Nine years back, I moved to Canada – a new country with new faces and vibes. It was an adventure, but amidst all the excitement, there was a lonely feeling at the end of the day.
Tough stuff, huh? Starting afresh comes with its own set of challenges, and without a solid social circle, feeling adrift is all too common, especially for us newcomers.
But then, I started connecting with others who shared this sentiment. That's when it hit me – this feeling of isolation might be more common than I thought. Intrigued, I dove into research, eager to understand the depth of this issue...
Secondary Research
The reaserched data proved that there are many newcomers out there that also feel lonely.
01.
8.3 million people are immigrants in Canada from all over the world. (As of 2021)
02.
1.56 out of 3 on the loneliness scale (3 being extremely lonely).
3
Extremely
Lonely
0
Not
Lonely
1
Lonely
2
Very
Lonely
Recent Immigrants
35-44 years old
MORE
Why is this important? Because loneliness can have...
29% higher risk of heart attack
32% higher risk of stroke
Primary Research
After gathering this data, I wanted to understand the "why" behind this issue. So, I conducted 25-minute interviews with immigrants aged 35 to 44 who were currently living in Canada.
Interviewees are essential to understand what is in the user's mind.
I interviewed three amazing immigrants to understand their needs and challenges. Two shared struggles finding like-minded peers, such as parents seeking connections. Surprisingly, one interviewee didn't feel lonely, offering valuable insights into supporting those who do.
"People don’t understand kids when you don’t have one."
"Good to know people that are going through the same situation."
"Making new friends at 30 or 40 years old is quite different."
"Having a group of friends is good for the mental health."
"There are various events where you can meet people with similar interests."
"I call friends when I feel alone."
Pain Points
Motivations
Behaviours
After those fantastic insights I had to understand...
How might we connect immigrants living in Canada aged 35 to 44 with similar personalities and life situations so they foster deeper and more meaningful social connections to alleviate social isolation and loneliness?
Understanding my user better through the persona and their journey.
And now, let me introduce you to Bianca Souza! Although she's not a real person, she helped me see the bigger picture. By diving into her frustrations and motivations, I better understood where she struggled when she landed in Canada; making connections and finding support was a major challenge.
Bianca Souza
Age:
Family:
Kids:
Location:
35
Married
1 daughter
Vancouver
Bianca is a Brazilian who moved to Vancouver 1 year ago. In Brazil, she had very good friends, but here, she has a hard time meeting people with similar interests and in the same situation as hers.
Frustrations
-
Feels it is hard to find people like her.
-
Finds Facebook groups overwhelming.
-
It can be very lonely not having someone to talk to when a challenging situation happens or not sharing happy moments.
Behaviours
-
Looks into Facebook groups.
Participates in Brazilian events.
Loves to go out with her family to new places.
Motivations
-
To spend good moments with family and friends.
-
To feel supported by the community.
-
To have someone to talk to when she is having a challenging time.
Learning about Bianca's experiences as she tries to find new friends.
What does Bianca currently do to find new friends? The journey map showed me her steps and pinpointed the primary improvement area: the search process. Bianca's struggle to find like-minded individuals echoes the pain points outlined in my persona.
She finds Social Media overwhelming, particularly when she's searching for someone with a similar personality. The vast options can be daunting, making it challenging to find a compatible match.
Hover to see full journey map
How a real user would complete a real task in Bianca’s shoes.
After comprehending Bianca's persona and identifying the challenging aspects of her ongoing quest to make friends, I wrote a few user stories that explained how she could use the solution to make connections. Drawing from the insights gathered from her persona and the Experience Map, I chose the core epic of connecting her with like-minded individuals.
Core Epic: Searching for possible like-minded connections
As an immigrant recently arrived in Canada,
I want to...
access the search screen
select what type of personality traits I am looking for
select what types of hobbies the person likes to do
to select events I want to go to
to filter search results based on proximity
to see a list of possible connections
to select a person's profile
to check the percentage compatibility
to send a friend request
to check the other person's calendar
I want to book one day to meet
So that...
I can add the characteristics that I am looking for in a friendship.
I can connect with people who share similar values.
I can find company when I am doing one of my hobbies.
I can find people that I can accompany me.
I can easily find and meet people who live near me.
I can contact people that I might think it is a good match.
I can find and connect with people who share similar values and experiences.
I can ensure that we will have lots of things in common.
I can be sure the other person is also interested in my personality.
I can see if the person is available on the same day as I am.
I can ensure that we get along and can start building a relationship.
Turning the User Stories into a Task Flow helped me visualize how the app would work, including which screens I needed to design to ensure users could complete their tasks smoothly.
And now to the solution ideation!
After creating my primary and secondary task flows, I grabbed my favourite pen and paper to sketch potential solutions. I drew inspiration from cool UI components on Dribbble and checked out some features from awesome apps like AirBnB, Tinder, and Bumble. It was so much fun exploring different ideas! I narrowed it down to my top sketches which were the most user-friendly and intuitive.
I tested my first wireframe to make improvements.
I conducted usability tests around two rounds of 5 users each. My goal? To grab some great feedback that I could use to improve the design and make the user experience even better.
All the gathered feedback helped me to build a more user-friendly interface, see examples below:
Giving users' more options
Seven out of ten testers mentioned that it would be good to have another type of filter, such as age, gender, and nationality. This way, they would have a better chance of finding a better match.
Once I had a user-friendly flow and wireframes for the app all figured out, it was time to give it a visual identity!
Creating a visual identity
When the immigrant opens my app, what do I want them to feel?
Happy
Fun
Spontaneus
Life can be tough when you move to a new country, so I aimed for my app to make users feel truly welcomed. I wanted it to convey a joyful and fun vibe, creating a spontaneous and enjoyable user experience!
Now, let’s talk about the name Llamame! I wanted a name that was catchy and fun. So, I came across an app called "Waterllama" and thought, "Why not try combining a cute animal with a word to create the app's name?" That's when I thought about the llama and the Spanish word "llámame," which means "call me."
Thinking about accessibility
I wanted to ensure the colours had a minimum contrast rate 4.5:1 for small text 12px, which is the smallest I've used for the app.
6.09:1
AA:
6.09:1
AA:
13.77:1
AA:
12.74:1
AA:
High Fidelity
After this amazing journey, I'm excited to announce the final, polished version of the Llamame app. It's been a labour of love, and I can't wait to share this incredible creation with you.
So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to the fantastic world of the Llamame app!
And now to the best part!
What is next?
This incredible project has been a fantastic learning and growth experience for me as a UX Designer. For instance, I've learned the importance of avoiding bias during UX Research. Even when my interviewees provided unexpected answers, I embraced the opportunity to explore and learn from them. Looking ahead, I'm eager to uncover more potential features that Llamame might soon offer.
