Application Design 01- Assessment 3

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Application Design 01- Assessment 3 (Blog Template)

Application Design 01- Assessment 3

26/10/2025 - 12/12/2025 / Week 10 - Week 12
Emily Ong Su Yu / 0365304
Application Design 01 / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media / Taylor's University

LECTURES

WEEK 9 LECTURES: PLEASE CLICK HERE

WEEK 10 LECTURES: PLEASE CLICK HERE

WEEK 11 LECTURES: PLEASE CLICK HERE

WEEK 12 LECTURES: PLEASE CLICK HERE


WEEK 9 LECTURE — Useful Links for Design References

In this lecture, students are introduced to reliable platforms for collecting, organizing, and maintaining design references. Having a well-curated reference library helps designers stay inspired, understand design trends, and support better decision-making throughout the design process.

Completion Requirements

  • Find a platform that is easy for you to capture, update, and sort design references.
  • Keep your reference library updated and curated regularly.
  • Remove references that are no longer relevant or useful over time.

Useful Platforms for Design References

Wireframe Examples

Figure 1.1 Week 9 Lecture Example wireframe 1 - Netflix.

Figure 1.2 Week 9 Lecture Example wireframe 2 - Instagram.

Figure 1.3 Week 9 Lecture Example wireframe 3 - Amazon.

Class Activity

We drew sketches based on different software and applications in class.

Figure 1.4 Week 9 Class Activity — Wireframe sketches based on YouTube, Spotify, and other applications.

WEEK 10 LECTURE — Best Shop Mockup (Figma)

This lecture focuses on building a Best Shop mobile app mockup using Figma. The session introduces core Figma tools and demonstrates how to construct a complete UI layout by following a guided mockup example.

Lecture Content

  • Introduction to the Best Shop mockup layout and structure.
  • Understanding frames, components, and basic auto layout.
  • Using text styles, colour styles, and spacing consistently.
  • Organising layers and pages effectively in Figma.
  • Previewing and testing the mockup using Figma’s prototype mode.

Completion Requirements

Class Activity

Below is my work created by following the lecture:

https://www.figma.com/design/vIoaMhSElwdNe4rQtbBgTo/Untitled

Figure 2 Week 10 Class Activity — Figma activity.


WEEK 11 LECTURE — Usability Testing & UI Kit

This lecture introduces Usability Testing as a key UX research method and explains the role of a UI Kit in maintaining design consistency and efficiency during app design.

Usability Testing

  • Evaluating a product or service with representative users.
  • Participants complete specific tasks while observers record notes.
  • Focuses on identifying usability issues and user pain points.
  • Collects qualitative feedback rather than large-scale data.

Why Usability Testing Is Important

  • Helps detect usability problems early in the design process.
  • Improves overall user satisfaction and task success.
  • Ensures design decisions are based on real user behaviour.

How to Conduct Usability Testing

  • Define three user scenarios with clear written instructions.
  • Prepare a low-fidelity prototype.
  • Recruit three participants and assign one scenario to each.
  • Conduct testing sessions (e.g. via Zoom).
  • Gather feedback using prepared questions.
  • Analyse results and improve the wireframes.

Example User Tasks

  • Account management (create account, log in, update profile).
  • Navigation and exploration (home screen, menu, settings).
  • Feature usage (search for products, complete a purchase).

UI Kit

A UI Kit is a pre-packaged collection of reusable UI components for a mobile app or website.

  • Speeds up the design process by reusing standard components.
  • Ensures visual and functional consistency.
  • Can be customised for different app categories (e.g. e-commerce).

Core Elements of a UI Kit

  • Colour palette
  • Typography (font styles, sizes, hierarchy)
  • Components (buttons, input fields, cards)
  • Layouts and grids
  • Iconography

Completion Requirements

  • Explore the usability testing process introduced in the lecture.
  • Understand how UI kits support consistent and efficient UI design.
  • Review the low-fidelity prototype example below.

Reference Links

Low-fidelity prototype (Figma):
https://www.figma.com/design/8TwF60l9WwLv1upGm0yiOi/ADI---Lo-fi-Prototype

Key Takeaways

  • Usability testing reveals real user issues and behaviour.
  • Early testing reduces design errors and improves UX quality.
  • UI kits help designers maintain consistency and save time.

Class Activity

We worked on clarifying the features: Global, Local, Contextual, Faceted, and Supplemental.

Figure 3 Week 11 Class Activity — WebNav of Teams.


