Peter McCarthy recently completed UX Academy’s UX/UI Design Design Course. He was able to successfully complete a real-company project from LikeMe.
About Peter
In 2018, Peter graduated from UX Academy after working on an app aiming to improve interactions between housemates. Before joining the course, he was working within market research. Here, he utilised a range of methods including online surveys, focus groups, and observations. Once he discovered the exciting world of UX design, he decided to explore it further. UX Academy provided the perfect course for him to expand his knowledge for an affordable price.
What’s The Most Valuable Lesson You Learnt at UX Academy?
We learned one of the most valuable lessons: user-centred design. Keeping the user at the centre of the design is crucial. You should test and iterate on the design until you achieve the desired outcome. It’s important not to wait until a week before the website goes live to conduct tests!
About LikeMe App
Peter’s UX/UI mission statement for LikeMe is simple – “improve interactions and communications between housemates”. To find out more about the market and the amount of demand for the app, Peter conducted user research. He discovered that 56% of people surveyed said living with housemates impacted their wellbeing. This shows how important an app like LikeMe is in helping people communicate better with their flatmates. Peter developed many creative additions to the app to make it as useful and helpful as possible.
LikeMe: Where Did the Idea Come From?
An online survey and in-depth interviews were conducted with young professionals who are currently sharing a house. The key findings from the research were:
- 56% said living with housemates impacted on their wellbeing
- 89% said they used WhatsApp to communicate with housemates
- Although different age groups had varying social needs, most preferred living with others rather then alone
User Personas
Empathy Mapping
Storyboarding the Journey and Situation
App Overall Flow
App Design/Layout (Wireframe)
App Flow
User Testing
We conducted several user testing phases. In these phases, we asked users to complete tasks, such as registering as a new user. After they completed these tasks, we gathered their feedback.
Next, we observed how users interacted with the app’s flow and overall navigation.
A number of changes were made to the prototype after receiving the feedback. For example, the transitions between screens was changed.
Whether you want to start a career in UX, or just diversify your skillset in general, UX Academy has several courses available to suit your needs. Get tha chance to work on real life projects and build your UX portfolio when you join UX Academy.