VRZ champ was the first online voting app for the famous Verzuz TV Instagram battles. However, its initial design was not as trendy as current web applications. Due to Covid-19 concerns, this was a time-sensitive project. I set out to reimagine the proposed platform and optimize its flow to be beautiful, exciting, and functional.
A voting platform to settling arguments about the Verzuz TV Instagram battles the right way.
We ran 2 weeks of design sprints based on the design thinking methodology, which includes 5 stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. We eventually created and shipped a fully functional app where people can vote for their favorite artist and song in real-time as the Instagram battles took place.
I led the project and worked on all aspects of the new design system, including its visual, UX, and interaction design. I also revamped the UX of key pages while my developer colleagues at Excellerent helped bring the product to life.
Often times there are features that do nothing but confuse users. One notable feature request on this platform was to implement a button that allows the user to signify a tie. I felt this was a confusing feature but I did not quantitive evidence to prove my claim. We used A/B testing to discover how users reacted to this feature. we put out a survey with substantial responses. 92% of test users said they don’t see the need for a “Tie” button. After presenting this to the client, the feature was dropped.
I presented most of the proposed solution to the client and the product owner on the client’s team as a high-fidelity prototype. The pitch’s success relied heavily on how the prototype solved and addressed business needs.
The proposed interface was lacking aesthetically. However, I strived to make the interface as clean and easy to use as possible with the bit of time I had.
Votes cast needed to be seen in real-time. I added a color-coded bar chart to ensure an easy-to-understand view of votes.
Because the battles were live and the number of rounds was often hard to keep track of. The platform included a round number count. Also, whenever a round was started the system preempted the next round so the user is aware of the upcoming round.
The redesigned platform had 27% more visitors than the anticipated number given as a success criterion. We also achieved a bounce rate of less than 20% as more users stay longer on the platform and found it easy to understand.
This product cycle was not the first time I led a project. Nonetheless, it was as exciting as the rest. Working with a team of talented developers made this project fun. I learned to trust my teammates even more, and that daily stand-up meeting were critical to the project’s success.
Design is a funny word, Some people think design is how it looks But of course, if you dig deeper,it’s really how it works – Steve Jobs
The importance of User research is paramount, and for this project, there was inadequate stakeholder buy-in for field studies. A lack of UX buy-in is challenging to navigate, but proper communication helps bridge that gap. Practicing Agile/Lean UX is easier said than done. Time is still needed to achieve concrete goals. The time for this project was short, but things worked out in the end, and the site is live with hundreds of visitors each day.
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