navigation explorationa mobile device. bringing a secondary navigation that is curated based on the...
TRANSCRIPT
Navigation Exploration
MATTHEW TALEBI08/14/2018
Why are conferences attended? 1
3Exhibits
Networking
ConferenceKeynotes
CareerOpportunities
Learn newtechnologies
DifferentPoint of Views
Senior+ Roles Entry to regular Roles
* Results are based on 50 individuals, some biased data may occur.
Conferences are attended by thousands of people all with different roles - it is nearly impossible to quantify such data. However, to give us a basis for our study on navigation I sent out a survey to multiple groups from marketers and engineers to product managers and designers.
There are some clear cut use cases based on the type of attendee and as we learn more about our users, we can start to curate application experiences to each individual user.
Let’s get one thing straight…Navigation isn’t a simple task - the way navigation is built determines
strategic business decisions and the overall user experience.
Initial reactions
I then decided to search navigation (out of curiosity of how search results appear) to find that the search has nothing to do with navigation.
I didn’t actually know what page I was on, when I opened the navigation I wanted to discover, only to realize I was already on this page. The chevron icon made me think there are sub-items associated with discover..
My first thought is that my [conference] experience is the area I will spend most within the application, while [conference] guide is more semantics.
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3
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2
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Information hierarchyMy first observation of the navigation system is the heirarchy, or the lack thereof. A user opening the application for the first time sees multiple tiles of the same weight in discover, and within the navigation there are multiple items all with the same weight.
Usually with applications, especially larger applications with a lot to explore, the information architecture has one entry point with guided paths to go down. With the current application, a single entry point leads to 13 different end points which may be overwhelming to users, ultimately leading users to find what they need and halt further exploration of the application.
ApplicationEntry Point
Hamburger menu?It’s no secret that many applications have started to opt out of using the hamburger menu as a mode of navigation, but why is this the case? One major case study is the fact that - if users don’t see it they wont use it (or know it exists).
…It (Spotify) found that users with the tab bar ended up clicking 9% more in general and 30% more on actual menu items.
https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/03/spotify-ditches-the-controversial-hamburger-menu-in-ios-app-redesign/
If it’s not visible how does a user know it exists?
Dissect and organize
Ask The [conference] BotMy Profile - Notes - SettingsMy AgendaMy FavoritesNotifications
DiscoverMapsScheduleExhibitorsSpeakersNetworking - Contact list
Info - Hours - on-site info - transportation - safety & security - badge pickup/registration - app setup - social media - transportation dashboard
About - About this app - privacy policy - About [Conference] - Login - Enable Bluetooth to navigate
My first objective was to understand every navigation item in a typical conference application, categorize, and reorganize them to have a hierarchy and purposeful groupings among each.
CURRENT STRUCTURE CATEGORIZED
Agenda Related - My Agenda - Schedule* - Speakers* - Exhibitors*
Navigation - Transportation - Exhibits*
Curation - Discover - Notifications
Personal/Networking - My Profile - Notes - Favorites - Notifications
Logistics - Hours - On-site info - Transportation - Safety & Security - Badge pickup - Help bot
Bottom of the barrel - About this app - Privacy Policy - About [conference]
Onboarding - Login - Application setup
Navigation usageFollowing the reorganization we have to ask ourselves, how often will each item be used? This will help layout the hierarchy revision. Usage measurement is based on probable product needs
Agenda Related - My Agenda - Schedule* - Speakers* - Exhibitors*
Navigation - Transportation - Exhibits*
Curation - Discover - Notifications
Personal/Networking - My Profile - Notes - Favorites - Notifications - Networking
Logistics - Hours - On-site info - Transportation - Safety & Security - Badge pickup - Help bot
Bottom of the barrel - About this app - Privacy Policy - About [conference]
Onboarding - Login - Application setup
Estimated UsageFrequent
Frequent
Frequent
Frequent
~1/day
Frequent
Frequent
When notified
Frequent
1
1
~1
1
~2/day
<1
1
—
0
0
1
~ 2/day
Frequent
Frequent
When notified
Estimated Usage Estimated Usage
Time sensetive that may adapted to the time of day / schedule of the user
Controlled environmentA unique advantage of event applications is the environment. Everything about the
conference including user locations* are all available from a central point allowing for highly curated experiences for the application to build exploration in the conference.
Sketching & Brainstorming
Basic AnatomyAlthough this has been iterated multiple times by researchers and online blogs, it’s always good to remind ourselves of the easiest regions to access on a mobile device.
Bringing a secondary navigation that is curated based on the users profile settings, exhibits visited, talks and time of day can bring a more personalized experience to the conference.
