Application Design 2/ Task 1

 

APPLICATION DESIGN II: TASK 01

Week 1:

• Write a reflection on the outcome of App Design l's work
• Determine what should be changed and updated

reflection:

During the previous semester, I undertook the redesign of an application, subsequently named ‘YouDao’. An assessment of the prior version revealed limitations in its user interface and user experience (UI/UX), indicating opportunities for enhancement.

The redesign process began with a systematic analysis of the application's existing strengths and weaknesses. This evaluation encompassed critical factors such as ease of use, visual appeal, intuitiveness, and the overall user experience.

Based on this analysis, several key adjustments were identified as necessary: refining the colour palette for improved aesthetics and visual comfort, optimising button design and interaction for better usability, and ensuring font selections align cohesively with the overall design aesthetic.

Here are the main colours I used, which red, blue and gold

The previous version of my design featured colours that were overly contrasting, potentially causing visual strain. To improve user comfort, I intend to adopt a more subdued and harmonious colour palette. This adjustment aims to create a more balanced visual experience, enhancing readability and reducing distractions. By choosing softer tones, the design will also feel more welcoming, especially during prolonged use, ensuring that users can engage with the content without discomfort.

This is the refined version of my design, which aligns with the app's focus on simplicity and a light colour scheme while also aiming to minimise potential visual discomfort for future users. By adopting a more subtle colour palette, the design enhances clarity and readability, creating a more pleasant and engaging user experience. Additionally, this approach ensures that the interface feels fresh and modern, making it more inviting for long-term use.

I believe the background colour should be adjusted, as its strong contrast with red may disrupt the user's visual perception and negatively affect their overall experience. A more harmonious colour palette would ensure better readability and create a more balanced and comfortable visual environment.

I've also changed the colour of the payment screen to better align with the overall premium design and improve visual consistency. The updated colour scheme creates a more seamless transition between the different sections of the app, ensuring that the user’s journey feels cohesive and intuitive. This subtle yet impactful design choice also reinforces the sense of security and trust, which is crucial for users when making payments.

I opted for gold instead of white to convey a sense of premium quality to the user, as this renewal course should be clearly distinguished from the free features. The use of gold not only adds a sense of exclusivity but also helps draw attention to key elements, encouraging users to explore the paid content more actively.

For my software to start the introduction interface, I think I should go ahead and change his colour and the layout of the modules, because it will create a particularly large sense of colour contrast with the blue behind it, which will give the user a strong sense of colour division

Next, I need to make major changes to the reading area design. Since this is an English dictionary, it should offer users a simple and concise reading experience. In the design, we need to fine-tune the font and improve colour consistency to enhance readability.

The font colours in the reading categories and introductions are not easily distinguishable for users, so I intend to adjust them to enhance readability and user experience. By selecting more contrasting yet harmonious colours, the goal is to make the text more legible and visually appealing. This change will help users navigate the content more easily and ensure a smoother reading experience.

For the content page of the reading section, I believe it can remain as is, with no further changes necessary.

I'm also planning to adjust the fonts in the word search interface. My focus is on simplicity in design, as I want to avoid adding unnecessary elements that could disrupt the balance. By keeping the design clean and straightforward, I aim to provide a smoother user experience, where users can focus on the task without distractions. The font adjustments will ensure better legibility while maintaining a cohesive and minimalistic interface.

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reflection:

In refining my design, I focused on enhancing the overall user experience by addressing key areas where previous elements were causing discomfort or distraction. One of the major changes was adjusting the colour scheme. The previous colours were overly contrasting, which could have led to visual strain for users. By switching to a more subdued and harmonious colour palette, I aimed to create a more balanced visual environment that promotes readability and minimises discomfort, especially for extended use. This change aligns with the app's overall design philosophy of simplicity and user-centred functionality.

Additionally, I recognised that the font colours in the reading categories and introductions were difficult to distinguish, potentially hindering the user's ability to navigate the content efficiently. Adjusting the font colours was crucial to enhance clarity and improve the overall user experience. The new colours not only provide better contrast but also ensure that the text is more legible and visually appealing.

For the word search interface, I chose to focus on simplicity. Instead of adding extra design elements that could distract from the task, I decided to adjust the fonts in a way that keeps the interface clean and user-friendly. This approach ensures that users can focus on their primary task without unnecessary distractions, fostering a more seamless interaction.

Lastly, I kept the content page unchanged, as it already meets the needs of users in terms of readability and visual design. The decisions I made in the other areas were meant to improve the overall cohesion and flow of the app, ensuring that every design element serves a clear purpose and contributes to an optimal user experience.

Overall, these changes reflect my commitment to improving usability and user comfort while maintaining a simple, elegant design. By carefully considering the impact of each design element, I believe these updates will make the app more accessible, efficient, and enjoyable for users.

About Ai feedback:

Agree:

1. Visual Consistency: Check that fonts, colours, button styles, rounded corner sizes, icon styles, etc. are consistent across all pages. For example, the back button, bottom navigation (if present) should be styled consistently across pages.
2. White space and layout: Use white space wisely on the page to avoid overcrowding the content and make the page look clearer and more comfortable. Check the alignment and spacing of important elements (e.g. buttons, headings).
3. Brand logo: Clearly display the app's brand logo in appropriate locations (e.g., launch page, top of homepage) to enhance user recognition. The ‘YE DAO’ logo in Figure 1 is more prominent on Home 1, but does not seem to be reflected on other pages.

Disagree:

1. Emphasis on visual ambience and immersion: You may think that presenting text directly over images with a sense of ambience better creates the thematic atmosphere of the content, allowing the user to get a sense of the style or emotion of the article before or while reading it, and enhancing the overall immersive experience.
2. Specific design or branding needs: This design approach may be in line with your app's overall visual styling or branding tone, sacrificing some of the ultimate readability for a more unique visual effect.
3. The nature of the content: If this part of the content (e.g. the headline or introduction) is not text-heavy in itself, or if the main purpose is to entice the user to continue reading the body text (which may be better contextualised for reading), prioritising visual attractiveness over extreme text readability is also a design choice.

Here is my demo video：