ROLE

Designer

WHAT I DID

Ideation
Mobile Screens Design
Presentatio Graphic Design
Video Production

THE CHALLENGE

Come up with a new idea and present it to potential investor

TEAM

Alpha Chau

Uriel Mandujano

Paris Hsu

Angie Chen

May 2015

THE PROBLEM

With the advent of an increasingly Internet-connected world, our definitions of social interactions are continuously being challenged. Today, people are devoting more time of their lives than ever in front of a screen. The Internet presents individuals with opportunities to connect with those outside of their local area, which is a double-edged sword. Global society as we know it is becoming more connected economically and socially; this shift, however, runs the cost of creating looser and more disjoint local communities in its wake. Because products and services can now be ordered and people can be contacted from anywhere using the Internet, awareness of local social hotspots, resources, and events is becoming secondary knowledge.

Moreover, people who have grown up alongside the Internet, most notably the “Millennials” born in the 80s and 90s, are developing unprecedented habits of social interaction. As the standard of communication progresses to more instantaneous speeds and reaches more remote locations, the average amount of opportunities these Millennials have had to practice conventional face-to-face interactions has diminished to an all-time low.

We, with Hoopla, hope to provide a solution to check the unprecedented development of this unhealthy sense of community and social interaction.

OUR SOLUTION

Hoopla is a service that anyone can use, free of charge, to guarantee a fulfilling experience of exploration. Hoopla users are in-the-loop no matter where in the world they play; they are instantly connected with other adventurous individuals in events that span local hotspots. Our application also brings gaming into the real world and facilitates meaningful social interaction amongst strangers and friends. Anyone can pick up a phone, join a group game, and go out to play! Hoopla entices even the most antisocial to explore the cityscape and to become a part of a collaborative force. By forging relationships with local businesses and attractions, Hoopla is able to connect users to the best services at a cheaper price.

With a few swipes, Hoopla presents the user with a myriad of game options with different objectives and locales. Users can create their own teams or join a team composed of new persons. Once a game has been filled, a date is decided upon and the Hoopla real-world game comes to life! The more a user plays, the higher “rep” they accumulate which earns them exclusive rewards and the ability to contribute original game ideas to the platform. Hoopla accomplishes two goals: it gives users a fun objective to complete and satisfies the human need for social interaction. As added incentive, when a user participates in Hoopla, their “rep” increases which qualifies them for further exclusive discounts. We see Hoopla forging and strengthening social ties while also promoting healthy habits.

Hoopla

- Make The World Your Playground -

During my study abroad time in Budapest, I, along with three other teammates, entered a small entrepreneurial contest for a class and pitched our own business idea "Hoopla" to Erno Duda (Founder & CEO of SOLVO Biotechnology) and Gábor Bojár (Founder of Graphisoft).

My responsibilities consisted of the design of mobile-screen mockups, video production, and presentation graphics, but I was also involved throughout the whole process: from idea to final presentation. It was amazing to see our idea evolve from start to finish, and it was rewarding to hear from real investors and learn how to best present our product.

Business Plan

Pitch Presentation

Why Hoopla?

Design Process

OUR DESIGN PROCESS

Anchor 1

1. Goal:

Support People Traveling to foreign places

3. Ideation

Personas, Storyboarding

2. User discovery interview

Objective

Find out traveller’s departure and arrival transportation behavior and their past experiences

Project

Design an offline support pick-up mobile app for efficient and safe airport pick-ups by travelers and pick-up services.

Who

Travelers, Study Aboard Programs, Hotel/Car Pick Up services

Where

Family, Friends, Airport, Train Stations, Professors, AIT office

Interview Questions

Consent!
How often do you travel?
How did you communicate with the other party when you last pick up/being picked up by someone? #coordinate
What did you do the last time you had to meet up with someone at an unknown place/person/both?#unknown_place #stranger
How did you consider transportation and housing for your previous trip?
Can you describe an experience when you were lost?
How did you deal with that situation?
Have you ever had to find directions in an unknown place without internet service?
Are you still connected to the most recent host you stayed with (if there is one), and how is that relationship?
How reliable do you think airbrb, uber are? (services of strangers)

4. Wireframing

Balsamiq Interactive Prototype

5. User testing findings

We tested the interactive prototype with 5 users, who revealed the following findings:

User liked the real time meet up feature
User thought some technological features may need to be re-thought
User suggested profile icons to be less distracting
User thought the "meeting" aspect of the app was more interesting
User preferred group meet-up rather than individual with strangers when traveling alone

6. Changes, iteration, and final deliverables

Revised Goal:

explore the country and meet other travelers through the cultural game app