This app is dedicated to empowering women by providing them with the tools and resources to identify and combat patriarchy in their personal and professional lives. Through educational courses, a supportive community, and other resources, the app aims to help women stand up for their rights and challenge gender-based violations. The goal of the app is to inspire and empower women to take control of their lives and overcome the barriers that have held them back for too long. It's inspired by Duolingo, TikTok and Reddit.
This was a school assignment to find a solution to the problem of gender inequality and violations against women by developing and promoting the use of technology, particularly information and communication technology (ICT), to empower women and promote gender equality. Refer to the global goals, specifically SDG 5: Gender Equality, as a guiding framework for your solution. We were free to create a business idea and choose platform. I chose designing an app in figma.
App Pitch
Do you ever feel like you don't have the tools to defend yourself against patriarchal behaviour and violations? Are you looking for a safe and supportive community to connect with other women and discuss personal issues? Look no further than our venture. We provide educational courses, videos, and short clips to help you identify and respond to patriarchy and violations, as well as learn to recognize and counteract mansplaining. Our open forum connects you with other educated women to discuss personal problems and find solutions together. At our venture, we believe that women deserve the knowledge and resources to stand up for themselves and their rights. With the help of technology, we're making it easier than ever to access these tools and build a community of support. Join us in our mission to empower women and create a safer, more equal world for all.
The journey to address the problem began with extensive research. Through examining personal experiences, and gathering insights from peers, a solid foundation of knowledge was established.
The next step involved the development of a robust brand identity and sitemap. I started out creating a mindmap of the functions I wanted to include and prioritise with MoSCoW. A sitemap grew out of the mindmap which started out simple but grew into a very advanced and detailed sitemap (See following picture below). Additionally, the process of creating the sitemap involved referencing existing apps with similar functionalities to ensure comprehensive coverage of user actions. By studying and drawing inspiration from established platforms, the goal was to create a familiar and intuitive user experience. This approach leveraged the power of recognition, enabling users to apply their prior experiences with similar apps to quickly understand and navigate through the solution more effectively. This method facilitated user engagement and streamlined the learning curve, ultimately enhancing the usability and accessibility of the app.
The sitemap served as a roadmap, guiding the project towards a well-structured solution and led to the creation of wireframes, which underwent iterative improvements until reaching a finalised design. Throughout the iterative process, multiple user tests were conducted to gain valuable feedback. Observing how users interacted with the app provided insights into areas that required further development, additions, or removals. This user-centric approach ensured the final product would effectively meet the needs of its intended audience. The wireframes acted as blueprints, facilitating a clear understanding of the app's layout and a guide for the component builds.
After finalising the components through atomic design, mockups and a showreel were produced to showcase the visual representation and functionality of the solution. These assets served as tangible demonstrations of the project's potential and highlighted its key features.
For more in depth detail and prototype, see following sneak peek figmafile.
In the beginning after the ideation of the business idea I established the value words Empowerment, Inclusion, Collaboration, Innovation, Growth, Community and Creativity to form the moodboard which inspired the brand identity. I chose to work with dark mode through black and grey to create a secure and strong feeling to boost empowerment and inclusion. I also recently participated in a workshop to raise awareness of sustainable digital design where using darker colors can contribute to energy efficiency which was an influencing factor.
I tested out very many variations of color, specifically purple and teal. I wanted to work with purple to be neutral in the question of feminine and masculine separation through pink and blue. I also wanted a contrasting color to pop out of the purple as I initially was working with several different shades of purple. By mixing the powerful and passionate red together with the soothing and calm blue, purple is born and often associated with sophistication and creativity. The neon teal was added to give the design an energetic and lively look to give feelings of optimism and hopefulness.
I chose Inter as font in this project as I knew a lot of text and reading would take place in the app which requires a good digital font that is easy to read. Inter is also a very modern and new font which I like. It feels very balanced and professionally developed. Montserrat is used only in the Femme Logo where I felt Inter didn't give off the same feeling of sophistication and strength.
Throughout the project, key insights have been gained through a design iteration approach. Placing the user at the center of the design process has been crucial, with user research and feedback shaping the app's interface and features. Creating a visually consistent design with a cohesive color palette, typography, and iconography system has enhanced brand recognition. Accessibility considerations, such as adjustable font sizes and high color contrast, have ensured inclusivity. Iterative prototyping and attention to detail have refined functionality and user experience. These insights have guided the development of the app, resulting in a user-friendly, visually appealing, and accessible experience. It was also liberating to do this project as it was the first individual large project we took on in school after months of gathering experiences and knowledge. I was extremely passionate about this business idea as well which really boosted me into extensive research and gave me energy. I spent almost 100 hours to this project and I am satisfied with the outcome. Something I would do differently if I could do it again is to add iOS standards and look at how the design works in different languages, phone sizes and in android.
