{"id":2715,"date":"2024-09-23T18:11:55","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T22:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/?p=2715"},"modified":"2024-09-27T13:32:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T17:32:11","slug":"aperture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/aperture\/","title":{"rendered":"Aperture (Academic)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Led the design and launch of key features for Aperture, a photo-sharing app focused on enabling users to create and share engaging visual content while fostering personal branding and community building.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Note: Aperture is an academic project completed as part of my CareerFoundry coursework. While the app is conceptual, the UX\/UI design process, research methods, and product management techniques applied are real and demonstrate practical skills applicable to real-world scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Aperture was losing younger users due to missing features and a lack of social connections within the app. Additionally, privacy concerns, ad intrusions, and slow content access were driving users away, resulting in decreased engagement and retention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Solution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Leading cross-functional teams through product discovery, I established clear product goals and implemented a Product Requirements Document (PRD). Our approach combined rigorous user research with an Impact vs. Feasibility prioritization matrix to define a strategic roadmap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Key goals included<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Enhancing community engagement:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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  • Introduced intuitive and fun image-editing features<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Utilized RICE scoring to prioritize feature development<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Improving overall user experience:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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    • Refined navigation and privacy controls<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Streamlined user flow based on workshop findings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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      Launching a new filter feature:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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      • Developed streamlined customization and filter management<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Aimed to attract new users and improve retention<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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        Projected Outcomes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
        Based on user testing and industry benchmarks, we anticipated the following results if Aperture were launched.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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        Increased engagement:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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        • 30% increase in time spent on the app, with improved quality and volume of user-generated content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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          Improved retention:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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          • 15% boost in user retention with the introduction of enhanced filter features.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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            Positive feedback:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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            • Improved NPS scores and a 30% decrease in churn for users engaging with new filters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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              These projections are based on comparative analysis with similar apps and user feedback during testing phases.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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              Team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
              The team included executive managers, UX\/UI designers, marketing specialists, and developers. Collaborative work with stakeholders was essential to ensure alignment with business goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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              \"Figma<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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              \"Google<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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              \"Miro<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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              My Role<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
              As the Product Manager, I led product discovery, facilitated user research workshops, created personas, prioritized features, and managed the product roadmap. I delivered wireframes, prototypes, conducted A\/B testing, iterated designs based on user feedback and presented evaluation reports to guide the successful launch of the new features.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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              Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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              Discovery & Research:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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              Personas and Pain Points<\/strong>: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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              • Developed detailed personas (e.g., Elena, David, and Sophie<\/strong>) to represent various user types, from teenagers to influencers, helping to shape the product\u2019s direction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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                Impact vs. Feasibility Matrix<\/strong>: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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                • Prioritized insights based on potential impact and feasibility, focusing on community engagement, privacy improvements, and UX optimization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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                  User Research<\/strong>: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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                  • Conducted interviews, surveys, and competitive analysis to gather feedback on users\u2019 frustrations (e.g., slow content delivery, missing privacy controls) and expectations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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                    Ideation & Prioritization:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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                    How Might We Workshops<\/strong>: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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                    • Collaborated with stakeholders to brainstorm solutions to user pain points and align on product principles, such as enhancing privacy and security<\/strong> while making the app fun and easy to use<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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                      User Stories and RICE Scoring<\/strong>: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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                      • Defined epics<\/strong> and user stories<\/strong>, such as filter application<\/strong>, reset filters<\/strong>, and real-time preview<\/strong>. Acceptance criteria were established to ensure each story met user expectations (e.g., pre-installed filters applied in less than 1 second<\/strong> or batch processing for up to 10 images in under 5 seconds<\/strong>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Applied the RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort)<\/strong> prioritization method to determine which user stories to focus on. For example, the user story for pre-installed filters<\/strong> was considered Critical<\/strong> with a high RICE score (63) due to its broad reach and high impact on user satisfaction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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                        Development & Testing:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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                        Prototyping and Usability Testing<\/strong>: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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                        • Developed wireframes and prototypes for the new filter management<\/strong> feature. Tested the solution with a subset of users, iterating based on their feedback.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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                          A\/B Testing:<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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                          • Ran tests to measure the success of the new features in driving engagement and improving the user experience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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                            Launch:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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                            Product Launch Plan<\/strong>: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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                            • Focused on increasing active users by 30%, improving user satisfaction, and reducing churn. Launched the new filter feature through targeted marketing campaigns<\/strong> and influencer partnerships<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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                              Post-Launch Monitoring<\/strong>: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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                              • Monitored metrics such as sign-ups, filter usage, and user satisfaction. Adjustments were made based on user feedback and ongoing testing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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                                Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                                While Aperture is an academic exercise, it simulated a successful product development process, projecting improvements in user engagement and retention rates. The project provided hands-on experience in UX research, product strategy, and team leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                                By focusing on user needs and iterative feedback, we created a product concept aimed at both casual users and influencers. This process underscored the importance of balancing creativity with structured research and data-driven decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                                The skills and methodologies applied\u2014from user research to agile practices\u2014are directly transferable to real-world scenarios, preparing me for future challenges in UX design and product management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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                                <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
                                Boosting Engagement with a User-Centric Photo-Sharing Experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2720,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2715"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2839,"href":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2715\/revisions\/2839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patricklesage.ca\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}