Competitive Analysis Highlights

To find out more about the cloud storage arena, a full Competitive Analysis, including a SWOT analysis of 3 of the top competitors, was performed.

While all three of these services offer a reasonably priced, and relatively easy to use experience, these defining factors stand out as obstacles for these entities:

User Research Highlights

Although the Competitive Analysis provided some insight into the realm of cloud storage platforms, digging deeper required the use of a survey posted on multiple public forums

Testing not only the client’s assumptions but mine as well provided the data showing critical takeaways for development.

User Personas

Three users with unique roles and experience levels were interviewed about their goals and frustrations when using cloud storage applications.

The interviews coupled with the primary audience of creatives from the user surveys served to create the three personas shown below.

User Stories

Using the information gathered from the Discovery and Strategy phases, user stories were compiled to demonstrate the main features of the application.

Features were prioritized according to the earlier research & developed personas into high, medium, and low priority tasks. There were also three types of user scenarios created for New Users, Returning Users and All Users.

• As a new user, I want to sign up for an account using email.
• As a new user, I want to choose my tier option for the amount of space I can afford.
• As a new user, I want payment options for my upgraded tier if applicable.
• As a user, I want the ability to sync with my Adobe Creative Cloud Account.

Sample User Stories | Expected Outcomes omitted here due to visibility issues.

User Flows

User Stories were converted into User Flows to demonstrate how the user could interact with the product and accomplish specific tasks. These were first sketched out on paper.

Further development and iterations were rendered in the application, Draw.io.

Wireframes

After establishing the user stories and flows, the skeletal structure of the application was created with pencil and paper to sketch out the rough ideas quickly.

These were then transformed into low fidelity digital mock-ups and prototypes using Sketch and InVision for prototyping.

Usability Testing Round 1

Once the prototype was in place, it was time for user testing. 2 of the tests were conducted in-person using an InVision prototype, and 1 was performed remotely using the tool Maze to record the results.

Testing Tasks

• Create a new, free account and secure it with 2-factor authentication.
• Without using drag and drop, add some files from your computer to your new cloud.
• Place the file, “dance_in_water.jpg” into the folder, “Inspirational Photos” without using drag & drop.
• Link your Adobe Creative Cloud to this Cloud Storage application so that you can see all of your files from that cloud as well.

Testing Conclusions

While overall the testing went well, It did bring up some issues that needed rectification. 2 of 3 users had some problem with the ellipsis on the folders and files.

It was also noted that the Share icon and label was not necessary to be included in the top level navigation. Removing it and addressing that function within each file or folder would help reduce the cognitive load on users regarding the dashboard.

These problems are addressed in the high fidelity phase of the project.

Nomenclature

The name SOZO stems from the Ancient Greek word, meaning; 
To Save or To Rescue and the Japanese word, meaning; Creation or
 To Imagine.

The combination of these two meanings is intended to reflect the characteristics of what the application does. It saves or rescues files and folders from local directories, and allows users to create and organize data from within its space in a creative manner.

Logo Design

With the name established it was time to develop the logo. Sketching, iterations, & development in Adobe Illustrator brought about the final mark which is fully modular and alternates were designed for specific use cases.

Final Logos

Whether in a positive or negative form, every character in the name SOZO is represented in the icon. Other symbols such as fire, infinity and syncing are present leaving the mark open to interpretation for the viewers.

High Fidelity Mockups

Using the SOZO Style Guide, the wireframes were transformed into mockups displaying the branding and visual aesthetics that were developed. The issues that were noted during the 1st round of wireframe testing involving the “ellipsis” and the “share button” were taken into account here as well.

Although the initial survey indicated that 86% of participants used a desktop or laptop computer to access their application, along with the desktop version, mobile mockups were created per the client’s request.

Preference Testing

Before moving on to creating the high fidelity prototype, there were still some options for the mockups that needed clarification as to which would be best. UsabilityHub was employed to determine the outcomes to the following questions.

Usability Testing Round 2

The final prototype was produced and tested again to find remaining or newly created flaws in the usability of the application. For this round of testing, all three participants were tested in-person.

It’s important to note that all participants completed other tasks and testing for the benefit of the application.

Testing Tasks

• Create a new, free account and secure it with 2-factor authentication.
• Without using drag and drop, add some files from your computer to your new cloud.
• Place the file, “dance_in_water.jpg” into the folder, “Inspirational Photos” without using drag & drop.
• Link your Adobe Creative Cloud to this Cloud Storage application so that you can see all of your files from that cloud as well.
• Create and save a new document within the application interface.

Testing Conclusions

Although all users tested during this round accomplished the given tasks with relative ease, 2 opportunities presented themselves to further improve upon the prototype.

• 2 out of 3 participants were curious about the functionality of the “info” button on folders and files within the grid view.
• The information about files and folders could have increased contrast for accessibility purposes when shown in the list view.

Increasing the font weight on the information within the list view resolved a possible accessibility issue for users.