This menu would most likely live on the discover page (perhaps others), and depending on whether the discover page is scrolling or not, this item can be at the top or bottom of the page.
This layout allows for five static positions, one more static or dynamic navigation at the top, and further curation within the page.
Static High Level Navigation
Usually a hamburgeror link to profile / settings
Secondary curated navigation
content area
TabsThe tab bar has some interesting dynamics. With a tab bar of four items, usually the importance of navigation is read from left to right, however if a fifth is added then the first or center item can be determined as the most important by users.
In the paradigm I am proposing, I would suggest five as this covers many of the major conference categories to be quickly accessed.
Discover and Exhibits are in prime locations to help increase user activity. Agenda is a given as far as usage is concerned, and profile is on an as needed basis.
Exhibits Speakers ProfileAgendaDiscover
Primary
2nd 3rd 4th
Exhibits ProfileAgendaDiscover
2ndPrimary 3rd 4th
Navigating the navigationWith only five tabs, where does all the rest of the content go? Many items should be in-context and discovered through natural user interactions instead of forced into a high traffic area.
DiscoverDiscover is the hub for all timely actions as well as finding new activities. Discover contains, but is not limited to: - Navigation - Transportation - Exhibits - Speakers
AgendaAgenda will hold the personal schedule as well as the overall schedule of the conference. Notes may also be accessed here.
ProfileThis will access your general profile information including: - Networking - Notes - Notification
ExhibitsSearch and list of all the exhibits, including favorited exhibits
HelpHelp will house everything else that are logistics (including another link to navigation) or bottom of the barrel, this will live in the top right of the application for quick access but not high priority
MapsMaps is an important tool to attendees especially at the large conferences. The maps page should consider both the blueprints of the conference as well as transportation needs.
SpeakersSearch and list of all the speakers, including favorited speakers
User JourneyAn overview of the heirarchy and how the new design enables related content to be grouped together to build stronger relationships and organization
Onboarding Registration/Login
Discover
Curated content
Dynamic Navigation
AgendaMy Schedule Conference Agenda
Exhibits
Speakers
Profile
User Downloads
Floor plans
Location
Transportation
Conf. Bot
Help/About
Logistics/Safety…
Exhibit list Favorites
Speaker list Favorites
Registration/Login
Notifications
Contact list
Notes
Primary paths
Accessed from anywhere in the application
Undesirable pathway
Dynamically driven content
?
curated content
DISCOVER AGENDA EXHIBITS SPEAKERS PROFILE
Discovery by time and date
8:00 AM
Transportation Badge Pickup
12:00 PM
?
curated content
DISCOVER AGENDA EXHIBITS SPEAKERS PROFILE
Food Stands 20% Coupon forselect restaurants
Personalization by time of day can open the door to very focused advertisement
Curation will also occur in the content region to bring a much more personalized experience.
Bringing key conference features at the right time can increase participation
In this model, Discover is the hub of the entire application. This should be a dashboard that adapts to the time of day, the users schedule, and booths they may have visited.
?
DISCOVER AGENDA EXHIBITS SPEAKERS PROFILE
My Schedule & Agenda Exhibits/Speakers + Favorites
8:00 AM
My Schedule General Agenda
8:00 AM
10:00 AM
1:30 PM
TOMORROW
TODAY
Switch tabs are a great way to combine two pages of the same type while keeping clear separation
Exhibit and speakers can keep a familiar feel with each other
Bringing search out of the menu and in context on large
lists can increase interactions
?
DISCOVER AGENDA EXHIBITS SPEAKERS PROFILE
8:00 AM
Speakers Favorites
SEARCH
?
DISCOVER AGENDA EXHIBITS SPEAKERS PROFILE
8:00 AM
Exhibits Favorites
SEARCH
?
DISCOVER AGENDA EXHIBITS SPEAKERS PROFILE
Profile Help/About
8:00 AM
SHARE CONTACT INFO
CONTACT LIST NOTESNOTIFICATIONS In context navigation should be used where it makes sense to “discover” as the user traverses the application
The help bot will remain at the top of the help page to enable quick chat, otherwise users can explore the help/about menus.
?
DISCOVER AGENDA EXHIBITS SPEAKERS PROFILE
8:00 AM
Ask the help bot
SummaryForcing features onto users is not always the best way to build discoverability. Creating frictionless experiences by integrating navigational features into the
interface is a great way to build awareness in a subtle way.
Giving push notification based on the users location within the conference is a great way to let the user know of great exhibits right in their area.
Utilizing downtime or specific time frames to notify users of actions such as badge pickup can ease the bloat of navigation
Push notification in combination with location and time based events is a great way to alert users of new possibilities within the conference or application.