LE FUN
Your Safe Haven for Diverse & Inclusive Queer Events
INTRODUCTION
Role
Individual Project
UX Designer, UX Researcher
Timeline
Sep. 2022 - Jan. 2023
Tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator
Problem
How might we help Chinese lesbians living in the US
to obtain high quality and relevant information about queer events easily?
Users' Voice
"I feel so lonely and lost. I can't find friends, who understand the pressure from Chinese parents, to talk."
" I searched everywhere but can't find anything useful about queer events than I'm interested in."
" My friends from the US are very friendly but I just can't fit in their activities. "
" I'm so worried about my family and friends getting caught by the police because what I searched online."
Designs
Diverse and Tailored
Queer Events
Engagement in
Before, During, and After Events
Quality and Safety Assurance
Results
I conducted user testings for my hi-fidelity prototype and all users completed the task of finding an event easily and they all believe it can benefit them when it comes to socializing by attending events they like. More details are shown below.
I reached out to UpWxman, an NGO that advocates for the rights of Chinese women in the world, and they expressed strong interest. My next step is to collaborate with them.
Approach
1 Research
Interviews
Affinity Mapping
Competitive Analysis
Pain Point
Persona
Problem Statement
2 Design
Brainstorming
Solutions
Information Architecture
Wireframes
Low-fi & Mid-fi & Hi-fi Iterations
Additional Feedback & Design
3 Evaluate
User testing Process
Results
User Feedback and Design
Final Design
My Contribution
I am responsible for all aspects of this individual project, including research, design, and evaluation.
-
Built the mobile app from 0-1
-
Identified pain points by conducting research and in-depth interview
-
Led a brainstorming session to identify key opportunities
-
Designed wireframes, mid-fidelity, and hi-fidelity mock and prototype
(More details in my resume under "About")
01 RESEARCH
Problem Finding
The research started with problem finding: what is one of the most urgent issue regarding Chinese queers living in the US? As with everyone else in the globe, the answer is socializing, hanging out in various events, especially during the post-pandemic period. However, here is what happened when they try to search for event.
For Chinese lesbians
What's the current situation of queer event search?
Searching queer events
on English platforms...
Events are not the entertainment routines of Chinese queers.
None are held by people of Asian background, making it difficult to find a sense of belonging due to the vast cultural gap.
Vast Cultural Gap
Searching queer events
on Chinese platforms...
Using Chinese applications is monitored by the government.
Searching results of queer related content in Chinese are outdated and useless.
Strong Censorship
Interviews & Affinity Mapping
I conducted the first interview in order to understand the current situation of queer socializing and acquiring information.
The second round of interview is based on the first interview, my goal is to identify potential problem and understand the unique situation of my users, the Chinese lesbians living in the US.
Interview 1 - General
I conducted the first round of interview with 7 interviewees all from China, whose sexualities are gay, lesbian and bisexual.
Interview 2 - Focused
I interviewed 5 people that are all Chinese lesbian in the US.
2 Major Decisions Based on Interviews...
Target Users Narrowed Down
From homosexuals to lesbians
Key Reason:
Social style difference
Lesbians typically have a preference of quieter activities compared to gay.
Lesbians sometimes are shy and worried about going to an event because of unknown people and situation.
Lesbians often gather together around a lesbian individual, for example, they go to a bar because the bartender or the owner of a bar is a lesbian.
Target Market Changed
From China to the US
Key Reason:
Strong Regulation
Chinese government is currently regulating homosexual content seriously, and related activities will be forced to dissolve; Consequently, the related app cannot be officially launched in a short period of time.
Competitive Analysis
Transferrable Insights
-
Enable recommendations based on user location, interests to users
-
Enable user interactivity (review etc.) and communication at a certain level
-
Users can report unqualified information
-
Users prefer balanced content between images and text (pictures are more attractive, but text is informative)
Possible Improvement
-
No integration of event information that relates to lesbian-specific concerns
-
Lack efficiency for information gathering
-
Doubt in realness, unable to verify authentication of information
-
Censorship from Chinese government toward homosexual content
-
Require prior knowledge to gather information
-
Provide vast but chaotic Information
Pain Points of Chinese Lesbians in the US
Due to cultural differences with the West, it is difficult for Chinese lesbians to establish a community in which they can belong. Given the limited channels for obtaining information and the erroneous, ineffective, and high-threshold nature of the content available online, it is nearly impossible to obtain good quality and effective information about queer events rapidly online or offline.
