top of page

Usability

0700 (2)_edited.png

  • Users were confused by the messaging feature and didn't see value in chatting within the app.

    ​

    Both parents and teens preferred to use the private calendar view but struggled to see shared events in context.

  • Messaging was removed; instead parents requested notifications or alerts when events were added or changed.

    ​

    User-specific private and shared events were merged onto the private view, allowing users to filter but also see everything in one place.

USABILITY STUDIES

To evaluate the effectiveness of my low-fidelity prototype, I conducted usability studies with both parents and teens who matched my target user personas.
The goal was to observe how intuitively they could complete tasks like adding an event, viewing schedules, and understanding shared calendar features.

Findings revealed that while the overall layout was clear, users wanted quicker access to personal vs. shared events and more visual confirmation after adding updates—insights that directly influenced the next design iteration.

USER RESEARCH

  • 1.png

  • Age:
    16 years old
    Education:
    Highschool Sophomore
    Family:
    Mom, Dad and 14 year old sister
    Career:
    Student

  • Riley is a busy high schooler with schoolwork, cheer practice, weekend babysitting jobs and a full-time social life. She thinks she's responsible and doesn't see that it's a "big deal" for her parents to drop everything to shuttle her places. She wants to be able to be in charge of her life and have less friction regarding her schedule at home.

    • control her schedule while still leaning on parents for permission/rides​

    • doesn't want to be micromanaged

    • parent's don't need to know "everything"

    • parents nagging about communication

    • missing events because she forgot to communicate it.

    • having to explain why she didn't tell anyone.

  • 4.png

  • Age:
    40 years old
    Education:
    Bachelors
    Family:
    Husband and two daughters (ages 16 and 14)
    Career:
    Elementary School Principal

  • Mal is married with two teen daughters. her daughters are getting older and Mal wants them to be responsible for their schedule but also wants them to communicate their schedule with her. She is frustrated by events that her daughters don't tell her about until the last minute. This causes her to rearrange her schedule. Her husband is forgetful and needs everything written down.

    • wants her daughters to be responsible for their schedule

    • wants to be informed of plans that involve her

    • kids aren't communicating their schedule

    • husband is forgetful and needs reminders

    • rearranging her schedule

SUMMARY

The Research Participants:

Group: Parents

Number of Participants: 5

Demographics: Ages 35-45

Requirements: Surburban/urban area, caregivers of 2+ kids. Actively manage family schedules using digital or hybrid methods

Group: Teens

Number of Participants: 5

Demographics: Ages 13-18

Requirements: Active in extracurricular or soical events. Expected to coordinate plans with parents/family.

For this project, I conducted qualitative user interviews with five parents and five teens from suburban and urban households, focusing on how they manage and communicate about their schedules.

 

Initially, I assumed families simply needed better reminders or syncing features—but the research revealed deeper issues: emotional tension, inconsistent tool usage, and a complete mismatch in communication habits between parents and teens. These findings shifted my focus from just building a "calendar app" to designing a shared experience that reduces friction, builds trust, and feels natural for both generations.

Five parents. Five teens. Ten brutally honest interviews. Mal and Riley weren’t alone. Across 10 candid conversations, I discovered a pattern:

 

families are trying to communicate — but their tools are failing them.

 

Teens forget.

 

Parents over-remind. Everyone’s frustrated.

​

Click the PDF file below to view the research questions for the participants.

the user personas

USER JOURNEY MAPPING

Google UX Design Certificate - User Journey Map [Example] (1).png
Google UX Design Certificate - User Journey Map [Example].png
bottom of page