portfolio
SupperClub
Make friends. Save the planet.
Hamish Lehan B323430
Profile
Scenario #1 SupperClub
Make friends. Save the planet.
BETTY, 76 Owns an iPhone 6, iPad Mini Owns her home outright and runs a small business to supplement pension. Heating and energy bills are seen as a necessary expense to stay comfortable Widowed, lives in her own home with family nearby Situation: Betty is alone on an evening and has no plans
1
Betty decides to use the app to find company (intrinsic motivation) / She always has her iPhone to hand as she runs her business from it / She checks for other prople in a similar situation nearby, and finds someone interested in meeting / A meeting at her home is arranged; they meet to cook and eat ‘supper’ together / They each rate their meal and company.
The older generation are more vulnerable, so perhaps a vetting system?
“I have a Facebook, why wouldn’t I use that instead?”
“Once I have a supper partner’s telephone number, why wouldn’t I just call them?” It seems that social pressures (real or imagined) may encourage users to try and impress with their hostined supper events
Insights Betty said that she would go back to the app the next day to check on her energy saving, especially if she had been a guest at another supper. She enjoyed company and a shared activity. She said she might struggle to ‘make friends straight away’, so would consider a follow-up meal.
Experiential Prototype #1 The final app will work on a smartphone, which are becoming increasingly common for the older generation. Rough wireframes were drawn up to represent the screens shown on the phone. A quick interactive protoype was made using POP to imitate use in real-life scenarios. Here, the first representative user and insights into how her new experience with another similar person affected her are shown.
Betty asked for an easier way to find local people to invite.
Hamish Lehan B323430
Scenario #2
Profile
SupperClub
Make friends. Save the planet.
Experiential Prototype #2 The app mock-up was shown to the second representative user, and she was asked to walk through a set scenario to better understand how the app would work in a real-life context and to provide feedback.
2
Laura trades recipe ideas with the guests for her next supper / They set a supermarket delivery to the cook’s home / They attend the meal and save energy by cooking at home / They photograph the meal and save the recipe / Individually, they recieve a reminder about how much energy they saved / The group can begin planning their next meal.
Insights Laura also asked why the app couldn’t be replaced by email or by ‘a FaceTime group’ (I believe she meant ‘Facebook’). It is clear that the benefits must be made more obvious, since things like energy saving reminders can be easily missed. A points system or other mechanics may have to be introduced, but confusing and alienating the user must be avoided above all.
They naturally prepared the meal together without instruction
Monetary reward would apparently not motivate them much to save energy
Laura was the first to refer to a ‘Supper Club’, and accidentally named the app
“How do we work out who owes money to whom?”
Laura, 64 Owns an iPhone 4 and a laptop Divorced, lives with her daughter’s family but they are often not home. Her daughter pays they bills so she has no direct need to save on energy Situation: Laura wants to organise a successful supper for several regular friends/guests
Hamish Lehan B323430
Problems Make the point scoring system annonymous “Do I owe mon ey to my host?”
Game Mechanics Illustrate SupperClub’s benefits vs. other services, social media
Scoring: The scores guests provide are only added in groups of three, anonnymising the individual scores through average. Owing money: The host is reminded of a recommended maximum spend, and no money changes hands. Vetting: The system should be selfregulating, with bad users getting E.ON g bad scores and being encouraged ains by improv ing trus t with to improve. their cu sto
e.on
mers, proving th about lo ey care w Older c er bills. ustome rs are more li kle to the b y to be loyal rand.
From e.on’s website: “Helping customers to use no more energy than they need, and investing in the communities where we have an impact.” “As a founding partner of Go ON UK, we aim to provide the basic online skills to be confident online.”
3
Appointment: In the final app, there will be a type of calendar to keep track of upcoming meals, and users can plan around these set dates and times. Turn-taking: This mechanic is applied at a slower pace than usual (eg, Scrabble), but it means that since a user has had a free meal, they now ‘owe’ one. Accountability: Users will feel gentle (maybe imaginary) pressure from guests when hosting. Point-scoring: After a meal, each guest rates their meal and the company, leading to... Status: A high status may usually be all in the mind, but the points scored by hosts and guests lead to a certain reputation. Rewards: No direct rewards or incentives are offered by e.on. However, participating in the service is almost certain to provide external monetary rewards through reduced energy bills and food shopping costs, and ‘soft’ rewards like friendship, skills and company.
Requirements
SupperClub
Make friends. Save the planet.
