The challenges
– A local search produces a result at a high level of accuracy
– Sketch out clearly a portrait of search users, especially local search user:

• What do they expect?
• How can approach them?
• What channel?
• What can make them change their usual habits?
• Initiative to drive traffics both online and offline

The situations
Threats to face
– More and more competitors jump in the market and they are both well financially invested

The weaknesses to overcome
– Poor financial health
– Limited business network
– Content is built up manually

The opportunities to take advantage
– Searching is the second favorite action
– There’s still no dominant in local search. Most competitors focus on dining, there’s still opened room for VietnamAtoZ: listing services (spa, shopping, home service, entertainment, …)
– Others still have not much function to satisfy user: filter, profile, …

The strengths to believe
– Well oriented in web development
– Sensitive with market changes and well oriented in marketing strategy
– Active & Creative personnel

The project goals

Activities for business partners (get 100,000 post/3 months)
– Approach partners by providing them benefit on the website of VietnamAtoZ: free banner, free PR articles, free place on the booklet of VietnamAtoZ
– Build up a fan page
– Exchange: news of their retailers/partners; PR articles on their fan page, Box search on their website, discount for VietnamAtoZ members
– Category of the supplier to approach: tourism, deal, fashion & accessory stores
– Connect to suppliers, distributors to get information about retailers and coupon for members

Activities for members (100,000 members/3 months)
– Online game: quick quiz, contest (the content of the contest will be confirmed, try to find a prestigious partner to benefit their name > attract users to join)
– Display at purchase point: leave booklet of stores of partner (deal with partners)
– Online seeding: expose on partner’s website, on well-known forums, fan pages, social media

UX DESIGN PROCESS

Step 1: RESEARCH
Type of research: Focus group
Target audience:

• Age from 17 to 37 urban and social
• Technology
• Shopping savvy
• Outgoing

Baseline: overall
• What problems do you have with searching for local things?
• Do you use devices locating device (e.g., find my friends, foursquare)?
• Is something like a professional opinion or “critic” pick helpful when you make decisions?

Eating/going out
• How often do you try new restaurants and cafes?
• Do you want to know what all the options or a specific list of top options?
• What are the factors you think about when choosing a location to go to?
– Do you care more about convenience and local or new and trendy?
• Are recommendations or places your friends have visited helpful when you make decisions about restaurants and cafes?
• If you are trying to go somewhere new where would you find information or options?
– How do you find the best cafes?
• How often do you go to events (e.g., live music at a café)?
– Is there a desire to know more about live music happening?
• How often do you pick up food to eat at home?
• How many people do you typically go to a restaurant with?
• How do you decide what you are going to do on a weekend night?
• What are the main activities that you do at night and at weekends?
• Do you have any interest in knowing where to get the top-rated dish or drink?

Website usage
• What are the top websites that you use?
• Do you want to integrate geo-locating with social events?
– What is the hardest part of it?
• How important are coupons and deals with what you buy?
– Do you search for coupons if you already know you want to buy something
• Is there any deal aggregating websites?
• Would you ever use online greeting cards or invitations?
• What types of personal emails do you get?
– Do you get promotional emails?
– Do you want an email with information on restaurants or cafes?

Baseline: VietnamAtoZ
• What is your impression of the VietnamAtoZ website?
– Note: If they have not used the website take them to it
• What would you use VietnamAtoZ most often for?
– Yelp
– News
– Local news

Step 2: PERSONAS
A solid persona does help a lot in the reference point of the process. his step is focusing on Human Center Design (HCI) to understand what the user needs to get their task done in the easiest and fastest way.

Step 3: ANALYZE
Identify user needs/faces

Step 4: PROJECT FLOW

Step 5: GENERATING IDEAS AND DESIGN (LOW FIDELITY)

Visual Design

Step 6: USER TESTING
Getting feedback from users constantly. It’s never too early to test or get feedback.
– Evaluating Design
– Usability test
– Review metrics
– Track usage

STEP 7: HI FIDELITY
Once user testing has been done, it is time to focus on the User Interface and Interactions. This is the step where I focus on what the product looks like. This is when the design library will begin to grow with components.

STEP 8: PRODUCTION
This is the moment where design is handed off to developers. There will be more updates, testing to come. I am always available to support the team with any answer that the design library does not provide.

– Stick to design (pixel perfect)
– Usability test
– Review metrics
– Track usage
– Inform next iteration

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