Chapter 1: The Curse of Too Many Tales
On the first day of the sprint, I gathered user feedback that Tiny Tales had collected and started breaking it down using an affinity map to try to pull any patterns. Here were some key insights:
Young users need to remain engaged during the search process
Parents want to be able to to cross reference categories, story length, subject matter, and other filters
78% of parents use the app before bed, creating time constraints for searching and reading
85% of users use the app on tablets and prefer that form
How Might We make it easier and faster to find stories that the entire family will enjoy?
Chapter 2: Discovery in Doodles
The next day of my adventure began by doing a competitive analysis. I wanted to take a look at different ways other products solved the need for searching. Specifically, I was looking for a way that not only acted as a search, but also allowed for the specific filters that parents wanted to apply.
The Illustrated Flow
Combining the user flow and sketches created the visual flow that users would follow.
This layout allowed for parents to recommend books and see generalized titles for them on their home screen.
If they want to narrow down titles they can switch over to the search page, where they will find a full filter system to narrow down to the story that meets their needs.
With the ability to still see the covers of the stories, it allows children to also be part of the story selection process.
Chapter 3: The Journey into Lo-Fidelity
With sketches in hand, it was time to create some low fidelity designs to better map out how the features would interact with each other.
The low fidelity wire frames were all about focusing on features that answered our initial question:
How Might We make it easier and faster to find stories that the entire family will enjoy?
Easier by creating an actual way of searching through stories and gives users a snapshot of metrics for each story.
Faster by preventing endless scroll and instead being able to narrow the library to meet the user's specifications.
Catering to the entire family by still allowing book titles to be seen so children can select them easier while giving parents greater control of search parameters.
Chapter 4: Adventiures in Hi-Fidelity Prototypes
With a wire frame created, I ran an in-house test to see if any additions were needed before creating the hi-fidelity screens.
Feedback included:
A rating method added to the filter section. The star ratings act as a form of anonymous recommendations and many parent users said they relied on the recommendations of other parents.
A “Submit” button should be added for clarity of action, so that we can make sure we are testing the correct feature. It also prevents automatic changes made by younger users interested in playing with the screen.
The Rising Action of the Rapid Prototype
Due to the virtual nature of the user tests, a very simple prototype was created in Invision.
With this prototype, I am testing the initial idea to see if filtering is the best method to help users search for stories. These were the big questions:
Do the tags overlay on the covers add or subtract from the user experience?
Do users find this search method easy to use or too cumbersome for an app also used by children?
Does the combination of solutions work well together?
Does this new search method excite users and make them engage more with the app?
Chapter 5: Let the People Decide
Bringing the prototype to users was an exciting moment. The questions around the interviews focused on the three main components of the HMW question I was trying to answer. In order to better ensure the engagement for the entire family, I held interviews with both parents and their children when possible.
I interviewed 5 sets of parents and children, ranging from 1-year old to 8 years old.
I had parents go through the search process both by themselves and with their children to see what pain points were added when children were involved.
The overall response was positive, mostly with parents excited that a search feature was coming to their app.
Bringing it to the People
With all of this feedback in mind, stakeholders decided to go ahead with the current designs and continue to take user feedback into consideration when making updates.
Next Steps:
I cleaned up the designs to be more cohesive with Tiny Tales current designs.
Analyzing user feedback to see if any immediate changes need to be made.
Increase accessibility for younger users by including more visual elements in the search filters as well as larger cover art for users to see better when used with the tags.
The Moral of the Story
The day was saved! At least for now. The users rejoiced in their newfound ability to find the perfect bedtime stories that matched the needs of both parents and children alike. And custom satisfaction has been rising ever since and NPS rose to its highest level yet. Stakeholders were delighted that they could return happiness to the land and once again give their users a reason to come back for more stories. And while this app of tiny tales would always face new challenges, this one ended happily ever after.
This sprint was great in creating the foundation for a search feature on Tiny Tales, but is far from final. I wanted a solution to be tried and tested by the users on a bigger scale and have begun collecting feedback from the app. In the initial launch, users are still excited for the new feature and most of the feedback shows that. I expect to start receiving more critical feedback soon. We are currently in a holding state for this feature while we continue to accrue feedback and brainstorm ways to make it more inclusive for the entire family.