Pastime

Seamlessly connect with your leisure activities. An all-in-one platform that makes hobbies easy to find and affordable.

Responsibilities

UX Research

User Flows

Wireframes

Prototype

Usability Testing

Project Type

Independent

Duration

3 months


Overview

Problem

Many people want hobbies, but find them to be expensive and want to explore different activities to figure out what they like.

Solution

Pastime helps users take control of their free time by offering credit plans that connect users to leisure activities, effortlessly and affordably.

Affordable credit plans for different lifestyles.

Find a class to book.

Search and explore activities near you.

The Design Process

01. DISCOVER

Competitive Analysis

There are various platforms and services that help give us access to new experiences, both in-person and online. While researching what people use to try and learn new things, Masterclass, ClassPass, and Groupon were top platforms mentioned.

By conducting competitive analysis on these three platforms, I was able to identify what problems they solve well and areas for opportunities.

Takeaway

While the 3 companies offer great products, there is still a gap in the market for an all-encompassing service or platform dedicated to connecting users with leisure activities and helping them learn new hobbies.


User Interviews

With a bit more context around the market and competitors, I interviewed 5 participants who currently have or are looking for hobbies to better understand potential users and their experiences in trying new activities and finding hobbies.

By asking open-ended questions, I was able to gather insights on user pain-points, motivations, and goals.

I’m hesitant to start a hobby and spend money investing in tools, etc. when I don’t know if I’m going to even like it.
I want to try out different activities and try them out a couple of times before committing.
It would be helpful to know what places, studios, and classes are available around me.

02. DEFINE

Affinity Mapping

Insights from user interviews were grouped into over-arching themes to diagnose problems and identify common issues.

While there were a handful of themes that surfaced, the themes that stood out the most were: Social Interaction, Financial Commitment, and Finding Hobbies.

How might we make trying new experiences and activities accessible, affordable, and sociable?

03. DEVELOP

User Flows

With a clear problem defined, the solution I landed on was Pastime, a plan-based platform that allows users to find and book in-person classes seamlessly.

By mapping out possible pathways users may take while signing up for a credit plan or booking a class, I was able to identify key screens needed in my designs.

Legend

Scenario: Sign up for a credit plan

Scenario: Reserve a class


Wireframes

Mid-fidelity wireframes of main features were created in Figma. Building out wireframes helped establish visual hierarchy and determine the UI elements needed.

04. DELIVER

Prototype & Testing

With UI design elements in place, a prototype was built and tested by potential users for feedback on usability.

Users were given two tasks to complete:

1) Sign up for the new member free trial.

2) Search and book a class.

Priority Matrix

From the feedback received, I created a priority matrix to help prioritize what changes to make in my next iteration.

Due to time constraints, I focused on implementing changes that would be quick wins - high user value and low effort.

Click-to-pay option added.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

List View & Map View available.

BEFORE

AFTER

Reviews for class and instructor added.

Made feedback for reservation clearer using a pop-up message.

BEFORE

AFTER

Final Design

Based on the prioritization from usability testing feedback, iterations were made to ensure seamless and intuitive user experience.

Thoughts and Takeaways

This project was a true learning experience as I researched and designed this app while learning UX and UI processes. Being able to directly apply my learnings to a project was really helpful and made the UX process stick.

While I still have much to learn, I feel confident enough to start designing and working on more projects with the toolbox of UX knowledge and skills I gained through the course of this project.