Expert
Connecting users with professionals for personalized, on-demand advice across various fields.
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Project Overview
The Expert app was a capstone project assigned to me from Careerfoundry.
Expert is a mobile and web-based platform designed to connect users with professionals for personalized, on-demand guidance across various fields. Whether seeking career advice, financial insights, wellness support, or interpersonal guidance, Expert provides quick, reliable, and affordable access to professionals without long-term commitments.
My Role:
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Concept development and strategy
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Researcher
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Designer
Time Frame:
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6 Months
Tools:
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Figma
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Lyssna
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Optimal
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Chat GPT
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ShutterStock
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1.)
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Research
User Centered Design
When I began my initial research, I needed to keep in mind the three phases of UDC - Discovery, Concepting, Prototyping and User Testing:
The Discovery Phase was the first phase I prioritized. Given the complexity of the health and wellness industry, which involves numerous factors, subjects, and areas of expertise, it’s crucial to determine the app’s primary focus. This phase would allow the team to gather the necessary level of detail to build a scalable and impactful product, making it an essential step in the development process.
Discovery Phases
Competitor Analysis
Audience Definition
User Scenarios
Content Survey
Competitive Analysis
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The competitive landscape includes platforms like BetterHelp and TaskRabbit. BetterHelp focuses on mental health experts, TaskRabbit connects users with professionals for physical tasks. Expert differentiates itself by offering a broad range of on-demand expertise, from career coaching to personal advice, all within a single, user-friendly app.
Audience Definition
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The primary audience is young adults, around the ages 22–35, who are navigating early career challenges, personal development, and financial independence. These individuals value quick, reliable, and affordable access to expert advice without committing to ongoing services.
User Scenarios
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Career Advice: A 24-year-old marketing professional needs quick advice for negotiating a raise and connects with a career coach via Expert.
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Interpersonal Guidance: A young adult struggling with roommate conflicts uses the app to consult a mediator or relationship expert.
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Stress Management: A 27-year-old working a high-stress job consults a mental health expert for stress-reduction tips.
Content Survey
A survey distributed to potential users included questions about the types of challenges they face and how they currently seek advice, and their preferred communication methods (video, or audio).
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Results revealed a preference for affordable, one-time expert consultations and highlighted the need for categories like mental health, career coaching, and financial guidance. These insights shaped the app’s functionality and content offerings.
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Understanding the User:
User Persona
User Bio:
Gianna is a 24-year-old female living in Las Vegas, Nevada. She enjoys working out and traveling in her free time. Gianna sometimes gets stressed at work and can easily become distracted, causing her to lose focus on the task at hand. This often leads to her feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work that piles up. Gianna would benefit from a work or career coach to help her face these challenges.
Goals:
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Receive assistance from a professional without having to be locked into a package of sessions.
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Receive professional help that is of quality from real industry professionals
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Spend around $50 per session.
Pain Point:
Difficulty finding the right expert: struggles to find an expert who is both qualified and affordable while avoiding wait times and high fees.
Unreliable platforms: She lacks trust in the credibility of experts. Any app that feels impersonal or generic pushes her away.
Lack of flexibility in advice platforms: Doesn’t enjoy formal therapy. Its too rigid in terms of scheduling or commitment.
P1: 26 year old Female
P2: 30 year old Male
P3: 24 year old Female
Research Goals:
My research goal is to determine whether young adults have a demand for the Expert app and, if so, which specific areas or fields of expertise would be most valuable. This includes understanding their most common pain points, what types of expert advice or services they currently seek, and how they prefer to access such services. The objective is to identify key categories where the app can provide the most relevant and impactful support.
Interview Questions:
I asked interviewees about their experiences seeking expert advice, focusing on their challenges, preferences, and expectations. Key questions included:
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Challenges in accessing advice and platforms used.
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Importance of speed, cost, and reliability.
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Experiences with therapy and preferences for less formal or on-demand methods.
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Desired features in expert platforms and ideal topics.
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Format preferences (e.g., one-on-one vs. group sessions).
Findings:
Combining attitudinal, behavioral, and evaluative research, I identified key user needs: quick access, affordability, reliability, and privacy. Personas, journey maps, and user flows illustrate users’ preferences for one-on-one sessions and their challenges with current solutions. The presentation emphasizes addressing pain points like high costs, lack of flexibility, and trust issues, offering a foundation for creating a user-centered app experience.
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Userflows
Login:
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Searching for an Expert
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Scheduling an Expert
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4.)
Low Fidelity Prototypes to high Fidelity, Using Figma
Low Fidelity
High Fidelity
5.)
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Usability Test Goals/Objectives
Test Objective:
The primary objective is to evaluate whether users can successfully complete the app’s main functions: logging in/creating an account and booking an expert session. The study will measure how quickly and efficiently these tasks are completed and identify any pain points.
