Converge App Prototype for iPhone
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THE PROJECT
Four Herron Visual Communication Design students teamed up with four Computer Science students to create a website that was programmed as a minimum viable product. After the design phase, while the programmers worked to code a responsive website, each designer chose an iOS or Android platform and produced an app prototype. OUR QUESTION How might freelance business owners manage all of their projects through a single platform? THE SOLUTION Converge is a digital solution designed for freelancers from different industries. This single platform will allow users to communicate with clients, upload project documents, track calendar events, send invoices, accept payments, and manage tax records. |
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THE WEBSITE
The design team worked together to create the Converge brand, and apply our visual system to a website. 
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OUR iOS AND ANDROID APPS
Once we handed the design specs over to the development team, each designer worked to build an app prototype of our product. 
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OUR PERSONAS
I was responsible for creating the design team's personas. I wrote about the type of people who would use our app from both the freelancer side and the client side. |
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Priya Patel
Freelance User Priya is a 28 year old first generation American. She uses American Sign Language (ASL) as her primary mode of communication, but she can also read lips. Priya and her husband both have chosen freelance careers as a way to spend time together and travel the world for design inspiration. The Converge app allows them to access their files and stay in touch with their clients no matter which country they call home at the moment. End Goal: To share files and receive client approval and payment through one platform that allows multiple functions. Experience Goal: To feel a sense of increased productivity. Life Goal: To have a successful career without sacrificing flexibility. |
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Michael Jones
Client User Michael is a 35 year old widower with two young sons. He works from home because it gives him the flexibility he requires as a single parent. Michael is an editor who also owns of a small independent publishing house in Springfield, Illinois. The Converge app allows him to easily stay connected with Priya, a graphic designer who lives abroad, but whose style he favors for book cover design. Michael is able to quickly make confident design decisions, so that he can be fully present during the time he spends with his sons. |
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FUNCTIONALITIES & WORKFLOW
Our minimum viable product (MVP) was required to have three core functionalities. We decided that messaging, file sharing, and invoicing were essential. Alex Brown created a workflow that included the freelancer, the client, and the screens they would both use. Our MVP was focused on the Freelancer's side of the app. |
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CHOOSING A NAME
Each designer submitted a list of potential names for the group to review. Converge was chosen from my list because we thought it reflected the design thinking process. The definition of converge is “to come from different directions and meet at a place.” We wanted to communicate that Converge is an app where freelancers and clients can work together, and the functions needed for project management are accessed in a single location. After our name was established, we moved into the process of branding. |
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BRANDING OUR PRODUCT
Phil Delonay and Wyatt Shutte worked on logo design. It was not our main focus since this was not a branding project. Phil's idea was to use a series of circles coming together to represent the act of converging. He tried four different colored circles, but that looked too much like the Olympic logo. A single color looked too flat. The most successful iteration incorporated a gradient. |
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ANIMATIONS
Each designer was asked to create three animation videos to include in the final implementation guide. The following are my animations. |
Client Confirm Card Flip
Add New Client
App Navigation Video
