UX Design
2019
Figma, Illustrator
Individual
Imposter App
Imposter is a social app designed for people who experience Imposter Syndrome (I.S.): a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. Inspired by my own battles with Imposter Syndrome, this app helps those to connect with other people who experience it, celebrate daily successes, find resources on the topic and more.
Imposter Syndrome is “a pervasive feeling of self-doubt, insecurity, or fraudulence despite often overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It strikes smart, successful individuals. It often rears its head after an especially notable accomplishment, like admission to a prestigious university, public acclaim, winning an award, or earning a promotion." - Dr. Ellen Hendriksen
Process
Research
To begin the process of this application, I began by interviewing 10 people of the imposter syndrome community through the use of surveys. I wanted to not only understand their experience with Imposter Syndrome but also how current social platforms are in connecting with others in the I.S. community. From my research, I was able to gain insights on the following:
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66% of respondents do not know someone else with imposter syndrome they can talk to
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Respondents determined the effectiveness of certain I.S. methods:
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89% of respondents feel talking to people is effective.
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86% of respondents feel celebrating success is effective.
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56% of respondents feel daily journaling is effective.
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42% of respondents feel trying a new skill is effective.
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Respondents like online I.S. communities/forums/etc. for the following reasons:
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"Community, shared identity."
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"Knowing other people feel the same"
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"Support"
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"It’s somewhere I feel I belong"
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Respondents dislike online I.S. communities/forums/etc. for the following reasons:
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"I think it's a little limited."
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"Being anonymous allows for safety factors but also lacks a real connection."
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"It only offers chat functions."
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Pain Points
Based on this research, I summarized the key pain points of existing social platforms for the I.S. community to the following:
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Users are unsure of who of their connections struggle with Imposter Syndrome
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Social platforms are limited in terms of features
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Social platforms are not catered for Imposter Syndrome users
From the user interviews, I summarized the main goals, motivations and frustrations into two user personas that could guide the design process.
User Personas
Brainstorming: Wireframes
Using my research, I decided on the core features based on the highlight of communication interactions and sharing features.
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Newsfeed
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Explore Resources
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Chat feature
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Profile
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Share/Post
For the initial brainstorming of wireframes, I first focus on quantity over quality - exploring several different layouts quickly in order to be able to test different interactions. From here, I can go back and refine the wireframes with the best usability.
Exploring several wireframes for the Profile screen.
Workflows: Testing
Interactions
With my sketched wireframes, I created a higher-fidelity wireframe in Figma where I created an interactive workflow. This allowed me to test interactions and usability first, without worrying about the design details. By doing so, if I need to go back to brainstorming sketched wireframes, I haven't spent too much time designing graphics.
Branding
Design Decisions
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Login
"Like" feature only to foster a positive environment.
![Home Page [export] (1).png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1ff6a1_7eaf73b47b3e4c8fa9ca39b77292ce98~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_237,h_422,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Home%20Page%20%5Bexport%5D%20(1).png)
Post button icon floats to indicate a pop-up, rather than new screen.
Newsfeed
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Articles scroll down as they are horizontally longer.
Books scroll sideways as they are vertically longer.
Explore
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Listed job title to empower users to share successes.
Click to open post pop-up
Profile
Initial pop-up allows users to specify what type of post they are making
Make a Post
Reflection
Although this project was inspired by personal experiences, through research and usability testing, the Imposter app reflects the user goals of the Imposter Syndrome community. This project was a good reminder, as a designer, not to design for yourself but for the people who will use the product. This project taught me how to keep the user in mind for large design decisions (eg. Adding a "daily goal" feature to practice celebrating success) and smaller design decisions (eg. Only a "like" feature to foster a positive IS community) as each designed task will affect the flow of the user interaction.