-time feedback and suggestions, it helps you capture perfect shots effortlessly. Whether you're recreating iconic movie scenes or seeking creative inspiration, Snapshot offers templates based on your location, ensuring you never miss a moment. Our app addresses common photography challenges by providing image stabilization, editing tools, and pose guidance.
Preface
Ideation
The Problem
Despite the variety of different photo and video-taking applications on the market, very few actually help users take better photos and videos through real-time feedback and suggestions. Currently, most of the suggestions for enhancing the photo/video comes after it has been captured in the "Edit" mode. However, these apps miss including the suggestions during the most critical time of the photo/video taking experience, i.e., when the photo/video is actually been captured.
Despite the variety of different photo and video-taking applications on the market, very few actually help users take better photos and videos through real-time feedback and suggestions. Currently, most of the suggestions for enhancing the photo/video comes after it has been captured in the "Edit" mode. However, these apps miss including the suggestions during the most critical time of the photo/video taking experience, i.e., when the photo/video is actually been captured.
Our Solution
Snapshot, is an intelligent camera app that would provide templates, real-time feedback and suggestions to help users take better photos and videos. Through Snapshot, the user can recreate popular poses, photos, videos and movie moments in particular locations and scenes. The app would provide real-time recommendations that assists users while they're taking a photo/video to get the perfect shot.
Snapshot, is an intelligent camera app that would provide templates, real-time feedback and suggestions to help users take better photos and videos. Through Snapshot, the user can recreate popular poses, photos, videos and movie moments in particular locations and scenes. The app would provide real-time recommendations that assists users while they're taking a photo/video to get the perfect shot.
How we approached the idea:
How we approached the idea:
The inception of Snapshot stemmed from our collective interests in music, photography, and movies. Our initial concept revolved around enabling users to recreate famous movie scenes or photos based on their geographical location. However, this concept evolved to encompass a broader range of features, including templates and real-time feedback.
"We wanted to create a photo/video-taking app that allows users to recreate popular photos and movie scenes in a particular place."
"We wanted to create a photo/video-taking app that allows users to recreate popular photos and movie scenes in a particular place."
Research
User & Stakeholder Research
To inform our design, we conducted interviews and surveys to understand user preferences and pain points. Insights revealed that users primarily utilized smartphones for photography and videography, especially while traveling. Based on feedback, we selected nine essential features for our app, including image stabilization, editing tools, auto-focus, and real-time guidance.
To inform our design, we conducted interviews and surveys to understand user preferences and pain points. Insights revealed that users primarily utilized smartphones for photography and videography, especially while traveling. Based on feedback, we selected nine essential features for our app, including image stabilization, editing tools, auto-focus, and real-time guidance.
Interviews
We began our project by conducting interviews with participants of our target audience - individuals who take photos and videos. For the most part, these individuals were friends and family. We talked to people with varied levels of expertise in photography as we wanted to get a broad understanding of how people take photos. Our main goals were to discover pain points people came across when taking photos and/or videos and what improvement could be made to their current experience.
We talked to 10 individuals and asked them what devices they use to take photos and videos, when they usually take pictures/videos, and what pain points they currently come across.
We began our project by conducting interviews with participants of our target audience - individuals who take photos and videos. For the most part, these individuals were friends and family. We talked to people with varied levels of expertise in photography as we wanted to get a broad understanding of how people take photos. Our main goals were to discover pain points people came across when taking photos and/or videos and what improvement could be made to their current experience.
We talked to 10 individuals and asked them what devices they use to take photos and videos, when they usually take pictures/videos, and what pain points they currently come across.
Synthesis
We learned that overwhelmingly, people use their phones for taking photos and videos and are more likely to take videos when travelling or visiting a new place. Our interviewees want to take a nice photo or video to share with family and friends but that requires a lot of effort and not everyone is a professional.
We also discovered that there are a variety of possible features we could include in our application to help solve some of the pain points discovered. To help narrow down features people would find most beneficial for their use, we decided a survey would be our best solution.
