Building the best-in-class recording app from the inside out
Our client came to us with a simple idea: What if there was a better and more reliable recording app?
We jumped in to help our client define the vision and the user experience for this recording and protection app and service through exercises of design strategy, technical discovery and design process.
However, before moving forward to wire-framing, we had to refine our point of view through investigation and research into restriction and standards. Was the idea even possible?
For the purpose of storytelling, some data has been modified or omitted. The view of project does not reflect the views of the client.
iOS App | Utility App
Role: User Research, Interaction Design
Team: 3 designers, 1 product manager, 2 developers
Year: 2017
THE PROCESSDeveloping our own point of view and value sets
We started by gathering inspirations and reference for analogous apps and experiences, in order to developed our feature set to map against use cases and competitors. This allowed us to fully define what our point of view was and what was our value to the users, as well as the service major audience.
In the process, we unveiled the unknows that were critical to the product success: how can we make sure that our audio files can stand up in court of law?
Between simple voice recording apps and protection apps, our positioning was utilitarian recording while providing robust verification features that allowed the app to be used for safety and protection.
Learning to create verifiable audio files
Our team reached out to experts in different fields and engaged in a series of interviews in order to determine the best approach to creating verifiable audio files.
We gained insights into how exportable audio files could be verified as authentic and, if necessary, able to prove the legitimacy of the recording in court; the interviews allowed us to vet and improve upon our technical concept, thus making the our product feasible and viable.
Consulted expertise included internet & telecommunication laws, evidence scholars, sound engineering and digital forensics, which led us to focus on bundling extra data to add weight to our audio file legitimacy.
Translating the flow into the wireframes
We outlined the flow and functionality of the app based on personas and use cases. By moving and grouping together post-it notes, we found key screens and repeated elements that we translated into a fully fleshed out wireframe, bringing key interactions to life.
This allowed us to engage with the initial back-end architecture development discussion with developers (external agency) and the rest of the team.
Working hand in hand with developers, while we were finalizing the designs, allowed us to maintain the quality of execution while saving development time.
Defining the Visual Design
For the brand look and feel, we refined key screens into 2-3 visual design directions for client review. Values such as reliable, accurate, precise, thoroughly documented, clear were reflected on the directions, which allowed us to discuss about the vision of the product and company.
Along with our client, we identified the final UI and visual design for the app and service. Our team translated the feedback into full fidelity renderings. The brand handoff package included the product design vision, visual guidelines and documentation of the product.
DOCUMENT APP
Document events effortlessly, thoroughly and verifiably
Simply start recording by pressing the button on your Home screen. All the important details are saved with the audio files for review.
The main screen shows the user the next upcoming recording that was scheduled in advance.
Schedule recordings for meeting through the App or your linked calendar
You will be notified right before the meeting to start recording, without disruption to your daily activities.
Rules for Smart Scheduling
Set up Rules to record meetings with any specific guest or subject in your calendar event. Document will identify them and record the meeting for you.
The App will recognize the events and highlight them in blue when it’s a smart recording.
Access your secure audio files in the Library
All of your recordings are private and securely stored in the Library. Access them anytime, transcribe and share with others securely.
Conclusion
While the entire project started from an initial naïve question, the process challenged us to identify and create something that can be truly meaningful in some people’s lives.
Document effortlessly interprets your calendar events, smart schedules recordings without disrupting users’ workflow, and helps transcribing and organizing files automatically in the library. As a researcher, as a journalist, or as a busy modern 21st Ce. person always running meetings to meetings, would I benefit from spending less time managing calendar micro-tasks, and focusing more on the interactions with people - without having to worry to write notes down and break the emotional connection?
I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented multi-disciplinary team, where we were able to define and create something that is completely new.
Credits: Lisa Lehman, Eric Harsh
