5. Strategy
The LLPA wants people to explore, discover, and learn about Earth’s diverse
ecosystems. Currently, visitors don’t have many ways to learn and interact with
the aquarium outside of actually being there. The Virtual Aquarium app will
allow users to have fun and learn on their own devices, and also give them a
reason to go back to the actual aquarium again.
Problem
Based off of our research where we interviewed people with kids that had gone
to the Aquarium, we found that our main audience would be young children,
and the typical stroller mom. A lot of the parents said that their older kids
might be a little bit interested, but that their younger kids would love it, and
that they would like to help their kids use the app. Other users would be
middle schoolers and teachers. We have created example users, or personas,
to describe the target users.
Target Users
5
6. PERSONAL INFORMATIONPERSONA PROFILE
USER GOALS AQUARIUM GOALS
Eric is a five year old boy who loves fish. He owns a pet fish and wants to have a large aquari-
um in his own house. Eric is always talking about fish to his friends and knows some facts that
others may not know. He loves the aquarium and wants to go back soon.
His interest with fish began at around age two, when his father bought a goldfish and placed
it in his room to help calm him down when he had an episode. Ever since then, he’s loved
fish and began to show great interest. He went to the aquarium with his aunt the next year
and aunt bought him a stuffed bull shark. Eric still has the shark and cherishes it highly. He
wishes to return soon and gains another stuffed animal, possibly another shark to add to his
Bull Shark.
Get an A in class.
Win (he especially wants to beat his
friends).
Allow ways to test different scenarios.
Provide teachers a way to let students use
the app for class.
Kindergarten
Draper, Utah
5
Has awesome mom and dad, and
an aunt who watches him a lot.
Playing with friends, coloring.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
COMPUTER EXPERIENCE
Education:
Home:
Age:
Home Life:
Hobbies:
Twice with his aunt.
Very little (a lot for his age though).
No.
Looks at the fish and occasionally
asks what the descriptions say.
Not allowed on the internet unless
he is being watched
disneyjunior.disney.com
Mom’s iPhone.
LLPA Visits:
Biology Knowledge:
Season Pass:
Visitor Behavior:
Internet Use:
Favorite Website:
Device Preference:
ERIC THE FIVE-YEAR-OLD
6
Loves fish.
In Kindergarten.
“I love the aquarium! I wish I could go there everyday!”
7. PERSONAL INFORMATIONPERSONA PROFILE
USER GOALS AQUARIUM GOALS
Connie grew up in California by the Ocean. She loved learning about fish when she was
young. Now that she is a mom, she wants to pass that on to her kids.
She has a season pass to the aquarium and she takes her kids often because she wants them
to have the same fascination for aquatic life as she did as a kid. Her kids love going to the
aquarium and they spend a lot of time there reading all about the animals.
Her four kids love going on adventures with their mom and learning new things. Her two
youngest kids aren’t in school yet so Connie wants to help them learn hands on so they are
ready to start school. Her other two kids are at the top of their classes at school and love to
learn.
Keep kids entertained.
Help kids learn about aquatic life.
Learn new things each time.
Give good reasons to come back regularly.
Make it fun and educational for multiple
ages.
Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Biology
at University of California
South Jordan, Utah
35
Stay at home mom.
Playing with her kids and blogging.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
COMPUTER EXPERIENCE
Education:
Home:
Age:
Work:
Hobbies:
Once a month for Family Night.
Expert.
Yes.
Older kids take time to read,
younger kids just look at the fish.
Fairly high.
Her blog.
iPhone.
LLPA Visits:
Biology Knowledge:
Season Pass:
Visitor Behavior:
Internet Use:
Favorite Website:
Device Preference:
CONNIE THE STROLLER MOM
7
Wants to have fun with her
kids.
Wants her kids to learn.
“I always want what is best for my kids. At the end of the day,
when I see a smile on their faces, I know I’ve done my job.”