We learned that overwhelmingly, people use their phones for taking photos and videos and are more likely to take videos when travelling or visiting a new place. Our interviewees want to take a nice photo or video to share with family and friends but that requires a lot of effort and not everyone is a professional.
We also discovered that there are a variety of possible features we could include in our application to help solve some of the pain points discovered. To help narrow down features people would find most beneficial for their use, we decided a survey would be our best solution.
Survey
To help narrow down the list of desirable features our app would include, we designed a survey in Qualtrics that we distributed to friends, across various Facebook groups, and more (we collected over 80 responses!). Our survey consisted of 4 main questions asking people:
what apps they use to take photos/videos
what their main goals are
list of features they would like a photo/video-taking app to have
a question ranking those selected features in terms of priority
Synthesis
We conducted interviews and surveys to gain valuable insights. The survey, distributed widely, collected responses from over 80 participants. Key findings from the research process include:
Users primarily employ smartphones for photography and videography, particularly during travel.
Desired features included image/video stabilization, editing tools, auto-focus, real-time guidance, and more.
While photo/video templates for recreating famous scenes weren't highly selected, 38% considered them a high priority, leading us to retain this feature
Competitive Analysis
We scrutinized popular photo/video apps like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, VSCO, AiryCam, and Ulike. This analysis revealed a market gap, notably the absence of real-time feedback and guidance during content creation. We decided to prioritize content creation over social networking, opting not to include a community feed. Our research-driven approach shaped Snapshot's feature set, ensuring it aligns with user preferences and market gaps.
High Level Design
Wireframing
Brainstorming: Crazy 8's
In this creative phase, we used the "Crazy 8s" technique to foster collaboration and align on the app's core features. Each team member generated eight rough sketches of potential screens within eight minutes. Presenting these ideas helped us identify common themes and functionalities, such as the camera flow, search, and map integration. This process allowed us to conceptualize Snapshot's key components.
Initial Wireframes
With a clearer vision of the app's features, we moved on to creating initial wireframes. These wireframes served as the foundation for the app's user interface. We incorporated insights from user research, surveys, and interviews to ensure that the user flow was intuitive and addressed pain points identified during research.
Concept Testing
To validate our design ideas, we conducted concept tests. Participants were presented with our hand-drawn sketches to communicate that the concept was a work-in-progress. We observed their interactions and gathered feedback, which was crucial for refining the app's direction. Users' positive responses to features like posing recommendations and spot suggestions validated our approach.
High Level Design
Low Fidelity Designs
Armed with valuable insights from concept testing, we proceeded to design low-fidelity screens. These screens aimed to visualize the user flow and incorporate design elements inspired by popular apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Ulike. We also considered the placement of features, ensuring familiarity for users while offering unique value.
Armed with valuable insights from concept testing, we proceeded to design low-fidelity screens. These screens aimed to visualize the user flow and incorporate design elements inspired by popular apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Ulike. We also considered the placement of features, ensuring familiarity for users while offering unique value.
Taking a step back towards UX flows Design
To create a coherent user experience, we delved into the design flows. This involved meticulous planning and consideration of the app's task flows. We reviewed user feedback and adjusted features and functionalities to ensure clarity and ease of use. Sticky notes and whiteboard discussions helped organize ideas and questions.
To create a coherent user experience, we delved into the design flows. This involved meticulous planning and consideration of the app's task flows. We reviewed user feedback and adjusted features and functionalities to ensure clarity and ease of use. Sticky notes and whiteboard discussions helped organize ideas and questions.
Mid-Fidelity Design and Testing
In this phase, we conducted moderated usability testing sessions. A diverse group of participants, including both new and returning users, engaged in a series of tasks designed to evaluate the app's functionality. This testing provided critical feedback that guided improvements, including the addition of specific instructions, enhanced real-time feedback, and clearer interface elements. Achieving an average System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 76.25 indicated satisfactory usability.
