Below is the PDF for my midterm presentation:

These are the first wireframes that I’ve created for the MyAnimeList app. I designed for a few key screens: the homefeed, profile page, list page, discover/recommendations, and the anime/mange information page. These are the primary screens users would be interacting with. Based on the insights from my interviews, I took away extra pages that people were not really interested in using. This included the forums, chat, news page, etc. They just wanted a simple app that doesn’t try to do too much at once.

For the discover page, there would be things that are trending in the community, as well as recommendations tailored to the user, based on what they’ve already watched. However, I will have to test this out to see if it works to have both of these things in the same place.

The home feed updates itself based on your recent activity. It will show you the things you have recently updated, as well as things you have updated in the past week or so. The homefeed will also give you reminders when you haven’t updated a certain anime/manga in a while.

The list page will have tabs you can cycle through so you can filter what is listed. Each block will have a thumbnail of the anime/manga, the name of it, release date and other info. It will also show your current progress on it.

Your profile page will have links to your anime and manga lists. It will also display certain statistics based on what you’ve recorded in the app.

I’ve gathered some visual inspiration for how I would like the final interface to look like. I will most likely use a cool toned color palette. I also took inspiration from how similar apps designed their layouts.

An experience map outlining the current experience using the MyAnimeList Client app. This map shows what a user would do when they want to add a new show to their list and record how many episodes they’ve seen. This is one possible way a user can use this app, however there are other uses. This is just the primary feature of the app.

This is a narrative example of a user journey. In this user journey, I used my friend Jonathan as an example, and his experience using the MAL Client app.

Categorizing Ideas

This is how I would categorize the above ideas based on the How, Now, and Wow! matrix:

Now:

• A home feed with suggestions based on what you have on your list
• Discover page to find new genres
• Progress bar when you log how many episodes seen/chapters read
• Occasional reminders when you haven’t updated a anime/manga in a while

How:

• Reward system for using the app consistently
• Forums section to interact with other users
• Ability to search by genre, studio, characters , etc. (Without being too overwhelming)

Wow:

• A widget so you can easily update without having to go into the app

The Problem:

The app I want to redesign is MyAnime List. While the intended purpose of the app is to keep track of shows you’re watching and find new shows, it doesn’t do it well. The UI is very clunky and confusing. Visually, it is also lackluster and could use more creativity/personality.

Users:

I interviewed people who watch anime often, and would be interested in keeping track of what they’re watching. One of the people I interviewed, Jay, was familiar with the app MyAnime List and does use it from time to time. However, he wishes there was something better that does the same thing. The other were not familiar with it, but the general consensus was that they probably would not use the app because it was unappealing and seemed like too much hassle to use. However, they like the idea and would use it if it were executed well.

I wanted to create a cooking app targeted at young adults, around ages 18 – 25. I created user personas based on this age range. This app would help young adults with busy schedules plan out and budget their meals. It would also provide recipes based on how much experience they have cooking and how much time they have throughout the week.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.