2. Personal Apps Assignment Progress (Ideas brainstorming)

Before getting started with the brainstorming session, I’ve done some research on the tips to create a prototype. 

Tips to create a prototype of mobile apps :
A. Involve our users (participatory design) (Designs and Craig, 2020)
Participatory design is letting the user involve in the use of mobile apps. It is to built user-feedback into the design process, and, through this process, users could also give us insights about the problems of usability and user experience. 


B. User flow and scenarios (Designs and Craig, 2020)
The key point of the prototype is its functionality, as in it can be not very nice visually but it must be work. It must demonstrate clearly the key idea behind the design.

Here is steps that may helps in the user flow
First, sketch the page flows.
Second, create a low-fidelity digital prototype.
Third, increase fidelity as a final touch.


C. make user interactions as simple as possible (Designs and Craig, 2020) 
Users will feel complicated if there are too many hidden buttons or functions in the apps. They will slowly lose interest in the apps too. Hence, try to make the user interaction as simple as possible that users will understand immediately. 


D. animations (Designs and Craig, 2020)
Animations are always important when it comes to digital stuff such as websites etc. Therefore, it will help us to create a more unified user experience of our apps. Yet, it may let people feel our prototype like the “end-product”, where it is beneficial when having user-testing.


E. sketch the prototype flow (Designs and Craig, 2020)
It is important where people would like to know how to use these apps. Therefore, to ease the process of creating a prototype, sketching the prototype flow is indeed helpful. The goal is to organize and explore our thoughts, concepts, and create a basic structure of the prototype.


F. prototype only what we need (Designs and Craig, 2020)
As the prototype is not creating the whole app with many details, it is about the idea and the visual of how an app will be before becoming a “real app”. Therefore, prototype only what we need and what is important to let the user see.  



2.1 ideas mind mapping 
Before the execution of the prototype of mobile apps. I did a brainstorming session using mind mapping. It is to let me have a clearer vision on the concept of the mobile apps. The idea of the whole web series campaign is “unleashed with hana”. Therefore, I am working hard to create mobile apps that relate back to our web series campaign concept “unleashed with hana”, where the users can use it after they finish watching the web series. It could be considered as an activism to let the audience take immediate action to “unleashed themselves, and being themselves with their interest”  




_________________


2.2 the idea
After the brainstorming session, I have a rough idea on what will be included in the apps and the content. Hence, I conclude it and analyse it into 2 categories.

Function & contents of apps :
- home page (essential oil generator) 
A function/ area that allows users to customize their essential oil based on their personalities. It    is because everyone has their fear, challenges and personalities. This mobile app is aimed to help the users that doubt or unconfident to be themselves having a chance to take action and unleashed themselves using the customized essential oil. These essential oils are already research proven that it may help and boost their personalities through the scent. 

- community page
It is a forum that allows users to share their experience after using the customized essential oil specially for them. Users can create their own journal/diary describing their feelings and experience everyday. It will be like a storytelling of their journey to “unleashed themselves” and people can be inspired from the journals after reading it. 

- guide for the essential oils (the essential oil used by character in the web series)
It will be functioning as a reference or a guide to the users on what types of personalities with which kind of essential oil mixture. 


The personal mobile app aims as a continuity from the website to bring audiences to further with more interactions into empowering themselves, to take actions towards unleashing themselves. In the mobile app, there are 3 sections; an essential oil generator based on an individual's personality; a community forum page; as well as a page that shows essential oils used by the characters in the web pilot series.

Through the “essential oil generator”, it is an activism to let the audience take immediate action to “unleashed themselves, and being themselves with their interest”. Users are able to customize the essential oil based on their personality, which could be the only and unique essential oil for them. Research by Deloitte shows nearly half of consumers are attracted to personalised goods. (Deloitte, 2020). As human beings are emotionally hardwired to imagine and be expressive; and they are drawn to what they create, customization products are a skill to gain the interest of the audience. There is scientific research showing that human beings not only enjoy having an active role in customizing a product, but it’s the enjoyment that increases the product’s perceived value. (Schüler, Michelle and Karina T, 2019). 