In this phase, we conducted moderated usability testing sessions. A diverse group of participants, including both new and returning users, engaged in a series of tasks designed to evaluate the app's functionality. This testing provided critical feedback that guided improvements, including the addition of specific instructions, enhanced real-time feedback, and clearer interface elements. Achieving an average System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 76.25 indicated satisfactory usability.
The Designs
After that meeting, the group had a better idea of what the whole app, with all of it’s sub-flows would look like. Thus, based on previous division of flows, each member went on to create mid-fidelity screens for their specific flow. We used results from the concept test and survey to help guide us in the selection of features we wanted to include during this phase.
We then were able to combine screens together and link them together to bring the app to life and give it the feel of an actual application.
After that meeting, the group had a better idea of what the whole app, with all of it’s sub-flows would look like. Thus, based on previous division of flows, each member went on to create mid-fidelity screens for their specific flow. We used results from the concept test and survey to help guide us in the selection of features we wanted to include during this phase.
We then were able to combine screens together and link them together to bring the app to life and give it the feel of an actual application.
Moderated Usability Testing
Because these screens were mid-fidelity and we needed a lot of feedback, we conducted moderated sessions so that we could ask follow-up questions to better understand the participants' experience. We used Zoom and Figma to do so, encouraging participants to think aloud throughout.
Because these screens were mid-fidelity and we needed a lot of feedback, we conducted moderated sessions so that we could ask follow-up questions to better understand the participants' experience. We used Zoom and Figma to do so, encouraging participants to think aloud throughout.
The mid-fidelity usability testing phase taught us valuable lessons. We discovered the need for clearer instructions in the search bar and simpler user flows, especially in the camera process. Real-time feedback required refinement for user understanding. Improvements in map features and visual clarity were also necessary.
With this in mind, we made changes by
adding specific instructions like “Search Barton Springs”
adding a progress indicator on the flows
adjusting real-time feedback to make them more clear
adding a browsing function in maps
The mid-fidelity usability testing phase taught us valuable lessons. We discovered the need for clearer instructions in the search bar and simpler user flows, especially in the camera process. Real-time feedback required refinement for user understanding. Improvements in map features and visual clarity were also necessary.
With this in mind, we made changes by
adding specific instructions like “Search Barton Springs”
adding a progress indicator on the flows
adjusting real-time feedback to make them more clear
adding a browsing function in maps
This was followed by a System Usability Questionnaire:
The SUS for our Mid-fi design was 76.25. A SUS score of 68 is typically deemed as average usability. Based on this information and feedback from participants, it seems that the mid-fi design was usable but there was some work to be done.
High-Fidelity Designs
Building upon our mid-fidelity screens, we elevated the design to a high-fidelity level. We developed a design system, incorporating a color palette and iconography for a cohesive visual identity. High-fidelity screens aimed to enhance the app's visual appeal while maintaining user-friendliness.
Unmoderated Usability Testing
With high-fidelity screens in place, we conducted unmoderated usability testing using UserTesting.com. This phase involved 10 participants who completed specific tasks within the app. The feedback gathered helped fine-tune the app, addressing issues like instruction clarity and user understanding of features. Achieving an SUS score of 82.27 indicated improved usability.
These comprehensive steps in the design and prototyping phase underscore our commitment to user-centered design. The process involved continuous feedback, iteration, and refinement to shape Snapshot into an intuitive and visually engaging camera app.
Conclusion
Insights
Overall, we had great feedback from the participants and some even wanted to see this app implemented! There were still a few things we needed to improve on.
The messages had actions around them which was confusing.
The messages had actions around them which was confusing.
At places icons were confusing, especially when completely an edit and saving it.
At places icons were confusing, especially when completely an edit and saving it.
The clear concise colors for errors, actions and success were appreciated.
The clear concise colors for errors, actions and success were appreciated.
Messaging around steps was pleasantly human like helping the users a lot.
Messaging around steps was pleasantly human like helping the users a lot.
Final Prototypes
