Joyosa
Joyosa
Joyosa
MVP Android App
MVP Android App
Joyosa is a simple gift wishlist app that enables users to create and share lists, fostering meaningful gift-giving and strengthening relationships.
Joyosa is a simple gift wishlist app that enables users to create and share lists, fostering meaningful gift-giving and strengthening relationships.
Timeline
August 2023
August 2023
Tools
Figma
Figma
Notion
Notion
Disciplines
Research
Research
User Experience
User Experience
User Interface
User Interface
Spark
Spark
I've been making wishlists since I was a child—first with pen and paper, then a pocket diary, and now with digital tools like Notion + Tick Tick.
After moving on from Mood Tree, I was feeling lost and uncertain about what to work on next. Initially, I thought about making a virtual postcard app, but it didn't excite me enough as better options already exist.
Then, it hit me: my own wishlist struggles! Inspired by my personal Notion wishlist tool, I saw the opportunity to address a problem shared by loved ones.
Notion had its perks, but it was tricky for managing wishlists and sharing them. Even suggesting it to family and friends was a no-go, as it was too complex. This sparked the idea for Joyosa – a minimalist wishlist tool to help people identify and share their interests and needs easily.
I've been making wishlists since I was a child—first with pen and paper, then a pocket diary, and now with digital tools like Notion + Tick Tick.
After moving on from Mood Tree, I was feeling lost and uncertain about what to work on next. Initially, I thought about making a virtual postcard app, but it didn't excite me enough as better options already exist.
Then, it hit me: my own wishlist struggles! Inspired by my personal Notion wishlist tool, I saw the opportunity to address a problem shared by loved ones.
Notion had its perks, but it was tricky for managing wishlists and sharing them. Even suggesting it to family and friends was a no-go, as it was too complex. This sparked the idea for Joyosa – a minimalist wishlist tool to help people identify and share their interests and needs easily.
Problem
Problem
While I love Notion for personal use, I encountered few specific issues:
Complicated database table creation and management for average users.
Not user-friendly for my family and friends when creating and sharing wishlists; they found the data tables overwhelming.
Slow performance.
Overall, the main concerns were convenience and user-friendliness.
While I love Notion for personal use, I encountered few specific issues:
Complicated database table creation and management for average users.
Not user-friendly for my family and friends when creating and sharing wishlists; they found the data tables overwhelming.
Slow performance.
Overall, the main concerns were convenience and user-friendliness.
Research
Goal — call to adventure
I enjoyed researching for this app. It felt like going back to high school, delving into social science, economics, and psychology.
Imagine the sparkle in someone's eyes when they unwrap a gift chosen just for them. That joy, that connection, that's what fuels the gifting industry. It's not just about products and services; it's about expressing love, appreciation, and forging bonds that transcend cultures and ages.
But gift preferences are like snowflakes – unique and diverse. From heartfelt cards to meticulously chosen presents, we express ourselves in different ways. My exploration into this involved understanding these nuances: trends across age groups, cultural traditions, and how people leverage online wishlists for inspiration.
I enjoyed researching for this app. It felt like going back to high school, delving into social science, economics, and psychology.
Imagine the sparkle in someone's eyes when they unwrap a gift chosen just for them. That joy, that connection, that's what fuels the gifting industry. It's not just about products and services; it's about expressing love, appreciation, and forging bonds that transcend cultures and ages.
But gift preferences are like snowflakes – unique and diverse. From heartfelt cards to meticulously chosen presents, we express ourselves in different ways. My exploration into this involved understanding these nuances: trends across age groups, cultural traditions, and how people leverage online wishlists for inspiration.
Secondary Research
Secondary Research
My goal was to delve into the world of gift-giving and wishlists. This involved:
My goal was to delve into the world of gift-giving and wishlists. This involved:
Understanding the current gifting landscape
I didn’t wanted to dive into the ecommerce for gifting but I had curiosity to know and learn when demand for gifts arises and what are some common gifts
Understanding the current gifting landscape
I didn’t wanted to dive into the ecommerce for gifting but I had curiosity to know and learn when demand for gifts arises and what are some common gifts
Analyzing user behavior
How do people use them, and what insights can they offer?
Analyzing user behavior
How do people use them, and what insights can they offer?
Discovering competitors
What are other gifting apps doing?
Discovering competitors
What are other gifting apps doing?
Current gifting landscape involves…
Current gifting landscape involves…
Diverse motivations: love, gratitude, respect, celebration, tradition.
Cultural variations: significance, etiquette, expectations.