Cultural Differences
Limited Resource
Ineffective Online Content
Persona
Kristin Chau
Female
Lesbian
22 years old
Lived in China till 18, Went to college in the US
Now working as a junior marketing analysts in New York
She is shy yet desires to make queer friends, and is concerned about her future and family.
She lives alone with her cat and she likes party, music and board games.
Kristin's Journey
01 Afraid to talk about her lesbian identity
"I think I'm gay, will my friends hate me? Definitely can't tell mom..."
03 Try to get help online
" Let me see if I can make some lesbian friends online..."
02 Can't blend in western queer community
" They are so nice but no one understand my struggle as a Chinese lesbian..."
04 Useless online information
" Online info about lesbian or queer is so weird and useless. Where should I look?."
Kirstin wants to acquire high-quality and relevant information about queer events quickly online so she can meet more Chinese lesbians by attending offline queer events for her to find a safe community to hang out with, share her thoughts, and learn about others' stories and how they handle issues such as parental and peer pressure, etc.
Problem Statement
How might we help Chinese lesbians living in the US
to obtain high quality and relevant information about queer events easily?
02 DESIGN
Brainstorming & Solutions
In order to discover prospective solutions, I held a brainstorming session with fellows who are interested in this topic. As both the organizer and participant, I prepared the background information of this project, and encouraged them to think outside of the box. As a result, we came up with a number of concepts that contributes to help find queer events and I organized the outcomes using the Value/Feasibility Matrix. Finally, I came up with the three core design solutions.
Core Design Solution
applying in the key flow
Diverse and Tailored
Queer Events
-
Explore near me events in map view
-
Browse notable hosts to explore events
-
Show inclusion at onboarding questions
-
Unique filter/sort in event engagement, privacy, inclusion level
Engagement in Before, During, and After Events
-
Watch and join real-time sharing of photos/videos
-
Easy to read and write review with classification
-
Prepare prior information of who RSVPd & reviews and photos if it's reoccurring
Quality and Safety Assurance
-
Invitation only, verification needed to start using
-
Can report by one click during and after event
-
Onsite verification required to post in real-time sharing
Information Architecture
The major flow is shown below in the Information Architecture: from browsing for event at the home page, to joining real-time sharing.
Design Iterations
On the basis of all past work, I produced three iterations: wireframes, a mid-fidelity prototype, and a high-fidelity prototype. I have made improvements based on user feedback.
Wireframes
The wireframes' primary goal is to demonstrate the main user flow and fundamental structure for each individual page. I created them quickly by using Figma.
Mid-fidelity Prototype
The goal of this iteration is to show the major user flow of all core solutions with modification from the wireframes. I hope to test the usability of this design for further improvement.
I used Figma to create the mid-fi prototype with interactions so that I could get feedback from potential users.
Mid-fidelity Prototype 2
Based on the user feedback, I modified this prototype of the flow and layout for better user experience.
I used Figma to create this mid-fidelity prototype with interactions so I can conduct user testing with.
Onboarding
Find and RSVP an event
Join Real-time Sharing & Review
Host and profile page
03 TESTING & ITERATIONS
User Testing & Results
Process
I conducted the user testing with the design goals in mind and planned out method accordingly. All 4 participants are Chinese lesbians living in the US from 18-35, who have different need for socializing in queer communities.
The important KPIs are completion of tasks , times of confusion/hesitation, information/function validity, and attitude towards using this app.
GOAL
Help users to find events they like quickly
Provide information users want to know for an event
Encourage engagement onsite and offsite
Create trust between users and this app
METHOD
-
Q: What do you think of the convenience level of finding an event you'd like to attend?
-
Q: What other info do you want to know about an event before deciding?
-
Q: What do you think of the live stream & real-time sharing function for those who can and can’t attend?
-
Q: What do you think of the invitation only system?
-
Q: Do you think this app will help with you socializing in queer community?
-
Q: What do you think of the review and report system?
Results
100%
2.5 times avg.
3/4 effective
100% positive
Completion Rate
Times of Hesitation
Information/Function Validity
Attitude
The results concerning the 4 major KPIs, completion of tasks , times of confusion/hesitation, information/function validity, and attitude towards using this app, are shown above.
4 out of 4 users completed the task of finding an event easily and they all believe it can benefit them when it comes to socializing by attending events they like.
