OpenInvite
Streamlining the process of scheduling meetups with friends.
Initial Conception
We all felt that getting together with friends was getting harder and harder.
Coordinating meetups among friends with conflicting schedules is challenging. Simplifying this process is essential to enhance user experiences and foster stronger social connections.
The Challenge
Everyone wants to spend time with the people they care about, but coordinating schedules is often difficult. A simple platform for groups to check each other's availability immediately is the best solution.
The Goal
To create an app that allows groups of friends to quickly create events, invite each other, and schedule the perfect time to meet up while ensuring privacy.
Research
Why is it difficult for people to meet up with friends?
We began with a survey to identify scheduling frustrations and expected key features. Over 50 respondents provided the information needed to proceed with the project.
Takeaways
Conflicting schedules, communication issues, and individual time constraints were the main pain points when scheduling
Expected features were comprehensive calendar and scheduling tools, shared calendars, and synchronization
How might we?
Our how might we questions allowed us to better pinpoint our users’ needs, which helped us to better design the interaction.
Make it easier to find common free times for friends
Enhance communication to avoid slow responses and cancellations
Provide personalized event suggestions for planning meetups
User Archetypes
After receiving feedback via the survey as well as creating our how-might-we statements, we were able to start putting together user archetypes. We came up with the two that you see here.
The Bookworm
Behavior:
Struggles to find time for socializing amidst academic commitments.
Feels stressed and overwhelmed by the process of coordinating meetups.
Values efficiency and seeks tools that simplify and streamline scheduling efforts.
Core Needs:
Tools to efficiently plan and coordinate meetups without adding to academic stress.
User-friendly interface that simplifies scheduling and minimizes effort.
Features that encourage and facilitate social interaction to maintain a balanced lifestyle.
The Planner
Behavior:
Takes initiative in organizing meetups and coordinating schedules.
Feels burdened by the responsibility of scheduling and coordinating with busy friends.
Prefers a solution that allows friends to contribute equally to scheduling efforts.
Core Needs:
A tool that allows friends to easily coordinate and schedule meetups together.
Features that distribute the task of scheduling among all participants.
Streamlined communication and scheduling tools to minimize coordination efforts and optimize planning.
Execution
Low-Fidelity Mockups
With our research complete, we transitioned to creating low-fidelity roughs and wireframes for a mobile app, aligning with our target audience of younger users. This stage provided key insights to guide our next steps.
Takeaways
Discarded original idea of user-input schedules due to privacy concerns and user discomfort with feeling pressured.
Implemented a "might be available" tag on friends' profiles to offer a middle ground for indicating availability without a complete calendar feature.
UI & Visual Design
With the groundwork complete, we focused on refining the app's visual design. Opting for a simple sans-serif font and dark mode with bright accents, we achieved a clean and appealing look that resonated positively with users, allowing us to proceed with high fidelity.
High-Fidelity Testing
The interaction design allows friend groups to see which of them could be available based on past availability. This allows the user to schedule meetups for dinner, a concert, a house party, etc.
Home & Invite
This first flow shows how the user would load into the app and be able to see any friends they could message as well as events going on that they could invite friends to.
Event Creation
Here we show how the user would create a new meetup from scratch, including picking a location, choosing a date/time, and inviting friends.
Reflection
Final Takeaways
OpenInvite simplifies meetup scheduling by removing intrusive features and providing intuitive tools, such as streamlined communication and easy event creation. By fostering coordination among friends, the app enhances overall user satisfaction and strengthens social connections, contributing to a more enjoyable and efficient planning experience.
Future Improvements
Implement AI-driven scheduling suggestions based on user preferences.
Integrate with popular calendar apps for seamless event syncing.
Enhance social features with group chat for real-time coordination during planning.