Market segments: personal, corporate, festival.
Growth drivers: disposable income, personalization, online shopping and ease.
Diverse motivations: love, gratitude, respect, celebration, tradition.
Cultural variations: significance, etiquette, expectations.
Market segments: personal, corporate, festival.
Growth drivers: disposable income, personalization, online shopping and ease.
Making use of wishlists…
Making use of wishlists…
I read several reddit posts on the process of gifting and to understand how people over the world are making use of wishlists. I've added two important snippets.
Maintains a running list in a notes app of items mentioned in conversation for reference during gift-shopping.
Maintains a running list in a notes app of items mentioned in conversation for reference during gift-shopping.
I keep a list of gift ideas on my phone so when holidays or special occasion come around it’s easier to pick, Any time someone vaguely mentions something they might want or I think of something they might want, I add it. I also keep gift ideas on there for myself so I know what to say when people ask and I use Amazon to find ideas and keep a “wish list” of gifts (I don’t always even buy them off Amazon but it helps me wrap my head around who I’m buying for and what I could get them, but buying them from there does make it very straightforward and less scary!)
I keep a list of gift ideas on my phone so when holidays or special occasion come around it’s easier to pick, Any time someone vaguely mentions something they might want or I think of something they might want, I add it. I also keep gift ideas on there for myself so I know what to say when people ask and I use Amazon to find ideas and keep a “wish list” of gifts (I don’t always even buy them off Amazon but it helps me wrap my head around who I’m buying for and what I could get them, but buying them from there does make it very straightforward and less scary!)
Asks individuals for a their list or their top three desired birthday or holiday gifts.
Asks individuals for a their list or their top three desired birthday or holiday gifts.
Alternatively with people close to you, you could just ask for ideas from them or others around them? My niece gave me an Amazon wish list to pick from which makes it SUPER simple.
Alternatively with people close to you, you could just ask for ideas from them or others around them? My niece gave me an Amazon wish list to pick from which makes it SUPER simple.
Discovering competitors…
Discovering competitors…
I tried several existing wishlist apps to see how they helped people with gifting.
Sadly, many felt clunky, confusing, or missing helpful features.
Amazon's wishlist feature, in particular, posed a hurdle for general use because it's limited to the Amazon ecosystem, excluding other online and offline retailers with wider product selections or lower prices. This restricts gift options and might not reflect the recipient's full preferences.
One standout app I discovered was Giftful, which offers a well-designed ios app, web app, and browser extension. BUT, it primarily targets the US and European markets and apple’s ecosystem. While it excels in providing a simple user experience, I couldn't find any similarly useful and enjoyable apps for creating and sharing wishlists suitable for the Indian market, both on Android and web platforms.
Solutions around gifting in India predominantly revolves around blogs, small businesses on instagram and e-commerce platforms, with a lack of specific wishlist tools or comprehensive shopping companions. This gap in the market presents an opportunity.
I tried several existing wishlist apps to see how they helped people with gifting.
Sadly, many felt clunky, confusing, or missing helpful features. Amazon's wishlist feature, in particular, posed a hurdle for general use because it's limited to the Amazon ecosystem, excluding other online and offline retailers with wider product selections or lower prices. This restricts gift options and might not reflect the recipient's full preferences.
One standout app I discovered was Giftful, which offers a well-designed ios app, web app, and browser extension. BUT, it primarily targets the US and European markets and apple’s ecosystem. While it excels in providing a simple user experience, I couldn't find any similarly useful and enjoyable apps for creating and sharing wishlists suitable for the Indian market, both on Android and web platforms.
Solutions around gifting in India predominantly revolves around blogs, small businesses on instagram and e-commerce platforms, with a lack of specific wishlist tools or comprehensive shopping companions. This gap in the market presents an opportunity.
Primary research
Primary research
During my primary research with family and friends, I was surprised to find that none of them had specific wishlists over any tool. Instead, they saved some items in their carts for later or special occasions, with only vague ideas of what they needed or wanted. This inspired me to create an app tailored for beginners who are new to wishlists, aiming to help them organize their scattered and vague wishes from various e-commerce sites and their minds.
Addressing the pain points and improvements for using wishlists proved challenging. I had to rely on my own experiences and insights from other users on Reddit.
During my primary research with family and friends, I was surprised to find that none of them had specific wishlists over any tool. Instead, they saved some items in their carts for later or special occasions, with only vague ideas of what they needed or wanted. This inspired me to create an app tailored for beginners who are new to wishlists, aiming to help them organize their scattered and vague wishes from various e-commerce sites and their minds.
