Once I had mapped out a few first ideas the next step was to take the 3 topics I had highlighted and expanded on these. Coming up with ideas as quickly as possible through the ‘pressure cooker method’ with no critiquing was the first task. This allowed me to come up with a good amount of rough ideas without thinking about viability, practicality etc that limits the scope of the ideas. As seen below I came up with a fair few ideas, yet working with more people would create a much more dynamic and varied outcome of ideas. Nevertheless, for this task it is sufficient.
The next stage is to critique these ideas and start to choose the idea to turn into a concept.
Repair network:
Whilst in general I like this concept I feel these ideas have been bought in from a preconceived app idea and that I am trying to fit them into the theme. However, there are a few ideas in this topic that are interesting to take forward. I think the idea of sharing products locally could be a great way to connect people together and form a community (or network). I will take this idea forwards for development. The rest of the ideas I will park at this stage.
Collaboration network:
I think the idea of a network of creatives, innovators and artists that are linked through a common app is a strong idea. Finding people to collaborate on projects, solve problems or even share interests with can become difficult. Whilst Facebook groups and other online social medias allow people to find collaborators it is informal, unprofessional and typically not trustworthy. The two routes this idea could go down is interesting. This could be a Business-to-Business platform or one for small independent creatives. Refining this concept further will allow me to judge viability and feasibility.
Community network:
When I first heard the theme this is what came to mind. Connecting people in communities, solving urban loneliness and other problems through human to human interaction facilitated by an app. The scope for concepts is quite broad and from linking generations together to linking those with similar hobbies and even gamifying the neighbourhood to promote children to explore outdoors. However, out of all these ideas the one I think has most promise is creating a community wide connection. This encompasses lots of the other ideas into an app that promotes communities to get together and spend time with each other.
Refining and concept defining:
Deciding which of these three ideas to develop is a tricky task that requires me to be realistic, not tackle a problem that I can’t solve and create something worthy of creating. In order to do this I feel I need to expand on these ideas and start to add rough details of how the app will work.
Local product sharing network:
What? App that promotes the sharing of products through product libraries and joint purchasing.
Why? Reduce the products consumed in communities, cities etc. Promote repair and longevity of products.
How? In-app subscription or pay-as-you-use model to allow people to gain access to the products. Interactive map that shows where the products are and what is available for use.
Who? Aimed at cities/ large towns and for people in rented-accommodation. Limited space and less money for new objects.
Problems! Similar apps are out there already but for individual objects like Car 2 Go, Dinkey Republic and Tool libraries etc. Would be difficult to challenge these in an innovative manner. Large project that would require numerous other parties.
Collaboration network:
What? Promotes the collaboration of individual creatives, or new startups to find talent/ interested parties for projects.
Why? Connects those with skills/ interests with those who need the skills. Provides scope for young creatives to gain experience in a ‘silicon valley’ style.
How? Job post style matching users skills to projects with similar needs. Quizzes rather than interviews create ‘matches’.
Who? Aimed at university students, graduates and those new to industries in order to learn skills in a positive and practical manner. Cities/ university towns are the best place for this to develop of grow.
Problems! Would be difficult to make this safe and secure from people taking advantage of individuals, Blockchain trust and pay systems similar to FairFood may be a good route to go down. Ssshake is also a very similar concept that makes this idea difficult to make into an innovative new idea.
Community network:
What? Network that links individuals, families etc together in communities. Allows them to discuss community issues, organise events, share objects etc.
Why? Create a greater sense of community spirit, pride and interaction. Prevents loneliness that can lead to greater problems. Helps the community look after each other and the local environment.
How? Chat group based off topics: events, environment, etc. Incentives could help people join the app and get involved.
Who? Any community where isolation is common and interaction is limited. Generally will be aimed at teenagers and upwards.
Problems! May be difficult to make this app financially viable without backing from councils, cities or governments. What will drive people to use this app and what are the benefits for them?
