Backstory
Tricycle magazine provides media about Buddhist practices and teachings. They noticed that users were opening their emails first thing in the morning for one thing; a daily quote called the Daily Dharma. Tricycle launched an app called the Daily Dharma that would provide access to daily quotes. The app was a hit and they saw the potential to engage users with more snackable features to supplement their magazine.
Task
Another UX designer and I partnered with Tricycle to expand their mobile app by adding three new features that would engage and widen their user base. Our client goals included:
Adding high-interest and digestible features
Engaging and educating both existing and new audiences.
Outcome
User testing demonstrates 80% user satisfaction in overall feel, layout, and usability of the new features. The app is still in development. I will update this case study when we have data about new and current user engagement to give a more clear picture of the project’s long-term success.
My Role
I partnered with another UX designer to complete this project from end to end.
I developed the SOW, research plan, test results report, and presentation. I also communicated with the client for our team.
We collaborated by dividing the research collection tasks, analyzing the data results, crafting the design plan by utilizing methods such as sketching, user flows, and working on frames/prototypes in Figma.
Daily Dharma Overview
Understanding Our Two User Groups
Unifying our users was paramount to the project and a little tricky. The challenge was to invite new users who don’t have a background in Buddhism while still providing a rich and authentic engagement opportunity for well-practiced Buddhists.
I developed a survey to gather prospective user preferences.
Prospective users were open to Buddhist practices but most identified themselves as beginners.
They were looking for guided meditations, podcasts, journaling, and quote options and liked the mindfulness apps they used in the past.
Users typically didn’t want to spend more than 15 minutes on their routine per day shown in the survey screen.
Prospective User interviews corroborated our survey findings about feature preferences.
They also expressed interest in meditations, podcasts, journaling, quotes, and brief routines.
Quality Buddhist content was key to current users.
Our client provided data on current user preferences. Highlights include:
User Likes: current users most value Tricycle’s daily quotes and educational resources including video interviews, guided meditations, and articles. Many users are avid readers and writers.
Dislikes: current users dislike “watered-down Buddhism” or trendy “Buddhism-light“ content offered by competitor apps that provide a more “pop culture“ experience.
We developed a potential user and a current user persona to keep their preferences in mind as we designed features and solutions they might enjoy.
With client and user needs at the forefront of our minds, we moved forward with the design process. Our big goal was to bridge the needs of seasoned practitioners with new, curious users.
Design a lovable product that feels accessible and authentically Buddhist. Only use digestible content.
Include daily quotes, educational resources, and new ways of approaching mindfulness and reflection.
Incorporate options for building routines.
We reinvented the navigation bar to showcase new features, incorporated Buddhist symbols, and included labels for ease of use.
Originally the navigation bar only provided options for Daily Dharma quotes. We kept icons that worked well and still had a purpose. For example, the Dharma quote and favorites icons did well in testing and were still key features so we kept them.
Our top priority was to add guided meditations, journaling, and podcasts to the navigation. We made these decisions based on results from competitive analysis, user surveys, and user interviews
Integrating New and Old Designs
We added word labels for clarity under each icon based on usability testing.
We utilized Buddhist symbolism. For example, we selected the Wheel of Life to represent teachings from the Eightfold Path.
Current users would recognize and appreciate the symbol. During the onboarding process, we would teach new users about this important symbol.
We would like to further test these unconventional symbols but think they hold promise.
Designing user flows helped us picture how the two user groups would move through each new feature. Working through these small details ensured the flows were straightforward.
The Teachings User Flow below shows how an individual could engage with teachings content and the journaling feature.
We utilized Tricycle’s style guide and visuals for continuity that current users would be familiar with.
We studied competitor apps to construct predictable layouts that prospective users would be familiar with.
We used an iterative sketching method to draft our feature frames. This approach enabled us to collaborate, revise, and produce quickly. We considered our users and research as we sketched.
For example, we made the written reflection look like the notes section of a phone and included a date. These were both preferences that users volunteered in their interviews.
Design Studio Artifact
Open Reflection
Keypad
Quote Reflection
My partner and I both prototyped in Figma. We strategically built flows to show our clients the potential new features.
User Testing and Revisions
A note about usability test results:
Usability testing has only been conducted with prospective users at this time. Tricycle was not able to connect us with any current magazine or Daily Dharma app subscribers at the time of the project. We have recommended they test with a current user audience before launching the app.
Users enjoyed the overall feel of the app and were able to complete all tasks.
Testers volunteered the following impressions:
“I like the color palette. It’s really simple with grey tones, white, and orange.”
“I like the way this is categorized. It’s really well organized and clear”
“I like how clean it is. I can tell that I can do a lot of things on the app but it’s not overwhelming”
Usability tests revealed our blindspots and oversights. We made revisions based on user feedback.
Added a back button when applicable
Created episode synopsis view option
Removed series views because of an unrelated client request
These items are food for thought. It’s possible we would make revisions if more testing reveals similar perspectives. Otherwise, these items will not be addressed because they aren’t statistically significant.
Some user perspectives came up that were intriguing but more data is needed.
So far the results of the usability testing show we are on the right track with the features and designs we developed.
Project Reflections
If I could do one thing differently it would be to spend more time researching current users. While Tricycle shared their current user trends in our interview, relying on anecdotal evidence was a mistake in hindsight. This was a missed opportunity for my partner and I to fact-check and comb through the data for corroboration purposes. In the future, I will prioritize asking for the data and interviewing to validate our work.
The project feels unresolved because we haven’t tested it on a very important set of users - the current audience. I’m excited to say that I developed a wonderful relationship with the client, Tricycle Magazine. I’m confident they will reach out in the future when they are ready for more testing. It was a fabulous experience working with them and they had great (anecdotal) insights on their current users.
Project Outcome
On the whole, the app did well in usability testing with prospective users. More testing is needed with current users to determine if we truly solved our design challenge but the app looks promising. We will be in touch with Tricycle Magazine and follow the launch. Future success will be measured through further usability testing, retention of current users, and an increase in new users.