ROOT
MAP
(NEW YORK ·2023)
(UI/UX)
RootMap: Mobile App for Personal History Sharing
A social media app for individuals from diverse geo-cultural backgrounds to learn, share, and connect through personal and family history Sharing
TIMELINE.
Mar 2023- Apr 2023
TOOL.
Figma, Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop
ROLE.
I was actively involved in the ideation, research, design, prototyping, and testing of this app. My role focused on collaborating with the team to develop visually appealing and accessible designs that effectively conveyed our message to the target audience. My contributions spanned the entire design process, including storyboarding, logo design, wireframing, user flow design, prototyping, and final testing, ensuring a cohesive and user-friendly final product.
PURPOSE.
This project was developed to establish a platform that enables individuals with an interest in personal and family history to exchange stories and connect. It was selected for the final showcase of Innovation Award 2023 at Teachers College, Columbia University
SKILLS.
Storyboard; Prototyping; UI/UX design; Logo Design; Graphic Design, User Research; Team Collaboration; Presentation
PROBLEM STATEMENT ❗️
In today's highly mobile world, individuals, particularly those residing in international cities like NYC, frequently have diverse travel and migration experiences. This diversity fosters a curiosity about their evolving geo-cultural identities. However, there is a notable lack of a safe and engaging platform for these individuals to share and explore their stories.
SOLUTION 💭
To make exploring, sharing, and connecting over personal and family histories simple and fun, our team designed an app. This app allows users to visualize their journeys as paths on an interactive globe. Additionally, it features an advanced search system, enabling users to easily find interesting people and content.
This logo embodies our curiosity and commitment to understanding how personal backgrounds and cultural heritage shape individual journeys. It represents our mission to explore the intersections of our paths, emphasizing the connections we share while living in the same world
LOGO
"Overcoming cultural differences is hard and as an immigrant. I wish I could have had a way to know about other people's cultures."
ERIK
Erik came to the US at the age of 12, experiencing both Chinese and American cultures. He recalls the difficulties of adjusting to a new country and his eagerness to make friends with people who shared similar backgrounds. Eventually, Erik found an Asian-American community within his school, which gave him a sense of belonging.
An international master's student from Paraguay studying at Columbia University, New York. Her familial roots trace back to Europe through her grandparents, and she also has relatives in Virginia. While she's deeply interested in her own migration story, she faces challenges finding peers in NYC with similar backgrounds due to its niche nature. Additionally, she is also curious about the history of other racial groups in the city. Many of her friends are from different countries and linguistic backgrounds, prompting her curiosity about their reasons for coming to the city.
"I learn more about history and culture when I listen to people telling their personal stories than sitting in a history classroom."
ALICA
User Flow & Wire frame
Conducting User Flow Test
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Hand-drawn Wireframe
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FINAL PROTOTYPE
VIDEO DEMO
FEATURES
User-Firendly Introduction Page
Users can log in via Google or other social media platforms. An introduction page is provided to help users understand the basic functions of the app.
We introduce users to diverse topics and cultural groups by providing daily news and recommended articles, tailored through analyzing users' reading and search habit
AI-Recommended
Articles
We Make Sure Everyone's
Voice Gets Heard
We ecourange users to search, see and share.
There are four search categories: Route, Location, Tag, and People. Each category provides users with the opportunity to explore their own culture heritage, historical jourgey and those of other users. Users are also welcomed to add their own experience as a blog page under each tag.
Users can log in via Google or other social media platforms. An introduction page is provided to help users understand the basic functions of the app.
Let's Make
Connection
One way to facilitate connections is by searching for other users through their usernames. This feature allows users to view others' paths and general bios, including nationality and location, enabling them to connect and engage with individuals who share similar journeys.
User-Firendly Introduction Page
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PROJECT SHOWCASE
PROCESS
Our target users are young people characterized by cultural curiosity about their personal and family history, especially those with diverse immigration and ethinic backgrounds. We conducted individual and group interviews with 6 potential users, ranging from college students to young professionals in the Manhattan area, New York.
USER PERSONA
IDEATION
According to the user research, we identified three major pain points. The chart below presents our feature design to solve these challenges.
PROBLEM
Users from minority groups have difficulties finding niche communities
Users feel unsafe due to potential cultural misunderstanding or ethnic discrimination
Users are interested in learning and sharing personal and family history but don't know where to start
Create an easy and engaging way for users to tell their stories
Increase exposure to diverse stories and social motivation to sharing know where to start
Allow users from minority groups to have difficulties finding niche communities
Adopt comprehensive privacy policies
Foster an inclusive and welcoming community culture
SOLUTION
An interactive personal globe feature to visualize one's unique journey
Daily recommendations of user-uploaded stories and system content on different cultures/histories to provide exposure and inspiration.
FEATURE
Search functions based on topic, location, and route to locate content or individual users
Real-time chat and friend-adding features
User consent notice and adjustable privacy settings for content sharing
Active promotion of content on diverse cultural and historical topics
Implementation of code of conduct and discrimination report features