Details:

Overview

Everyone has had trouble at one point finding a common meeting time in group projects at one point. So, as a group we created a web app aimed to solve this problem, called Tiscus. It makes it easier to schedule meetups with friends by allowing users to add in their schedule and the algorithm chooses what times work for everyone.

Problem Definition

People need an easier way to schedule meetups easily and efficiently because it is hard to find common meeting times when we want to schedule a meeting with another person or group. Therefore, Tiscus was designed to have users input their calendar, and it will take care of the rest.

Our solution

Keeping our problem statement in mind, I helped to design and develop Tiscus, helping to make time more meaningful because we should have time in our life to spend with those we want to, like friends and family. Therefore, Tiscus allows the user to quickly insert a calendar, and the algorithm compares all calendars to find a time that works the best for all participants involved. We also ensure that there is no privacy concern, since the results are displayed with no personal information shown.

Prototype 1

TcMeet

Using Figma, we developed a prototype for users to schedule meetings with others (TcMeet Functionality). Users have the option to either create a group or add people to a group, but both of these options are disabled until the user selects a participant.

Edit preferences

Even though our algorithm finds a time where everyone is available, what if users don't prefer that time? So, we designed a preferred time page, so that users can select another time where everyone is available. We considered a calendar type view that split the times from morning, afternoon, and evening.

User Testing

When conducting user tests, we had tasks, such as having them use TcMeet to select Jim B and Crystal L, and then adding them to a study group. With the user testing results, we found that they were confused with TcMeet and whether or not they had to select ‘create a group’ and/or 'add to a group'. Overall, the flow was pretty clear to users, and they were able to figure it out, but we want to minimize any potential errors and decrease their cognitive load.

Final Design

TcMeet

Conducting user tests allowed us to realize that it probably did not need the add to a group functionality, so we removed that button, only keeping 'create a group.'

Edit Preferences

For this page, we decided to keep it simpler, focusing on what the user needs the most: something user friendly to help them quickly and easily choose preferences. So, instead, we organized the information in a table with available time slots within the constrained time range of 3 days to choose from underneath. This change also makes it easier to code, and makes the page less clustered.

Development

Landing Page

As the front-end developer, I helped with designing the landing page using Figma and then coding it using HTML and CSS. It focuses on what our product/app, Tiscus, can offer to people interested in using it.

TcMeet

Using our final design, I also coded the home, schedule with, and creating a new event page.

Reflection

I learned a lot of design and development in this year-long project. It was nice to see it coming together, starting from figuring out the design and then towards the end, implementing the design and making the web app functional.