Bucket App: Connecting people to go after their goals
The Bucket App is a social-networking, mobile app that connects individuals with each other to accomplish their bucket list goals. The idea for the app was envisioned by a group of UCLA students, who noticed that it could be especially challenging to convince their friends to get onboard with completing audacious bucket list goals (like skydiving!).
I collaborated with the founders of the Bucket App to bring their vision to life and to determine its market feasibility.
The Bucket App
Role:
Product Designer, User Research, Visual Design, Prototyping & Testing
Timeline:
October 2023-December 2023
Defining the client’s vision
After several initial meetings to learn about the client's vision for their app, we outlined 3 objectives for the project. The client specified that they wanted their app to:
1. Connect people with others in their area
2. Nurture friendships that centered around completing a bucket list goal
3. Inspired users to continue adding to their bucket list goals
Competitive analysis
To ensure alignment with the client’s goals, some questions that I considered in the early stage of the app's development were:
• What aspects of dating apps made them non-platonic?
• What can make the Bucket App distinguishable from dating apps?
• How could the app encourage users to take initiative and complete their bucket list goal?
I started with a competitive analysis of major dating apps on the market, such as Bumble, Hinge, and Tinder, to see what aspects of dating apps made them non-platonic.
What aspects of dating apps make them non-platonic?
After auditing the 3 apps, I hypothesized that there are 3 features that make dating apps non-platonic:
Preferences Filters. Dating have preference filter which allows individuals choose other used based on characteristics like height, dating goals (e.g long-term relationship), personal values, etc...
Swipe Feature: The second feature is a swipe feature which allows users to intentionally choose people they want to connect with.
In-chat app or call: The third feature is an in-chat app or call feature that allows users to directly connect with one another.
Hinge has a filter that allows you match with “compatible people”
Taking into consideration that filters, matching, and in-app chat can make an app appear non-platonic, I took a moment to sketch some friendlier alternatives (literally).
Sketching
📏 Some questions I asked myself was instead of filtering by a person's height, maybe the user can filter by people who are interested in their bucket list?
❤️ Instead of "hearting" a profile you like, maybe you can give the other user a fist bump or high five?
👊 What are other alternatives for a swipe system?
Transforming my sketches into digital wireframes
Design solution #1: Event suggestions for users that match
To encourage users to build platonic relationships, I designed a feature that suggests to users who "match", an event that they could do near them that would fulfill their bucket list item.
These suggestions serve as a way to facilitate a conversation between users and support them in focusing on the objective at the hand — which is to complete their bucket list goal.
Events are suggested for users to complete their bucket list goals
Design solution #2: Trading likes for fist bumps
To create the same feelings of a platonic relationship, I opted to replace the traditional heart and likes system with fist bumps.
This was a design solution that I was unsure of, as culturally, fist bumps can have various interpretations. I was worried that someone might interpret the fist bump as punching! I made sure to pay attention to this feature specifically during usability tests to gauge users’ interpretations.
Instead of liking a profile, users fist bump people they want to match with
Usability Testing
7 users were recruited to provide feedback on the initial prototype of the Bucket App. They were given the task of connecting with someone on the Bucket App to attend poetry open mic night with.
Affirmations
• Users appreciated the suggestions for places to complete their bucket list goals. They would like 2-3 suggestions! Users like that they don't have to go through the labor of finding a place or suggesting times and dates because it's already done for them.
• Users prefer the swipe system over the traditional scroll system. Unlike the swipe system which emphasizes first impressions, the scroll system encourages users to really take a moment to look at profile in full before making a choice to hangout with them or not.
Users like the suggestions of places to complete their bucket list goals
Constructive Feedback
• Users were uncertain about how other users would know their personal bucket list goals. For example, if they typed out that one of their bucket list goals was to "swim with dolphins" but someone else said that their goal was "swimming with dolphins", would they still be connected?
I intended for users to define their bucket list goals on their profile page
I realized that the prototype of the app has 2 competing objectives: 1) Defining bucket list goals and 2) Connecting people with each other to attend social events. I needed to support users in completing both objectives by making features that accomplish them more salient.
The focus of the home page is to connect people but not define bucket list goals
Key Takeaway
The focus of the home page was to connect people to each other but there was no place to define bucket list goals. This causes confusion for users because they cannot assume that the people they are connecting with have bucket list goals that align with theirs. Users need, and value, transparency about how they would be connected with each other.
Moving forward, I asked myself: How can the Bucket App provide users with more transparency about how they will be connected with each other?
Exploring possible solutions
One possible solution that I am exploring to provide users more transparency about how they will be connected with others is to have pre-defined categories/bucket list goals that they will choose from. This time, they will define their bucket list goals on the home page!
For example, rather than have multiple users type in variations of the phrase "swim with dolphins", there will simply be a box, swim with dolphins, that they can add into their bucket list goal.
Users will choose pre-defined bucket-list goals
Bucket list goals are created on the home page
Users who are back end engineers shared that it would likely be difficult to connect people with each other if their bucketlist ideas/phrases were variable.
The solution of adding bucketlist goals, rather than manually writing them in, was inspired Linkedn, which allow users to choose the skills they want to add to their profile. Except in the Bucket App, you would be adding bucketlist goals, not career skills.
I used LinkedIn as inspiration for the design!
If I had the opportunity to extend this project, I would love to dig deeper into how users interact with this feature that allows them to add bucket list goals. I would be curious to learn about if defining their bucket list goals on the home page creates more clarity on how they will be matched to other users.
Final design solutions
After ideating possible solutions based on the feedback from the usability test, I finalized my designs to prepare to my present to my client.
Home Page
Displaying all bucket list goals
Choosing a bucket list goal
Sending a fist bump
View all chats
Suggested events
What happened?
While the users did enjoy the concept of an app that allows individuals to connect with each other platonically to complete their bucket list goals, the client ultimately decided to hold off on the project due to time and resources.
We agreed that having a developer (or multiple!) to support in this project would be crucial to determining the feasibility of bringing the app to the market.
Reflections
Designing a brand-new social networking app proved to be a steep learning curve for me! I learned that:
• It is difficult to predict user behaviors (test, test, test)! In a social networking app especially, there are many key players that can impact a user’s experience with the product. While the experience of the app itself may be enjoyable, I also needed to consider the user’s safety and the potential for them to interact with harmful individuals.
• I should focus on building an MVP. As the idea for the project was brand new, I found it especially important to devote my time and resources to focus on a few key features that provide the most value to users.
• I need to return to the broader picture and project goals. Early in project, I became focused on the visual design and branding of the Bucket App. Speaking to users during usability testing helped me return to the user research portion of the project and prioritize creating experiences that serve them.