Modular

Modular was my senior capstone project. This project was my first time navigating a project without any instruction or deadlines set by professors. I worked as the team lead as I was the person who fabricated the idea of Modular - a 3D car modeling program for vehicle enthusiasts to preview and purchase third-party modifications for their cars. Over the course of the semester, my team and I grinded hard to produce thorough user research and a beautiful prototype.

Modular was inspired by the local car community and my father, but I feel as though the project served as an inspiration to them as well.

Introduction

Kennesaw State University's Technical Communication and Interactive Design program provides senior students with the Senior Capstone course during the spring semester every year. It is one of the final requirements students must fulfill before walking across the stage. Our class was led by two professors and one teaching assistant. They told us the basic requirements of the project, the day of our showcase, and let us go.

One of the first things we did was pitch ideas to our teammates and then choose which team we wished to work for. I pitched Modular to my class as one of my most exciting ideas yet; luckily for me, tons of folks were interested! The final team we ended with was a pleasure to work with and deserves every bit of praise they receive.

My team consisted of myself, Keith Baker, Quinn Smith, and Halle Russell. With a wit as sharp as his UX skills, Keith took on the role of our primary UX researcher, but don't let his jokes fool you - he put in some serious work on the prototype too. Keith was like a detective, scouring the internet for clues on advanced prototyping in Figma, and boy did he deliver with some seriously awesome animations. Quinn was always ready to lend a hand with a smile on his face. His helpful attitude made him a breeze to work with, and he went above and beyond by single-handedly creating the car-overview pages. Not only did he ensure they were comprehensive, but he also made them as sleek as a sports car zooming down the highway. Quinn didn't just drive our project forward; he turbocharged it. Halle was the Swiss Army knife of our team, ready to tackle any task that came her way. She took the reins on wireframing, steering us in the right direction with her expertise, and crafted a blueprint for success with the initial layout of the prototype. Beyond wireframing, she transformed the "gallery" page into a masterpiece, assembling useful components like a maestro conducting a symphony. As the team leader of Modular, I wore many hats, seamlessly blending the roles of UX researcher and UI creator into one role of "team lead". When it came time to showcase our masterpiece at the senior capstone event, I stepped into the spotlight while captivating my audience of industry professionals with newfound presentation skills, which left a lasting impression on the hundreds of professionals in attendance. Together, we all created a project that we can all be proud of.

Goal Directed Design

Modular was executed using Goal-Directed Design, a process created by Alan Cooper that consists of 5 stages: research, modeling, requirements, framework, and refinement. By following this method, our team was able to establish a clear plan from the outset, enabling each team member to assume specific responsibilities and meet deadlines. The GDD process allowed us to conduct thorough research, develop accurate models, define requirements, establish a framework, refine the project, and provide support, resulting in a successful and well-executed project. Overall, this process helped us stay organized and focused on achieving our objectives, which ultimately led to the project's success.

Phase 1

Research

The journey of Modular began with the research phase, which was crucial for us to create an app that would effectively serve its intended purpose. Our team invested significant effort into defining the purpose of the program, compiling information from various sources such as interviews, competitor analysis, scholarly articles, and more. By delving deeply into the research phase, we were able to gain a better understanding of the user needs and preferences, enabling us to develop a user-friendly program that meets their expectations. Despite the urgency to bring Modular to life quickly, we prioritized the research phase to ensure the success of the project.

Interviews

To gather information about the local car scene and understand the needs of potential users, our team conducted a series of interviews. We approached car owners at nearby car shows and also interviewed individuals who owned cars but had limited experience modifying them. Our interviewees came from diverse backgrounds, including college students, early-career individuals, and experienced car enthusiasts that may have more funds than college-aged users, but have less technological experience. During each 30-45 minute interview, we asked questions about their experiences with car modification, what they would like to see in a 3D modeling app, and how they first got into cars. We recorded the responses and compiled the information into affinity maps. By comparing the results, we began to form a clear understanding of our potential users and created personas that represented their needs and preferences. This research formed the foundation for the development of Modular, ensuring that it would meet the expectations of our target audience.

Competitive Audit

In order to be competitive in today's saturated app market, we had to identify the successful aspects of similar apps as well as their weaknesses so that we could fill in those cracks in our project.

What we found was that we were one of the few that have ever attempted this idea in the sense of real-world application. Video games such as Forza Horizon allow for users to add virtual, gamified mods to their sports vehicles in-game; however, there is a limited selection of cars, colors, years, but also the mods were often not based off of real market items.

Phase 2 & 3

Modeling & Requirements

Following our user interviews, we each took notes and placed our thoughts onto affinity maps- on our group FigJam board, we had color-coded cards where we'd each place traits and thoughts of each interviewee and then compare notes afterwards. With what mutual traits we found in each interviewee, we created our personas.

While there are many potential personas that we could have created, we settled on two general user profiles that were simplified in order for us to create a realistic app within the time constraints that we were under.

Phase 4

Frameworks

Utilizing wireframes enabled our team to sketch out a preliminary concept of our prototype's layout and component placements. Halle, our teammate, took the lead as our primary wireframer and crafted multiple iterations with finesse.

Phase 5

Refinement

With our general ideas in place and a style guide created, we began to prototype our program. Every team member took hold of at least one primary page to work with. I personally handled the landing page and the entire modifying experience as well as assisted members when asked for help. We collectively spent an incredibly long time working on Modular and all were very relieved when finished, as well as proud.

Immediately following our completion of Modular, our team stood at a display table to showcase it to hundreds of professionals, many of whom were hiring managers, serving as our guests and audience. Our project garnered immense popularity among the professionals, sparking excitement from those witnessing the program's potential. At the end of the day, numerous emails were exchanged, business cards handed out, and deep sighs taken. Finally, we were able to high-five each other and catch more than an hour of sleep a night. Our final prototype marks just the beginning for this particular class; however, Modular is my pride and joy, and I cannot wait to continue working on it until perfection.