Sous
Sous is a smartwatch app prototype that encourages users to bring new recipes to their kitchen while simultaneously caring for a virtual pet. Users can set weekly goals of how many meals they want to cook each week. Users can care for their pets with water, love, and snacks. However, feeding them the special goal meals boost their stats substantially. Recipes can be saved and revisited for the convenience of users who have a particular liking for one of the new meals they've learned through the process.
Date: 2022
Role: UX/UI Designer
User Persona
When researching my target audience, I focused on those most likely to own smartwatches as well as be inclined to download and take care of a virtual pet to keep up with, leading me to design for the young adult demographic. The Sous App is designed in the mind of young people who are at a point in their lives where finding what works for them is at the forefront of their thoughts. Apps for habit tracking and life management are common within this demographic, making it the most reliable target audience.
Planning
To better understand the user experience, I created an IA Map and User Journey within my planning stage. I mapped out key areas of user interaction as well as how they may respond to important touch points.
Process
In the design process, I had to be conscious of how to balance legibility and information. Given that smartwatches are much smaller than phone screens, the design conventions are slightly different. Functionality plays a large factor, given that the most attractive and important information must be easy to view for the user.
Final Frames
For the final frames of Sous, I took the feedback to lean into the dark mode, significantly simplifying the overall palette. These changes add more consistency and a clear hierarchy with the important touchpoints highlighted in orange.
