- Prototype link (Please submit a link to a playable prototype, not a link to your design file)
- Describe your project (max 150 words)
Our project is named BottlePal, a penpal app that allows people from all over the world to connect with one another! It allows people to create close 1 on 1 connections, with real time mail delivery, in the form of a bottle drifting ashore. AI is used to help generate prompts for suggested letters topics, as well as giving recommendations for new bottepals. Additionally, as users write more letters and receive more letters, they are able to unlock aquatic animals to add to their tank to display to potential new bottlepals!
- Describe your research process and findings. If you conducted any surveys or interviews, please include the survey form and/or interview questions here. If you conducted secondary research by pulling from online sources, please include a link to your sources. (Max 500 words)
Our research process was divided into two steps, with one being a survey with 17 responses as well as secondary research pulling from online sources. This allowed us to open our perspective, and narrow down the scope of our product and refine what we wanted to do.
Our research showed that AI's impact on creative communities vary based off of how the AI is utilized. User research over the survey as well as the secondary research shows that using AI to directly make creative pieces was largely unfavorable, showcasing that there are some things in which AI can mimic humans. Additionally, the overall findings from the user survey showed that while majority of people do use AI frequently on a daily basis, they cared more about the output and less with connecting with the AI being itself, and that AI should not be facilitating human interactions. AI was used as a tool, rather than a catch-all.
Secondary research was also conducted. The research highlighted what we defined as the definition of AI, where it is created technology that allows computers and machines to function intelligently, as an intelligence designed by humans and demonstrated by machines. There are also several different types of AI that is helpful to humans: automation, machine learning and vision, natural language processing, robotics and self-driving cars. From this research, we determined that natural language processing would be our main focus on the usage of AI, as it enhances human communication and allows those that could not communicate previously take the beginning steps to connect with one another.
Once we had decided on the usage for AI in our product, we then began to share ideas on a shared Figjam board. By sharing ideas, we were able to finally decide on the one that the entire team liked, and then expanded on the idea of a penpal app from there. We then drew ideas from previous project ideas, such as making the penpal app more like a game with a reward system. We then expanded on the idea, and created an information chart for our product. Before moving onto prototyping, we then drew sketches of the general idea of the flow of the product
- Describe your most important design decisions. What research findings and/or user testing results led you to make these decisions? (Max 500 words)
One of the key design choices was to incorporate using AI into the design. An overwhelming majority of participants in our survey stated that they use AI frequently in their daily life leading us to incorporate artificial intelligence into BottlePal for matching/recommendation services as well as generating prompts for users to write about in their letters to their bottlepals. Due to the majority of participants using AI daily, in the age of AI, we believed that it would be beneficial for humans and AI to interact on a product together. However, another key finding from our survey found that people were against AI facilitating human interaction, leading us to limit the usage of AI in our product, essentially protecting humans from the overusage of AI, which participants were wary of. Bottlepal's usage of AI ensures that it is not "facilitating" human interactions, but rather encouraging human interaction as a starter for those that may not know how to start of writing their letters. Users are allowed to use the AI generated prompts to start off on their letters and potentially delve into different topics with their bottlepals as their connection deepens.
One of the striking features is our decision to go with an ocean theme. We wanted it to be a slightly different version of penpals, instead going with a bottled letter, with the rest of the ideas coming after once we had established an ocean theme. Users are able to collect fish and other aquatic animals into their own personal aquarium, and they are called sailors, rather than users. By designing a product with an entirely cohesive theme from start to finish, it allows users to be submerged fully into the experience.
Another key feature is the exclusive penpal (or in our case, bottlepal) feature. By creating exclusive connections and bottlepals, it fosters 1 on 1 connections, and allows people to get to know each other on a deeper level, without interference from AI or other distractions. By keeping the app as simple as possible and allowing the circle to be private, it fosters an environment for them to do so.
The color palette of primary colors (blue) allows users to feel a sense of calmness, trust as well as it represents the colors of the ocean. Secondary colors (yellow, red) were then used in order to make the overall design more cohesive and complement the primary colors. Additionally, the usage of hand-drawn graphics gives it a more authentic feel, and encourages users to draw themselves as well!. For the font, Spectral SC and Quicksand was used for the pirate/ocean feeling as well as a font that is more intuitive and user friendly.
Built With
- figjam
- figma
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