Outsyder is a personal project inspired by my good friends from university. The app is designed to help people find fun things to do in their city, either as a group or an individual. I worked on this project as the sole UX designer from inception to final design through research, ideation and UX design principles.

Role: UI/ Ux Designer

Duration: 8 weeks

Tools: Figma  

Industry: Entertainment

How might we help people find cool places and events to experience with their friends?

Have you ever wanted to go out or have fun with your friends, but didn't know where to go? I found that this was a common occurrence with young people, despite the number of events and activities hosted in their city every day. 

Some factors, such as scheduling issues or being in a new area, can also influence people to give up, change plans, or settle for a destination they've visited countless times. Outsyder aims to rectify this and help everyone find activities in their city that they will appreciate and enjoy.

User research

The goal of the study was to gain the user's perspective on their motives for engaging in social activities and their concerns. I interviewed 7 participants remotely, all between the ages of 20-24 with various hobbies and interests. Below are the insights I gathered.

Who are the users?

Based on my user research, I was able to identify 3 types of users. 

1. People who have just moved to a new city: Making friends and navigating the social scene in a new city can be quite intimidating. Outsyder can help these users with all the information they need to thrive socially in their new environment.

2. Dora the explorer: Users who enjoy trying new things but don't know where to start can turn to Outsyder to discover fun and exciting activities happening in their area.

3. People trying to manage their expenses: Your budget shouldn’t stop you from having a nice time. Users can come to the app to explore other alternatives that they can afford.

The main concept is to provide users with a  list of activities tailored to their location, lifestyle, and budget.  The app also gives users an idea of what to expect before heading out to the location. The user journey for the app can be broken down into four distinct stages.

Step one:  The User downloads the app and finds an activity they like

Step two: Get all the information needed about the activity

Step three: Make payments, reservations or bookings

Step four: Off to their event in a few minutes

This process is divided into three stages: Sign up,  Select your location,  and choose your interests. During sign-up, users are prompted to set their location, which helps them discover events happening around them. 

Selecting their interests allows the app to curate a personalized collection of activities tailored to their preferences, keeping them informed about events they might enjoy and helping them stay engaged with the app.

The homepage is where the magic happens. Users are presented with a carefully curated collection of activities based on their location, recent searches, saved activities, likes, and interests. 

To differentiate the editorial collection from other content, I placed it at the top of the page for users to quickly swipe through and save anything that piques their interest. 

Additionally, I made sure that the information on the cards was concise and to the point, so users wouldn't feel overwhelmed and could make decisions more easily when choosing an activity. 

The structure of this page is designed to give users a realistic preview of what their experience will be like. At this stage, I wanted to provide users with comprehensive information about everything that comes with the activity. 

Transparency was also a priority, and I aimed to answer any questions users might have before they commit to the event. Users can also find ratings and reviews from other people who have used the app to book the activity, and other activities they might be interested in trying. 

Outdoor activities often come with time constraints, so I wanted to make allowances for that. When users book an event, they can easily see if it's a one-day activity or if it spans multiple days. 

If the event happens weekly or regularly, users can select a suitable date and time, as well as the tickets or reservations required. This way, users can enjoy flexible booking and payment whenever they use the app. 

E-commerce stores often encourage users to create wish lists for products they want to have, so I adopted a similar strategy. However, instead of a wish list, I created a bucket list feature for users to save places and events they plan on exploring in the future. 

Users can also invite other members of the app to collaborate on their bucket lists, which I believe would be particularly useful for couples and groups of friends who want to plan special experiences together.  

When users arrive at their activity they can find the tickets they have paid for on the My tickets page. Outsyder helps users track the events they have visited and upcoming events on the profile page as well as other important information like promo codes and sales.

Putting together this project was an exciting experience for me because my friends were willing to provide feedback and answer questions when I needed it, which reinforced the importance of conducting research and engaging with users. 

I also learnt a lot about colour theory and how it applies to designing light and dark interfaces. For my next steps, I look forward to receiving feedback and finding unique ways to improve on the design.