8. PERSONAL INFORMATIONPERSONA PROFILE
USER GOALS AQUARIUM GOALS
Casey is 14 years old and a ninth grader at Pleasant Grove Junior High. He’s super competi-
tive. He is always trying to be the best of his friend group in everything he does, whether it’s
school, sports or video games. He will do just about anything to win. He is in a biology class
and needs just a little bump in his grade to get an A.
He is a super smart kid and wants to get straight A’s. His parents have always pushed his to
do well in school so it’s something that has just become expected of him. Casey is always
finding a way to turn things into a game, which has helped him in school a lot.
Get an A in class.
Win (he especially wants to beat his
friends).
Allow ways to test different scenarios.
Provide teachers a way to let students use
the app for class.
Pleasant Grove Junior High
Pleasant Grove, Utah
14
Oldest child of 3, parents push him
very hard to do well in school.
Video Games and Sports.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
COMPUTER EXPERIENCE
Education:
Home:
Age:
Home Life:
Hobbies:
Once for a field trip.
Novice.
No.
Took his time reading and learning
about everything.
High, several hours a day.
Twitter.com
iPhone.
LLPA Visits:
Biology Knowledge:
Season Pass:
Visitor Behavior:
Internet Use:
Favorite Website:
Device Preference:
CASEY THE MIDDLE SCHOOLER
8
Wants to get an A in class.
Very competitive.
“I want to get extra credit to get an A in the class.”
9. PERSONAL INFORMATIONPERSONA PROFILE
USER GOALS AQUARIUM GOALS
Being born and raised in Springville, Utah, Alyssa knows all about school spirit. Having
attended the very school she now teaches at has given her a leg up in the community. After
realizing a talent in teaching, Alyssa pursued a degree in education at Utah Valley University.
She graduated top of her class and began substitute teaching at Springville Jr High where
she is now a full-time employee.
As a teacher Alyssa is always looking for better opportunities to learn and grow alongside
her students. Many of her students are visual learners and could benefit from some interest-
ing yet educational field trips. She wants to provide the best learning experiences possible
to improve the education in Utah.
Find educational field trips.
Provide the best learning experiences.
Create a more collaborative classroom
environment.
Create a way for a teacher to use and
create an aquarium for their class.
Create a way for students to use their fish
in a classroom and at the aquarium.
Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary
Education from UVU.
Springville, Utah
26
6th Grade Teacher.
Climbing, blogging, TV.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
COMPUTER EXPERIENCE
Education:
Home:
Age:
Work:
Hobbies:
3 Times.
Average.
No.
Likes to take her time to learn.
Daily.
Facebook.
Laptop.
LLPA Visits:
Biology Knowledge:
Season Pass:
Visitor Behavior:
Internet Use:
Favorite Website:
Device Preference:
ALYSSA THE ELEMENTARY TEACHER
9
Wants the best for her
students.
Wants to find new ways to
teach.
“I want my students to get excited about my Ocean Unit.”
10. PERSONAL INFORMATIONPERSONA PROFILE
USER GOALS AQUARIUM GOALS
Arnold is a 39 year old supportive father of an 11 year old girl named Amelia. He grew up in
the state of Washington. His dad was always working and away from home. His father was
always very tech savvy. Although Arnold followed his dad’s footsteps and became a
hardworking business man, he had decided he wanted to be a very supportive father as well.
Although in the past he hasn’t had much time to be very supportive, he still works hard to do
so. After recently being laid off from Adobe, he has had plenty of time to spend with Amelia
while searching for a new job. Amelia has a school project in which she needs to go to the
Aquarium. Arnold wants to be supportive and help her get an A on her project. In Arnold’s
free time he enjoys gardening/landscaping, watching football, exercise/weight lifting, and
also reading car magazines and tech magazines.
Help his daughter succeed on her school
project.
Help his daughter get all the information
she needs to do well on her project.
Educate users on marine biology.
Create the app to be interactive and fun.