Addressing the pain points and improvements for using wishlists proved challenging. I had to rely on my own experiences and insights from other users on Reddit.
Defining Users and Problem
Defining Users and Problem
Through the research findings I defined the key points about the users and problem.
Through the research findings I defined the key points about the users and problem.
Target Group: People who want to…
Target Group: People who want to…
Create wish lists for birthdays, weddings, or special occasions.
Create wish lists for birthdays, weddings, or special occasions.
Share wish lists with family and friends.
Share wish lists with family and friends.
Add gift ideas from various retailers and Prefers convenient online shopping.
Add gift ideas from various retailers and Prefers convenient online shopping.
Key Pain Points:
Key Pain Points:
Challenges in managing gift preferences, leading to confusion in choosing suitable presents. The main difficulties include:
Challenges in managing gift preferences, leading to confusion in choosing suitable presents. The main difficulties include:
Memory Issues
Remembering recipients, deadlines, and past purchases adds stress and clutter.
Memory Issues
Remembering recipients, deadlines, and past purchases adds stress and clutter.
Decision Fatigue
The process of analyzing various options and making choices can be mentally draining, causing overwhelm and indecision.
Decision Fatigue
The process of analyzing various options and making choices can be mentally draining, causing overwhelm and indecision.
Needs:
Needs:
Aims for more meaningful gift-giving experiences, aiming to make loved ones happy and express affection. They seek:
Aims for more meaningful gift-giving experiences, aiming to make loved ones happy and express affection. They seek:
Efficient organization of gift preferences, needs, and wants.
Efficient organization of gift preferences, needs, and wants.
Wish lists that categorize and prioritize items based on occasion, recipient, and budget, allowing inclusion of items from multiple retailers.
Wish lists that categorize and prioritize items based on occasion, recipient, and budget, allowing inclusion of items from multiple retailers.
User-friendly tools and features to streamline the gifting process.
User-friendly tools and features to streamline the gifting process.
User Persona
User Persona
Sarah
Sarah
Demographics
Demographics
Age: 28
Age: 28
Occupation: Marketing Manager
Occupation: Marketing Manager
Location: Bangalore, KA
Location: Bangalore, KA
About
About
Emily is a busy professional who values personal connections and enjoys giving thoughtful gifts to her loved ones. She often finds herself struggling to keep track of gift ideas and wishes of her friends and family, especially during busy times at work.
Emily is a busy professional who values personal connections and enjoys giving thoughtful gifts to her loved ones. She often finds herself struggling to keep track of gift ideas and wishes of her friends and family, especially during busy times at work.
Pain Points
Pain Points
Struggles to remember gift ideas and preferences of friends and family, especially during busy periods at work.
Struggles to remember gift ideas and preferences of friends and family, especially during busy periods at work.
Feels overwhelmed by the amount of mental effort required to keep track of gift wishes and occasions for loved ones.
Feels overwhelmed by the amount of mental effort required to keep track of gift wishes and occasions for loved ones.
Wants to maintain meaningful relationships through thoughtful gift-giving but finds it challenging to do so efficiently.
Wants to maintain meaningful relationships through thoughtful gift-giving but finds it challenging to do so efficiently.
Goals
Goals
Simplify the process by creating and managing gift wishlists for various occasions.
Simplify the process by creating and managing gift wishlists for various occasions.
Ensure that each gift given is thoughtful and tailored to the recipient's preferences.
Ensure that each gift given is thoughtful and tailored to the recipient's preferences.
Strengthen personal connections by facilitating meaningful gift exchanges with friends and family.
Strengthen personal connections by facilitating meaningful gift exchanges with friends and family.
User Story
User Story
Emily logs into the app and creates a wishlist for her sister's upcoming birthday, adding items she knows her sister has been eyeing.
Emily logs into the app and creates a wishlist for her sister's upcoming birthday, adding items she knows her sister has been eyeing.
Problem this app aims to solve
Problem this app aims to solve
The complexity and inefficiency of managing wishlists and sharing them with loved ones.
The complexity and inefficiency of managing wishlists and sharing them with loved ones.
How might we create a more efficient system for creating, organizing, and sharing gift wishlists, allowing users to easily save desired items across various retailers, both online and offline and share their preferences in a clear and appealing format?
Project Scope
Project Scope
Design the core functionality: creating and sharing wishlists.
I wanted to start with a simple, user-friendly app and gradually add features. For the first mvp version I had simple and specific goal.