In order to conclude this refinement section I feel that all three could be good concepts to progress but for me the one with greatest potential is the community network. This idea has a strong link to the theme through solving problems together, but also has a lot of demand due to sprawling cities and high-rise building alienating individuals. The next stage will be to research the urban environment, the people who would use it and work out what my angle is going to be. Once this is done I will be able to develop the idea into a concept and bring it to life.
Concept development:
Similar apps:
- Streetbank allows people to give items they no longer want to neighbours, share large seldom used items such as drills and ladders whilst helping people in the community with these tasks.
- Nextdoor combines a network for tradespeople a way of buying and selling of goods with a virtual neighbourhood watch.
- EatWith allows you to share a meal with hosts to gain a local and authentic experience.
My angle:
I will be looking to create a platform for communities to interact, meet up, dine together, have a say on local decisions and galvanise the community to gain a sense of pride. Below I will go into more detail how this will work and how users can access these features.
Key features:
- Discover who is in your community
- Create community events
- Improve the community
- Share skills and hobbies
- Help each other out
These are the building blocks for the app and will form the basis of how and why people will use this app. This app will take the form of a social media platform but for local communities. This may be an apartment block, a street or a village.
Users will be able to participate in and help out with community activities, events and interact with people. These interactions are logged on the app to gain points that lead to benefits for the user and community. This gamification will promote people to use the app and build a resilient and active community.
App features:
Community: Users can discover people in the community, see their hobbies and allows the user to connect with them.
Goals: This will show the user the communities chosen goal and how far the community is from achieving it.
Events: Shows the events that the community has set up and allows you to join in the organisation.
Help: This shows users in the community who need help; support, company, sugar or a drill, whatever they may need.
Share: Allows users share objects, give away leftover food, share meals etc.
Initial concept sketches:
Quick wireframe sketches showing first concepts and development of app concept.
Mockup:
These mockups show a rough wireframe of the app through the key screens users will interact with.
The home screen welcomes the user after the on boarding process, locating your community and joining it. This screen shows the 5 bubbles that lead to the corresponding pages. Throughout the app circles have been used due to their relationship with family, being involved and their soft aesthetic qualities.
The next pages, community and help are closely related and are key to the app. The community page shows a sea of profiles for users in the community. By tapping on the profiles you gain access to their name, occupation and events they have taken part in locally. This also allows you to chat to them and interact with the user. You can also see their hobbies and interests which promotes interaction.
The help page shows those in your community who need help; whether they need a pint of milk or to spend an afternoon talking to somebody. This page helps to generate a lot of point that go towards the community goals.
The community goals links all the features together in a scoring system whereby communities can gather points in exchange for improvements to their neighbourhood. Local municipalities are involved in this but the money mainly comes from advertising (for the company running the app) and through local events (for the users).
These events are in order to raise money but also bring the community together and promote greater unity. There are a few examples listed here. Users can suggest events and communities can vote on them and organise together.
Evaluation of concept:
Overall I have found this process very interesting and has worked to get me in the right mindset of coming up with ideas, critically evaluating and then developing them. At the start of this creative piece I had a lack of ideas and didn’t know what direction to go in. This along with a busy work week let me to falling behind. Over the weekend I managed to get back on track and set myself short, but manageable, deadlines in order to work under a ‘pressure cooker method’. On the next project I would like to spend more time exploring the UX side of the project and create multiple mockups, test and evaluate them, then iterate further.
Regarding the app I think the concept is a strong one with social medias trying to act like some of these features already, but with a lack of refinement. I would like to take this concept further but thinking about why pope would get involved who are isolated in the first place. What is the benefit to them? How can they find out about this app? I would also need to think about how this would be funded and how the goals and points would support the community. The financial side of this app is a bit weak at the moment and needs defining. Safety and security would also need to be improved. How could I stop people taking advantage of others? There are a lot of question marks still to be solved with this concept but it is a good basis for further development.
Nathaniel's Creative App Journal 