Throughout the years I have come across many people who have expressed an interest in learning to dance and have "learning to dance" as an item on their bucket list. Many of my friends have even taken dance classes, yet due to challenges that they have encountered such as finding classes too difficult to follow and psychological barriers such as believing that they are not skilled enough to pursue dance, they have given up. I believe that everyone has the ability to express themselves through dance and just need to have access to the right tools.
Dancers do not feel comfortable sharing their dance videos over social media and would want a separate judgement free platform where they can receive support and feedback.
Dance classes usually do not go over foundations and go straight into learning the dance routine. Beginners find that without knowing the basics it is difficult for them to learn the actual dances.
There are a lot of psychological barriers that individuals have with dance such as embarrassment, and fear of judgment. New dancers compare themselves to other dancers in the class and feel embarrassed if they are at a lower skill level.
Working adults are busy and do not always have a full hour, which is the usual dance class length to devote to dance. Most interviewees expressed interest in having 20–30-minute dance classes so that they can easily squeeze dance sessions into their days.
Create a digital dance experience for new dancers which focuses on creating a sense of community and easy to follow dance programs, so that beginners have the right tools to grow as a dancer.
The task “post my dance videos in a judgement free community” from the core epic of motivation was chosen, as this is the differentiating feature of my app compared to other dance platforms. Having a judgement free community will allow new dancers to provide support for each other during the learning process, and thus will help dancers stay motivated to keep taking classes and posting the results in the community.
As a new dancer I want to post my dance videos in a judgement free community so that I feel comfortable sharing my progress and won't be judged
After establishing my task flow, I started sketching some ideation sketches of what the application could look like when translated digitally. I made multiple versions, shown below is the chosen sketch that I based my wireframes on.
I then translated my chosen sketch into my first set of low fidelity digital wireframes and conducted my first round of usability testing to test the flow of the app and catch any issues early on.
After receiving and applying feedback regarding the flow and functionality of my low fidelity wireframes, I created the second version which is mid fidelity and conducted another round of user testing.
After my initial wireframes were complete, as part of the design process, I conducted 2 rounds of usability testing with 5 users in order to obtain practical, real-time feedback to improve the design and provide a more optimal user experience.
I then started inputting the determined visual identity into my high fidelity wireframes.
From working on this project, I learned how crucial it is to go into the research phase with no biases and no solution in mind. The interviews and secondary research will likely provide insights that were not apparent before, and that is what the solution should be based on. It is easy to think of a solution beforehand, and only takeaway information from the research that confirms your initial beliefs, however, this will not solve the users true pain points.
I have also learned that it is critical to experiment early on, especially during the sketching process, because as you progress in the project, it becomes increasingly more difficult to make changes. Taking your time to experiment with different app designs early on, will save time down the road.
If you like what you see and want to work together, get in touch!
vicky_marchenko@hotmail.com