Design the core functionality: creating and sharing wishlists.
I wanted to start with a simple, user-friendly app and gradually add features. For the first mvp version I had simple and specific goal.
Solution
Solution
Designing a user-friendly platform for managing and sharing gift wish lists to simplify gift-giving, reducing stress and inefficiency in list management.
With An Android app as the starting point, users can easily add items to their lists using methods like a mobile extension, camera, or barcode scanner.
Designing a user-friendly platform for managing and sharing gift wish lists to simplify gift-giving, reducing stress and inefficiency in list management.
With An Android app as the starting point, users can easily add items to their lists using methods like a mobile extension, camera, or barcode scanner.
Ideate
Ideate
Since I wanted to quickly design for android, I used google’s material design system and took inspiration from google keep for look and feel.
Creation: Allow users to easily add gifts from various websites, including details like price, priority, size, quantity, and occasion.
Creating a wish list.
Adding a wish or item through the app by:
Pasting the link of an item from an e-commerce site to automatically fetch necessary information.
Manually adding details.
Adding a wish or item through the extension to include items directly from the different online retailers, social media, and personal collections.
Sharing: Creating the guest view of the wishlist
While writing this I realise I need to make this flow better and additional steps for the privacy and security like link expiration and generating shareable link.
Management: Labels, description, priorities to manage lists and wishes effectively.
Options to sort, change the view between list and grid, and set priorities within the wish list.
Since I wanted to quickly design for android, I used google’s material design system and took inspiration from google keep for look and feel.
Creation: Allow users to easily add gifts from various websites, including details like price, priority, size, quantity, and occasion.
Creating a wish list.
Adding a wish or item through the app by:
Pasting the link of an item from an e-commerce site to automatically fetch necessary information.
Manually adding details.
Adding a wish or item through the extension to include items directly from the different online retailers, social media, and personal collections.
Sharing: Creating the guest view of the wishlist
While writing this I realise I need to make this flow better and additional steps for the privacy and security like link expiration and generating shareable link.
Management: Labels, description, priorities to manage lists and wishes effectively.
Options to sort, change the view between list and grid, and set priorities within the wish list.
Wireframes
Creating the wireframes was a messy process. I took it step by step, making quick wireframes in Figma and notebook as I went along. For this project I found that I preferred using Figma for wireframing over sketching or using other wireframing tools and templates.
Creating the wireframes was a messy process. I took it step by step, making quick wireframes in Figma and notebook as I went along. For this project I found that I preferred using Figma for wireframing over sketching or using other wireframing tools and templates.
Mockups
Prototype
Prototype
Prototyped the basic flow for the app.
Prototyped the basic flow for the app.
Reflection
Reflection
I succeeded in designing a basic tool for creating and sharing wish lists. It's not yet excellent, and I'm not completely satisfied with its current state. There are numerous minor changes and improvements needed in terms of sharing flow, interactions, and overall look and feel to achieve the level of excellence in user experience I aim for. I’ll improve more upon it before the development starts.
This project really helped me level up my UI design skills and made me realize how important it is to sometimes to stick with existing frameworks like Material Design. I also struggled with trying to improve my product management skills. I got lost in the resources, constantly second-guessing myself to make sure everything was on point for the user. Plus, I found myself going back to my old habit of overcomplicating things with building systems and frameworks, which totally distracted me from the actual project for 2-3days. Moving forward, I want to get better at prototyping and documenting design decisions.
Now the next steps for the project: I am going to refine those designs, get started on building the MVP with the help of Siddharth, test it out, launch it, and then work on scaling it up.
to be continued.
I succeeded in designing a basic tool for creating and sharing wish lists. It's not yet excellent, and I'm not completely satisfied with its current state. There are numerous minor changes and improvements needed in terms of sharing flow, interactions, and overall look and feel to achieve the level of excellence in user experience I aim for. I’ll improve more upon it before the development starts.
This project really helped me level up my UI design skills and made me realize how important it is to sometimes to stick with existing frameworks like Material Design. I also struggled with trying to improve my product management skills. I got lost in the resources, constantly second-guessing myself to make sure everything was on point for the user. Plus, I found myself going back to my old habit of overcomplicating things with building systems and frameworks, which totally distracted me from the actual project for 2-3days. Moving forward, I want to get better at prototyping and documenting design decisions.
Now the next steps for the project: I am going to refine those designs, get started on building the MVP with the help of Siddharth, test it out, launch it, and then work on scaling it up.
to be continued.