Users found the information provided about an event very effective, however, the confirmation of onsite still caused 3 out of 4 users hesitated and confused.
Key Insights & Final Design Iterations
I categorized the user feedback into several key insights that will inform the design modifications.
1
2
3
4
The users mentioned multiple concerns of feeling insecure when socializing and engaging in activities online.
So I designed the invitation only system for using this app, and also the onsite verification for real-time sharing
Chinese lesbians often follow a lesbian celebrity/icon to hers events.
So I designed the "notable hosts" section instead of offering ordinary event list.
The users mentioned they are nervous about not knowing information like how engaging the event is when deciding whether to join an event.
So I designed "Who RSVPd" section & special tags like engagement & privacy level to help encourage users.
The users care more on other special aspects than the public, due to their shy personalities.
So I designed several special factors in filter/sort system. like event scale, engagement & privacy & inclusion level
Then I sorted them into six design components, as shown below.
1 - USER FLOW
4 - EVENT MAIN PAGE
2 - HOME PAGE
5 - FILTER & SORT
6 - REVIEW
3 - SEARCH PAGE
1 - USER FLOW
The diagram shows the onsite verification process before joining the real-time sharing in order to prevent the posting of inappropriate or irrelevant content.
Initially, the confirmation process required users to scan or input an onsite code provided by the host, which led to confusion for three-quarters of the users. To address this issue, I simplified the confirmation process by having the host scan a QR code or e-ticket generated by the app, automatically proving the user's onsite presence and unlocking further access.
A user said: "I am confused why I need to input the onsite verification code and it is a bit complicated."
BEFORE
EXPLORATION
AFTER
2 STEPS + 5 SCREENS
2 STEPS + 3 SCREENS
1 STEPS ONLY
Added my events page
when checking upcoming events
To clarify and simplify the steps of onsite verification by users
2 - HOME PAGE
I paid close attention to the text hierarchy at the top region of the home page, to make sure it is intuitive for users. Also, I altered the layout of the host section and ensure that new users are not overloaded with information.
Users said: "I didn't really see the search bar at first glance." & "I really like the host part."
BEFORE
AFTER
To provide better information hierarchy
To help capture input label and input easily
To help sort for events that suit better
3 - SEARCH PAGE
For the search page, users felt confused about why event search and host search are separated. When the results of host and event appear on the same page, users still felt confused about the relationship of the events and hosts on the exploration stage, because initially the layout of the 2 sections are too different from each other.
Users said: " I'm a bit confused why I should search both host and event." & "Did the host Claire host all the events above?"
BEFORE
AFTER
To offer thorough information
To provide more modes of viewingTo ensure visual consistency
4 - EVENT MAIN PAGE
For the event main page, users were overwhelmed by too much information so I changed the 3 sections, "about", "who RSVPd" and "past reviews" into a toggle layout instead of listed in order, so the information is less chaotic. Besides, users were all interested in the "who RSVPd" section and hoped to know more about the crowd.
A user said: "I love the who RSVPd section but I feel a bit overwhelmed..."
BEFORE
AFTER
To provide clear classification and hierarchy for information
To offer abundant information for users need
5 - FILTER & SORT
As a Chinese lesbian or anyone in queer community, there are some unique factors that they pay attention to. When users were searching, they also care about engagement level, privacy level and inclusion level of events. The special filter & sort aims to satisfy the concerns of our target users.
A users said: "I don't like to go to parties with a lot of strangers, but prefer more private and small activites ."
BEFORE
AFTER
To provide more unique options that users care about
6 - REVIEW
For reviewing, users liked the hints so as to save them from not knowing where to start. They also expressed their concerns for the small space of uploading photos because most time they looked at photos more than text in reviews.
A users said: "I don't want my name on the review cause I don't want others to know I was there..."
BEFORE
AFTER
To encourage users to write reviews with photos/videos
To make reading reviews easier
To ensure privacy
04 FINAL PROTOTYPE
05 REFLECTION
Rethinking the invitation only system
Encourage more users, both hosts and attendees
Privacy Concerns
Inclusion and exclusion
Expanding to Chinese market and others
At last...
There are a lot of issues to be discovered and solved for LGBTQAI+ community. This app demonstrates my way of addressing issues and helping a particular group of people in a specific location. For further development, I hope to expand the user crowd and benefits everyone in LGBTQAI+ community around the world.