4.1 [Preliminary Work] Thesis 1: Major Project / Thesis Materials

GR810_OL2: Thesis

Instructor: Laurie Makela

Week 4: Visual System

Before starting to design the user flow, I first determined the objectives and needs of the application. Considering this is a space elevator travel website and app, my goal was to assist users in making space travel reservations, purchasing tickets, obtaining information, and engaging in community discussions. I initially sketched out some core functionalities, such as logging in, registering, purchasing tickets, and viewing space activities. Then, I started to think about the relationships and logic among these features. To distinguish the app from the website, I added some valuable features to the app, such as the space photo challenge, space blog forum, and points redemption for space journeys.

The most interesting part of this space elevator user flow was approaching it entirely from an audience's perspective. I turned myself into the whole experience throughout the process, personally contemplating and navigating every step. This perspective allowed me to fully comprehend the complexities of each stage as well as the genuine intent behind the design of each feature. From the moment users first open the app, register, and select their space travel date to participate in the space photo challenge and communicate with other space enthusiasts in the space blog forum. Such an immersive experience enhanced my logical abilities. It gave me a profound understanding of users' challenges, needs, and expectations, enabling me to offer them a more refined Website and App.