WVR: Virtual Wedding Venue App
WVR (Wedding Venue Virtual Reality) is an app that provides a stress-free & easy way for users to virtually view wedding venues from any location, contact vendors, and make bookings without the need to even get up from the couch.
View Figma prototype!
The challenges
(And boy, there were several!)
Users often feel stressed when searching for a wedding venue online and out-of-state.
Most wedding venues are booked solid in advance, making the search process difficult.
Many wedding venues look different from the online photos compared to the actual venue.
Contacting vendors is problematic and difficult.
The solution
To design a virtual wedding venue app that allows users to view & put a deposit on local and out-of-state venues.
Provide a "one-stop shop" for users to easily contact vendors.
Users can also make customizations within the app such as adding decorative chairs, Dj, open bar, etc.
The objective is to provide a less-stressful method for users to plan a beautiful and wonderful wedding by saving time and enabling them to easily contact vendors.
The app is not actually virtual, but provides a format to implement this feature.
Overview
Research & Planning
The simplest starting point was searching credible websites and online forums, where the target users discusses their wedding planning process. Through this secondary research, I learned:
Most people are unable to get in touch with vendors
Many find it difficult to book a venue on their specified date since the desired venue is often unavailable
Finding the time to view venues in person is very time consuming and stressful
There isn't an online platform for people to virtually view multiple venues within the U.S.
Starting point
Goals
To understand the emotions involved and expenses incurred when planning a wedding ceremony.
To identify the various problems that users face when using other apps that allow them to preview ceremonies.
To find methods to make the user feel included during the design process with their needs and wants in mind.
To understand the common process that goes into finding a wedding venue and what my product can do to ease any burdens and make the process easier.
I conducted and recorded short interviews with 10 users between 30 - 40 years old, who are are either newlyweds or planning wedding ceremonies within one to three years to dive deeper into their pain points:
70% discover the venues are often booked solid
30% get excited about a venue until they view it in person; photos don't match reality
50% find it difficult to contact someone to get more information about the dates & venue
85% would like an online virtual experience with venue details, contact information, reviews, and easy navigation to feel less stressed about the experience
User Survey
Competitive Audit & Analysis
To find a unique value proposition (UVP), I analyzed direct & indirect competitors. However, because this type of app doesn't exist widely, I focused on wedding venues that offer the same service (e.g. decorations, catering, food) that every available venue on the app will provide. Unlike most of the competitors, WVR leverages a VR feature for users to access wedding venues within the US from any location. For the competitive analysis, I focused on two direct competitors.
User Pain Points
Users have difficulty finding a venue with an available date because of bad communication from venue owners.
availability
support
Users are usually unable to interact or effectively communicate with vendors to get more information
time
Time is exhausted searching for a venue either by driving to view it in-person or viewing photos online that may not accurately represent the venue.
stress
Planning a wedding is stressful. Finding a venue is even more exhausting.
Meet Miaka!
Miaka Manthata is an RN at a local hospital who needs a stress-free method to find and book a local outdoor wedding venue because she is getting married in a year and wants to focus on other wedding planning tasks.
Persona
I created this persona based on user surveys, internet research, and insights I developed. The ultimate objective includes illustrating those patterns and user pain points to further help me continue to empathize with users and develop better solutions.
Miaka's Journey Map
Miaka's journey map demonstrates the usual method of finding a wedding venue and the amount of time spent searching, viewing the venue, and speaking with a vendor about date and pricing. The journey map illustrates her experience with only one wedding venue when she can peruse several virtually within a day.
Developing the Solution
Wireframes
Usability testing
I conducted an unmoderated usability study with five participants: Three females and two males. The participants recorded their responses, then I analyzed & synthesized the data in an affinity diagram to develop insights, themes, and prioritize specific changes based on feedback. Additional research information can be found here.
Here are the main insights:
There needs to be a confirmation number at the end of the booking process to help users track their booking.
There needs to be a drop-down or check-box feature for add-ons.
Many participants would like to view venue estimates or pricing to make a financial decision when selecting a venue.
I drafted five different home screen wireframes before combining the different design features into one final wireframe (green square). I prioritized an efficient method to filter date, time, and location of preferred wedding venue. Then, I developed the rest of the wireframes in Figma.
Digital Wireframes & Prototype
I developed the wireframes in grayscale to illustrate a defined design of the user flow and screens. The lo-fi prototype connects the primary user flow from submitting information on the home page to viewing available venues to booking. There is also an alert option to have specific venues sent to the user’s email. Here's a link to test it.
Refining the design
Mockups & Prototype
After the usability study, I removed unnecessary components and designed a longer homepage frame so users can easily complete the form and view nearby wedding venues underneath. For the hi-fi prototype, I implemented the insights based on the participant feedback from the usability study. Here's a link to test it.
Check box of of add-ons, instead of the drop-down menu.
Further information for a variety of items (e.g. detail descriptions of wedding venues).
Usability testing
The same research methodology (unmoderated testing) and participants from the lo-fi prototype were used in the hi-fi usability study. Here are the main findings:
Mockup demonstrating user flow & flyout menu (last frame)
Other venues for users to peruse
Accessibility (a11y)
language
color
animations
There is a language feature in the prototype for users who speak English as a second language. This feature is on every page for those specific users.
The previous theme color was golden yellow (F8D210), but I learned the color scheme does not follow the WCAG guidelines, so I kept it as a secondary color and selected violet (790252) as a the main color which is a great a11y color for every user.
Animations are between 500 – 600 ms to ensure a11y within the prototype for every user. This speed will not overwhelm the user and ensures those with certain disabilities are included.
What I learned
I learned to put the user first and set my opinions to the side. I learned to remain open-minded, slowly iterate designs, consider a11y, focus on the problem & develop solutions, and making my design inclusive. I fully enjoyed creating the WVR prototype, and I would love to explore developing VR products to create more immersive experiences for the user.
I look forward to working with UX/UI design teams in the future to build products that will change the world and support diverse communities.
Impact
During the testing phase, many participants expressed their user experience as beautiful, accessibly, and easy to navigate. Many also recommended turning this design into an actual app to help users easily find wedding venues across the country.
"I think overall that it [prototype] flows and it just goes step by step so it's pretty easy to navigate.“ (P4, Hi-fi usability test)
During my usability testing phases, I would like to explore the following:
Check whether users can legally book online or need to make reservations instead.
Users may want to input more information beyond location, budget, and date, so we can explore implementing an 'advanced' option for users.
Support can be more accessible through an AI chat feature.
Adding a filter option may be necessary in the near future to help users view more venues outside of their location.
