Time

Jan 2023-Feb 2023

Duration

2 Months

Tools

Figma, Miro,
Media encoder

Project brief

Polaroid was a forefront of instant photography company. This American company was a unique advantage compared to traditional film photography. With the development of technology in society, they offer an app to organize the instant camera, but it can be more functional and personalized.

Role

UI/UX designer

Service designer

Interact designer

Projected outcome

After the app is redesigned, the new design will offer a personal account for customers to save their own settings, making it more user-friendly. This situation will be a win-win for both the customers and Polaroid.

Main challenges

Challenge A

When the customer opens the app, all the cameras and printers appear, which can be confusing if new cameras or printers are developed in the future.

Challenge B

There was no navigation bar to guide the user, causing customers to waste time searching for what they need, such as settings or support.

Challenge C

The app did not have an account feature to save photos and organize settings, which would result in the loss of all data if the user lost their phone.

First, understand the problem

User research

At the beginning, I want to learn more about what users consider when using the Polaroid app. I want to determine what opportunities and needs might exist for the Polaroid app. Therefore, I have set up some questions to ask my friends who also use Polaroid cameras. For example, what is necessary for users when they open the app, and how do they currently navigate within the app?

Point A

Most of the users say that they cannot find the item they want immediately, and they need to scroll a bit to find it.

Point B

Another important feature is the scanning function. Many users say they always use it because they want to scan their instant photos perfectly.

Point C

Some users have different cameras, and they also want to add them to the app and get mechanical support.

Map journey and opportunities

Journey mapping

According to the user research, the first priority is to guide the users. Therefore, adding a navigation bar to organize the app is essential. Additionally, the app should include personal functions and user accounts to save their preferences, as well as recommending new products.

Challenges and Breakthrough

One consideration is that some users want to access the camera remote immediately, while others care more about the scanning function. It is difficult to balance between the two sides. In the end, I decided to place the shooting page on the first page and add a scanner button in the top right corner on a few pages.

Test ideas with wireframe & prototypes

Wireframes

After completing the journey mapping, I created more than 20 pages of wireframes. These wireframes focused on details such as the size of the navigation bar and the placement of the scan button. I also ran two rounds of wireframing.

More than 20 screens

2rounds of test

Prototypes

Goals

1. Adding the navigation bar to filter the items for user.

2. Adding personal features in the function.

Interactive prototype

Features

1. Starting from the login page, the user will have an account to save their photo and personal settings for the camera.

2. Having a navigation bar will make it easy for users to find what they need.

3. Each camera and printer has its own page that organizes information for the user.

4. Adding the scan button on the right up corner.

5. Adding an explore page to introduce current products.

6. Album page for user to organize their photos.

7. Account page is for changing personal settings.

Testing

After the app redesign, I found some Polaroid users to try the prototype and identify any blind spots during testing.

Learning

After a few rounds of testing, I noticed that some features needed improvement. For example, some of the words were too small to read and a few users were confused about certain features, such as the meaning of "support" on the camera information page.

Finalize

Organize Devices page

Each camera or printer has its own page for users to manage their device, such as getting software updates or repairs.

Add Small Personal Features

The app aims to be personalized and includes features on different pages to cater to individual user needs.

Unified All Devices’ Remote UI

Unified remote UI for different devices saves users time and eliminates the need to learn separate interfaces.

Projected result

The redesigned app is expected to attract more Polaroid users to register their cameras and access improved support services, such as tutorials, repairs, and software updates. Additionally, Polaroid can use the data from registered cameras to analyze the market and improve market forecasting.

Room for improvement

Opportunity

I believe there are a few ways to improve. In the Explore page, I think there should be better filters to help users find the products they want. Additionally, the Album page could benefit from a better UI to more effectively present the user's photos.