About the Designer
Hello! My name is Angelle Erickson and I am a Senior graduating this Fall with an emphasis in Visual Communication. My passion for designing and creating visuals to convey thoughts that developed when I was young inspired me to go into this degree. After my graduation this December, I am looking for positions in the Creative Services field where I work as a UI/UX designer. When I’m not working on design projects, I love to trail run, hike, and play music.
The Project
Growing up, I had a grandpa who taught me how to value and love music. With this ever-growing passion, I have learned that music is a medium where we can connect with those around us on a deeper and more intellectual level. With music, we see can conversate about ideas, beliefs, concepts, and even thoughts without even saying a word. In my young adult experience, I have seen that the people that are closest to me in my life, generally have the same music taste as them- and it ultimately comes down to them sharing the same values I do.
With this concept, I wanted to create an app prototype that could connect people on a deeper level. Using the Software Figma to design the front end of the app, I created a Social Networking app concept for Spotify called “EarBud”. How it works is you login into your Spotify account and share your location. Using these two sources syncs your music listening history with those around you connecting you with potential EarBuds.
The navigation app displays:
- Location
- Friends (EarBuds)
- Messages
- Profile settings
This app is not a dating app or social media, but rather, a way for people to make friends on an established commonality.
With the design of the wireframes, I used the established brand guide of Spotify to match the icon style, typeface, and color scheme. With this, I was able to design and outline the already established brand of Spotify. Sticking to existing brand guidelines helps me keep a consistent and overall minimal layout.
Logo
Icons
Execution Breakdown
Project Agenda
Week 1-2: establish needed frames and design wireframes
Week 2-4: Design the basic layout
Week 4-5: Photograph and stylize persona profile photoshoots
Week 5-6: Edit photos, design graphics, and visual assets
Week 6-8: Finish executing prototype frames and adding interactions between assets
Week 8-9: Refine and finish frame executions
Week 10: Prepare presentation visuals and materials
Hours Spent
I spent on average 7 hours a week designing and executing designs within Figma. This totaled out to roughly 65 hours over a 9-week time frame. With photography and editing pictures to insert in the app, I spent a total of 12 hours. And with the graphic icons and logo development, sketching, executing, and refining took me 10 hours. Overall, I spent 80- 90 hours on this project.
Lessons Learned
From start to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed the overall process of executing this concept. It presented me with various challenges of design I had never experienced. For example, there were certain features that I had struggled to execute. For example, the map feature shows where my potential friends presented formatting issues. How could I make a scrollable and interactable feature within a solid frame? With certain situations such as this, I was able to talk with professionals who were familiar with Figma and create the solutions I need to convey a certain function. What I learned from this experience were the principles of persistence, adaptation, and consistency.
So, what’s next? As I look for opportunities in my desired field of UI/UX design, I hope to connect and network with companies who hold the same values behind this app concept.
For all your design needs, contact me and check out my design portfolio at http://angelleerickson.squarespace.com/.