Concept Development The scenario evaluation and the user’s continued feedback helped to iteratively improve the service step-by-step.
Hosting gains you a point per guest, Attending a supper costs one point.
/ Must have a smartphone, and basic knowledge of how to work it. / A certain quantity of users are required for the service to work. Hamish Lehan B323430
SupperClub
Make friends. Save the planet.
Final Concept Concept Statement: “An app-based service which encourages the older generation to gain skills and save energy through cooking and sharing meals.”
insights
How does it work?
/ Originally, it was unclear off the app’s benefits over a Facebook group, or other services / Users may create social pressures, which push them to impress their guests, hosts and friends / Older people already tend to have a set routine, so it may be difficult to change their behaviour / Monetary rewards motivate users who are middle-class less than most younger people / The factor that may change behaviour the most is providing much-needed company and community / Whilst Game Mechanics may be required to encourage continued use, the app must not confuse users who are unfamiliar with their smartphone
Energy will be saved in the cooking process (fewer pans, less refrigeration, less washing up) and also because the empty homes of the guests are not required to be heated. But users are encouraged to use the app for company, and find that they ‘accidentally’ save energy.
Benefits The app will work on a smartphone or tablet, which are becoming increasingly common for the older generation. The app will connect older people and foster community through shared values and shared meals. Use of the app and service will educate older people in the use of the internet and mobile technology, and will provide lasting friendships based on shared skills and experiences.
4
Hamish Lehan B323430
SupperClub
Make friends. Save the planet.
/ The home screen provides a personal greeting message to help the user feel more welcomed. / All local users are shown on the map, within a customisable radius. / The Chat feature is intended to allow users to become acquainted before commiting to a meeting. / Once the meeting is decided, the details are set on the Schedule page. / After finishing their supper and separating, users rate each other for anonnymous feedback.
Visuals #1 Scenario #1 Both the Chat and Rating systems provide a sort of vetting procedure to ensure all users have a great experience and continue to use the service. Rating each other’s performance (cooking, promptness, friendliness) means users compete for status and keeps users accountable.
A target audience who tend to have little smartphone experience requires careful thought. Where possible, the only interaction was a tap or press. It was important to avoid pinching because of reduced dexterity in some older people. This is a generalisation (Betty had an iPhone 6 and used it with ease), but the app must be produced for the least capable, and made available to everyone. There is a ‘Back’ or ‘OK’ button on every page -- user should never feel trapped.
5
How does it work? The app will work on an iPhone, which are becoming increasingly common for the older generation. The app will connect older people and foster community through shared experiences and meals. By sharing meals, energy will be saved in the cooking process and also because the empty homes of the guests are not required to be heated. APP LINK:
https://popapp.in/projects/55548955fcbd59797ff504e9/preview
Hamish Lehan B323430
SupperClub
Make friends. Save the planet.
visuals #2 Visual Style The appearance is deliberately strightforward. Without patronising older users, the app had to be fairly high-contrast and easy to read with poor eyesight. Bold, sans-serif fonts only, no huge graphics or animations. Interaction Some visual cues that are taken for granted had to be re-thought for those who are new to the internet and smartphones. Futuristic or Flat Design were out, and more ‘physical’ cues like shadows under interactive elements were reintroduced.
6
The Login page includes a link to create an email address, since some older people may not have one / Homepage is displayed on previous page / The user can review the details of an upcoming Supper, and browse recipes / The user can submit their own photos and recipes for later use / A thankyou message rewards the host for their service with points and an update on how much they may have helped save (altruism)
Scenario #2
Behaviour change
At the boundary in life stages (like using the internet for the first time), behaviour change is brought about most effectively because routines and habits are challenged. This period of uncertainty is the ideal point for the app to be introduced as it should have the greatest effect.
Feedback
Comitting to iterative improvement, I revisited Betty and Laura. This helped in reducing ‘friction’ through improved usablitity, and better understanding their motivations. It also became clear that some users may require a ceratin amount of Onboarding or Scaffolding when using the service for the first time. The ‘Challenge vs. Ability’ theme is left to the user. they can choose how frequently they host or attend, and the number of guests.
Game Mechanics are an important tool to encourage positive habits. Mechanics such as Appointment (scheduled suppers), Reward (fighting lonliness), Trading (giving and recieving suppers), Accountability (Supper Partners), PointScoring, and Turn-Taking have all been worked into the concept app/service.
Hamish Lehan B323430