WEEK 12 LECTURE — Usability Heuristics

This lecture introduces Usability Heuristics, a set of general principles used to evaluate and improve the usability of user interfaces. These guidelines help designers identify usability issues and ensure interfaces align with users’ expectations and behaviour.

What Are Usability Heuristics?

  • General rules of thumb for user interface design.
  • Used to assess the usability of websites and applications.
  • Focus on making systems intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly.

Jakob Nielsen

Jakob Nielsen is a usability consultant and co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group. He developed the 10 Usability Heuristics, which are widely used in UX and UI design to evaluate interface usability.

Jakob Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics

  • Visibility of System Status — Keep users informed about what is happening.
  • Match Between System and the Real World — Use familiar language and real-world conventions.
  • User Control and Freedom — Allow users to undo, redo, and exit actions easily.
  • Consistency and Standards — Maintain consistency in design and behaviour.
  • Error Prevention — Prevent problems before they occur.
  • Recognition Rather than Recall — Minimise memory load by making options visible.
  • Flexibility and Efficiency of Use — Support both novice and experienced users.
  • Aesthetic and Minimalist Design — Avoid unnecessary elements.
  • Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors — Provide clear error messages.
  • Help and Documentation — Offer guidance when needed.

Why Usability Heuristics Matter

  • Help identify usability issues early in the design process.
  • Improve user satisfaction and task success.
  • Support better UX decisions without extensive user testing.

Completion Requirements

  • Understand the purpose of usability heuristics.
  • Learn and recognise Jakob Nielsen’s 10 heuristics.
  • Apply heuristics to evaluate user interfaces.

Key Takeaways

  • Usability heuristics provide a structured way to evaluate interfaces.
  • Designers should align systems with users’ expectations.
  • Applying heuristics leads to clearer, more user-friendly designs.

Class Activity

We tested other low-fidelity prototypes and provided feedback. The feedback received from classmates on my lofi prototype indicated that the scrolling did not work properly and the font size was too large.


INSTRUCTIONS

Figure 4 Instructional — Overview of submission guidelines and requirements.

ASSESSMENT 3

Project Links

Assessment 3 Guidelines

  1. Where are we so far
    (take back from assessment 2)
    Explain in a few words what was the outcome of your research, what you found out and what features you focus on.
  2. Sketches
    Show us some creativity: paper scan, nice view of your desk, artistic view of lots of creative sketches... Iterations of homepage... show some paper process!
  3. Wireframes
    What does your app looks like on paper, where all the screens are linked to each other.
    The wireframe shows your app before you make it on Figma, it's the plan to build.
  4. References
    A few good examples of apps you look up to, that you inspire from.
    They should be good examples of CRAP (Consistency, Readability, Alignment, Priority)
  5. Lo-Fi prototype
    Introduce your Lo-Fi, explain the flow and what happens on the pages of the happy path, and more if you want to.
    Link to your Figma file so I can check it out.
  6. Usability Testing (x3)
    1 page to explain your process, how you set up for testing, what tasks did you give to the users
    (minimum 3 tasks, no maximum of time and tasks, test as you wish)
  7. Test Report
    1 page per test, what they managed, what were their issues during the test, what did you find out?
  8. What's next?
    What's the plan for the UI kit and Hi-Fi?
    From the test and your own observations, what needs to change before you move on to High Fidelity?

Feedback

  • Week 10: I ask about user testing task and Mr Slyvain said can be several tasks like go and order a vanilla yoghurt.
  • Week 11: Mr Slyvain checks my lofi prototype.
  • Week 12: Mr Slyvain guides us on figma tools.

REFLECTIONS

This assignment builds upon Assessment 2. I learned how to create sketches, wireframes, and a low-fidelity prototype, and how to conduct usability testing effectively. I gained practical experience in translating research findings into interactive app designs and observed how users interact with the interface in real-time.

Through conducting three rounds of usability testing, I was able to identify user frustrations, confusions, and pain points that were not apparent during the design phase. I explored various solutions to improve navigation, clarify features, and prioritize essential functions for the Llao Llao Company App 2.0. Collecting feedback from multiple participants allowed me to refine the app flow and focus on user-centered improvements.

In conclusion, this assessment helped me understand the importance of iterative design and testing. I learned that building a prototype is just the beginning; observing real user interactions and analyzing their feedback is crucial to developing a functional and enjoyable app. This experience strengthened my skills in UI design, problem-solving, and applying research insights to practical solutions.

© 2025 Emily — Application Design 1
Sem 1

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