Written by: Claire
We finished our final presentation for the Neesh project last week. Looking back, I still remember the day we worked and discussed with team members. I think it was an excellent experience to work with people of different backgrounds and design an avatar system in the last two months; I learned more from the LGBTQ+ group and created a persona through interviews and online research. However, we found that each group has its pain point. I want to help our clients and LGBTQ+ group. Besides, we met some obstacles but got over them perfectly.
Designing an app is surprisingly complex. During the last two months, our group members have been working on the Neesh project, a community platform app for LGBTQ+ college students in North America. After group brainstorming and discussion, we decided to work on the avatar system. It made me realize that designing and developing an app is more important than what meets the eye. We talk with our clients Bing and Ying every Wednesday, and I can bet that the most frequent phrase is “Where did you get that?” from our clients’ feedback after we pitch our ideas. We need primary and secondary research to support the data we get and the iteration we change in the design process.
I mainly focus on the research part and accessories for the avatar. Throughout my secondary research, I find there are four important reasons for using avatars in-app or playing games:
1. Breaking free from stereotypes, users customize their avatars, they can change their gender and occupation with no judgment in the virtual world, and they can better express themselves.
2. Bringing a positive attitude, the more closely an avatar resembles its user, the more the user is likely to have positive attitudes toward it; users will relate to their avatar and want to use them more.
3. Connecting with the community, making people deepen personal bonds with their avatar and have a simulated feeling.
4. Next generation avatar in horizon world. Research has shown that avatars that match our self-concept will be more impactful in the long term. With the metaverse development, avatars become more popular, and users will use avatars to show their personalities and be more accurately represented in the virtual world.
Besides, I start drawing cute accessories for the avatar, and I enjoy it!
What could be improved? Working with a team will inevitably lead to conflict. Our team also met this problem mid-semester. However, I want to reflect on myself; at that time, I chose to avoid arguments and left the messy situation to leaders Yiling and Hairong, but now when I am looking back, as a member of the team, I regret I chose to avoid style instead of communicating with members and find out the real problem. Everybody is moving forward, and so am I, but I will keep this in mind. Next, if my group has a conflict, I will communicate with members and obtain as much information as possible to investigate the solution in terms of nip conflict in the bud.
Thank you, my fantastic team members; we had a perfect time. We joined the UBC party and learned about different cultures; we got the henna tattoo on hand and decorated the Divali–the festival of light, which only watched on television before. More importantly, we made friends and interviewed them about our design. Our team leader Yiling put so much effort into the work; she did an excellent job leading us from time management to becoming more efficient. Hairong drew the cutest avatar, and in every presentation, she always designed a beautiful template; Caterina worked in Figma with the prototype and taught me this tool during the project. Shawn collected the questionnaires and analyzed the data to iterate the design and survey. Antai worked on user testing and advised us in the right direction.
This was an excellent opportunity to collaborate with people with their expertise. It’s a precious time for me to see everybody show their strength, stay informed, and come up with an ally. Also, from every week’s talk with clients, we are no longer afraid of pitching and presenting our ideas, we improved every skill set, and I can see them have their bright spots and learn from them. I have been enjoying the time working with my team members.