Deciding Together

Background

The idea was that as a movement that promotes democracy, the first phase was to create a tool for deliberation and making decisions for their partners and collaborators. Still, the end goal was to reach every person in the world. Keeping that in mind, the app needed to be easy, approachable, and inclusive and ensure users that their opinions and votes count.

In this project, I was the UX/UI designer and I worked with the team on delivering an MVP in 45 days..

The Challenges

1. One system for different users with different needs:

Finding the right design to fit all users' needs and activities as they are different for each.

2. User-friendly for non-tech-savvy users:

Not all users are tech-savvy. As they may use the system on a regular basis, it has to have a very quick learning curve.

3. Overwhelming and confusing information:

- The amount of information presented might be overwhelming and might turn users away from using the product.

- Include the necessary information and create a clean, simple system structure.

- This concept can feel very serious and boring so keep it approachable.

Research

Competitive Analysis

Currently, there is no app in the market like "Deciding Together" so I decided to explore platforms such as Quora, AskPeople, Discord, and Reddit as they all are based on asking questions, sharing knowledge and promoting discussion.

Based on the user's reviews of the applications, using the apps myself, and looking for patterns, I could learn from their particular good and bad aspects and conclusions in the design:

A clean look and feel.
Keep the information short and to the point to keep users engaged.
Inspire and motivate the user to learn and discuss.

Don't

Don’t lose focus on the main idea.
No Aggressive sales or marketing feel.

Secondary Research & UX Writing

Since only a logo and the organization colors were provided, I took the initiative to learn how deliberation works, how people make decisions, what they need, and what may prevent them from making them. I relied upon academic research studies and various documentation to get some understanding of the process. Afterward, I read articles and saw lectures about the concept of "What is a good question/answer?". It was essential in order to know how to simplify the process and help create better discussions, learn from them, understand a problem, and come up with the right solution.

I then explored the organization's views and the language they want to use to incorporate everything together in the app to properly deliver their message.