Methodology:
This usability test will be conducted in person in a quiet environment, such as a coffee shop or participants' homes when possible.
Participants
Six participants will be selected from my personal network, within the app’s target age group (20s-30s)
Participant Demographics
P6
Age
Participant
26
P2
P3
P4
P5
P1
Account Management
30
27
60
60
26
Entertainment
Project Manager
Medical School
Project Manager
Occupation
Insurance
Tasks
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login/create an account
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Select a Mental Health Professional
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Make an appointment
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Cancel appointment
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Leave a review
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Chat with Expert
Findings/Solutions
Cancel button was unclear
"On the cancel screen, I wasn’t sure if the “cancel” button meant to cancel in general or just the appointment"
Revised wording of cancel button to “Cancel Appointment” instead of just “Cancel”
Users want easier access to Experts Profile.
“If you hit the experts name, I should be able to go to their profile form the appointments section"
“I adjusted to the “send message” and “leave a review” page to also include a the experts profile.
Users felt there was a lack of information gathering pre session.
"I felt like it was missing something, like there should be a questionnaire about me before I have my appointment”.
This now happens via email. Blurb added after the appt conformation: "You’ll be receiving an email questionnaire to best prepare your Expert for your session."
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Refining My Design
Style Guide
Look and feel: conveys a professional, approachable, and modern vibe. Design and colors: Clean, minimalist design with a navy-dominated color palette exudes trust and reliability, while bright secondary colors and rounded icons add warmth and friendliness. Images: The use of diverse, human-centered imagery emphasizes inclusivity, Typography: clean typography ensures readability and accessibility. Overall: I prioritized organization, and a user-friendly, balance of professionalism with approachability.
Buttons
Colors
Typography
Primary (62x137, 14px)
Secondary (305x44, 14px)
Primary
Secondary
Headline 1: 36px
Headline 2: 24px
Headline 22px
Headline 22px
Body Copy 18px
Body Copy: 16px
Body Copy: 14px
Body Copy 14px
Body Copy 12px
Icons
Icons from Expert Profile
Icons from Nav
Icons from Schedule/leave review
Login
Images
UI elements
Drop Shadow settings:
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X: 0
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Y: 0
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Blur: 16
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Spread: 0
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Color 040035
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Opacity: 16%
Chat feature
Logos:
Gradient:
7.)
Elements to Draw Engagement
Emotional Design for User Engagement focuses on creating products that evoke positive emotional responses in users, enhancing their connection to and satisfaction with the experience. By tapping into users’ feelings, designers can make interactions more memorable, enjoyable, and engaging. Here are a few elements I added to my design to make it more engaging
Supplementary colors
Applied these sub supplementary colors to conformation buttons as well as the main point of action button. In this care the “confirm”, “back to home” and “Schedule appointment”.
Logos:
I created these logos that incorporates the main and a secondary color of my style guide.
8.)
Prototypes In Action
Login, searching and scheduling an Expert
Joining Expert appointment and leaving a review
Message upcoming Expert and Past Experts
Cancel your appointment
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Summary:
Summary of My Expert App Journey and Learnings
Expert app was a deeply insightful experience that helped me grow as a designer and problem solver.
Key Insights Gained
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Design for Accessibility: Users value simplicity and efficiency. I made sure to keep the user in mind for every step of the process.
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Real-World Testing: Scenario-based usability tests provided authentic feedback, highlighting how real users interact with the app versus theoretical assumptions.
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Language Matters: Avoiding app-specific jargon in testing scripts prevents bias and ensures the feedback reflects true user experiences.
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Empathy in Design: Understanding users’ friction points reinforced the importance of creating solutions that reduce complexity and increase confidence.
What I Learned
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User-Centered Design: I honed my ability to empathize with users by creating a detailed persona. This persona reminded me of the importance of designing for real-life challenges and helped me focus on solutions that genuinely matter.
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Refining Process: Usability testing taught me the value of adaptibility. By continually refining the app based on feedback, I learned how to embrace critique and use it to create more effective designs.
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Balancing Simplicity and Functionality: I discovered how to prioritize features and avoid overloading users while maintaining the app’s usefulness. This balance is critical in creating an intuitive experience.
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Communication and Collaboration: Conversations with UX experts helped me refine my approach to usability testing, scenario creation and overall design. These discussions emphasized the importance of clear communication and gathering diverse perspectives.
Future Growth Areas
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Expanding My Skills: Exploring more UX challenges will help me grow as a UXer.
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Refining My Process: Continuing to refine my usability testing methods and incorporating feedback earlier in the design cycle are key goals for future projects.
Reflection This project not only taught me technical design skills but also strengthened my ability to think critically and empathetically. It reminded me of the importance of staying adaptable and open to feedback. By focusing on user-centered solutions, I’ve grown both personally and professionally, and I’m excited to apply these lessons to future endeavors.