WiFi Connect is a organization that helps communities find accessible and reliable WiFi for each member. The organization needs a platform that connects people to WiFi sources around several different access points in a city. WiFi Connect’s target users are those who do not have a reliable connection to internet in their homes.
The Problem
Over 4 billion people in the world lack internet access and in the U.S. there are 15 million without access.
The Solution
Design an app that will allow people to find WiFi access points and reliable access in their community.
User Research
The feedback received through research made it very clear that users would have better internet connectivity if they had access to an easy-to-use tool to help guide them to locations.
This user group confirmed initial assumptions about people without internet access, but research also revealed that accessibility was not the only factor limiting users from gaining internet access.
The User
Name: Morgan
Age: 30
Occupation: Teacher
Morgan is a teacher who needs reliable internet access for her children because she wants to provide her children with a better education and leisure experience.
Information Architecture
I started work on designing the responsive website. I used this sitemap to guide the organizational structure of each screen’s design to ensure a cohesive and consistent experience across devices.
Ideation
I did a quick ideation exercise to come up with ideas for how to structure the home page for users. My focus was specifically on displaying WiFi access points and reporting outages.
Wireflow
After ideating and drafting some paper wireframes, I created the initial designs for the WiFi Connect app. These designs focused on navigating personalized guidance to users to help connect them to WiFi in their area. To prepare for usability testing, I created a low-fidelity prototype that connected the user flow of connecting to the WiFi access point either remotely or on location.
Solution
I did a quick ideation exercise to come up with ideas for how to structure the home page for users. My focus was specifically on displaying WiFi access points and reporting outages.
Takeaways
I learned that even though the problem I was trying to solve could be addressed in different ways, going through each step of the design process and aligning with specific user needs helped me come up with solutions that were both beneficial and useful.