As for the community forum page, it connects “fans” consumers and us. Users can share their experience on their journey towards “unleashed themselves” and the feelings using the customized essential oils. Through the essential oil page, it is to let the users have a guide to refer to, understand essential oils as well as the characters from the storyline.

Overall, the idea for mobile apps aspires to translate the passive mode of interaction into active participation through activities (gameplay) that challenge the audience to act. It requires player activity to move the story forward is a challenge. By using a challenge as a sort of throttle for content, slowing the pace of the audience's movement through the narrative. Meanwhile, creates a feeling of involvement in the story to the audience, giving the participants a personal stake in the plot and outcome. (Phillips, 2012). Through interaction and active participation, the mobile app encourages and inspire audience to act upon their insecurities instead of hiding or keeping to themselves. This indirectly help the audiences to embrace to be themselves; to take chances and thus unleashed themselves using the customised essential oil. These applauded the overall theme of the branding and campaign message in effort to gain brand awareness as well as promoting the products. 



The transmedia part shown in this app:
- it is an app for fandom/users to use, and take action to unleash themselves, be themselves 
after watching the web series. 

- a promo code will be given to the users that guessed the correct answer at the website and 
this promo code allows users to redeem a special gift for them. The special gift is a pass to let the users customize the essential oil based on their personalities for FREE. Therefore, they can unleash themselves by taking a simple action. 

- the essential oils used by the characters in the web series are shown at the apps too as a 
references for the users to overlook



_________________


2.3 sketches
After deciding the contents to put in the app, I drew rough sketches to have an idea on the layout of apps and the user flow. However, more details are to be added after that.



_________________


2.4 art direction references 
After having the idea on what to do and what to put in the apps, basically is the planning of whole apps. I find references for the art direction. 

 


 



_________________


2.5 user interface references
As it is the first time I work on prototypes, I’m not quite familiar with the user interface design. Therefore, I did some research by finding some references to give me some idea on my user interface design.

 


 







______________________________________________________________________________



References
Dr. Chester Elijah Branch, 2015. 4 Crucial Tips For Creating A Transmedia Story - Mediashift. [online] MediaShift. Available at: <http://mediashift.org/2015/01/4-crucial-tips-for-creating-a-transmedia-story/> [Accessed 22 May 2020].

Jenkins, H., 2007. Transmedia Storytelling 101 — Henry Jenkins. [online] Henry Jenkins. Available at: <http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html> [Accessed 22 May 2020].

LAURA SÁNCHEZ, 2017. What Transmedia Storytelling Is And How To Apply It To Your Digital Campaigns. [online] Wearemarketing.com. Available at: <https://www.wearemarketing.com/blog/what-transmedia-storytelling-is-and-how-to-apply-it-to-your-digital-campaigns.html> [Accessed 22 May 2020].

we are marketing, 2020. The Relentless Pursuit Of Growth. [online] Wearemarketing.com. Available at: <https://www.wearemarketing.com/> [Accessed 22 May 2020].

Allocca, K., 2011. Why Videos Go Viral. [online] Ted.com. Available at: <https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_allocca_why_videos_go_viral?language=en> [Accessed 22 May 2020].

Pratten, R., 2015. Getting Started In Transmedia Storytelling. 2nd ed.

Designs, 1. and Craig, W., 2020. 10 Tips For Prototyping Your Designs. [online] WebFX Blog. Available at: <https://www.webfx.com/blog/web-design/tips-prototyping-designs/> [Accessed 22 May 2020].


Schüler, M., Michelle, F. and Karina T, L., 2019. Motives And Barriers Affecting Consumers’ Co-Creation In The Physical Store. [online] Taylor & Francis. Available at: <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09593969.2019.1687103> [Accessed 25 May 2020].

Deloitte, 2020. Analytics-Aided Personalization | Deloitte US. [online] Deloitte United States. Available at: <https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/analytics-aided-personalization-emerging-trends-in-technology-media-telecommunications.html> [Accessed 25 May 2020].

Phillips, A., 2012. A Creator's Guide To Transmedia Storytelling. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Comments