Bachelor’s Degree in Business and a
Master’s Degree in Marketing
Draper, Utah
39
In between jobs
Helping his daughter, tech stuff.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
COMPUTER EXPERIENCE
Education:
Home:
Age:
Work:
Hobbies:
Never.
College Biology.
No.
N/A
High, tech and car research
wired.com.
Samsung Galaxy.
LLPA Visits:
Biology Knowledge:
Season Pass:
Visitor Behavior:
Internet Use:
Favorite Website:
Device Preference:
ARNOLD THE SUPPORTIVE PARENT
10
Wants his daughter to get
an A on her school project.
Wants to help his daughter
succeed.
“My daughter needs help to get a good grade on her
school project.”
11. PERSONAL INFORMATIONPERSONA PROFILE
USER GOALS AQUARIUM GOALS
Frank was born in Utah, and when he was young he always loved camping and watching
animals. After an injury he couldn’t keep camping as he had in the past, but his interest lives
on. He has had two children, a son that is high school aged, and a daughter that recently
graduated high school. He met his wife while going to college, and she has been supportive
of him. His homelife is almost that of fiction, with minimal conflict all around.
He enjoys bringing his students to the LLPA, but it isn’t his favorite field trip of the year. Most
of his students are pretty disinterested, and range from curious to bored. At the school he
has a reputation for being strict, yet fair. His students are always tasked with writing an entry
about what they learned from the Aquarium, and what they enjoyed most. While he enjoys
the LLPA, he has grown tired of the curriculum that brings him there, and is wanting some-
thing new to hook the kids into the subject.
Inspire his students.
Keep his students interested.
Get his students to be interested and
come back.
Master’s in Biology from BYU.
Provo, Utah
44
Middle School Biology teacher
He enjoys reading and science.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
COMPUTER EXPERIENCE
Education:
Home:
Age:
Work:
Hobbies:
At least one field trip a year
Master’s Degree.
No.
Reads everything to his classes.
Minimal.
NationalGeographic.com
Desktop Computer.
LLPA Visits:
Biology Knowledge:
Season Pass:
Visitor Behavior:
Internet Use:
Favorite Website:
Device Preference:
FRANK THE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER
11
Wants his students to learn
Wants something new for
his class
“I want something new for my class.”
12. Strategy 12
Kid Friendly
It should be simple, uncomplicated,
and not overwhelming
Entertaining
It should have fun colors and
animations, have it be interactive and
responsive
Realistic
We want it to imitate actual
environments, and have real looking
fish to help teach
Design Principles
14. Scope 14
Create Fish
• Choose size (large, medium, small)
• Choose head, body, tail, fins
• Choose color/texture
• Save fish
• Name fish
• View my fish list
• Delete fish from list
Virtual Aquarium
• View the Virtual Aquarium
• View Leaderboard and Stats
• View a selected fish close-up
• Add a fish to the Virtual Aquarium from My Fish
List (if at the Aquarium)
Create Aquarium
• Customize aquarium
• Add fish from my fish list
• Delete fish from aquarium
• See fish stats (see above)
• See fish close-up
• Reset Aquarium
Requirements
19. Skeleton
2.0 Menu
1
2
5
6
3
4
1
Closes the Menu. Tapping outside of
the menu will also close it
2
Go to 3.0 LLPA Aquarium
3
Go to 4.0 My Aquariums
4
Go to 5.0 My Fish
5
Go to 6.0 Create Aquarium
7
Go to 7.0 Create Fish
19
20. Skeleton
3.0 LLPA Aquarium
1 2
5
6
3
4
1
Opens 2.0 Menu
2
Opens 5.0 My Fish
3
Displays helpful information about
the aquarium and fish
4
Select a fish
5
Go to 3.1 Fish Stats (when a fish is
selected)
6
Automatically find and select your
own fish
20
21. Skeleton
3.1 Fish Stats
1
1
Tap outside the box to close the
pop-up (this is the same for all the pop-
ups throughout the design)
21
25. Skeleton
6.0 Create Aquarium
1
2
3
4
1
Displays selected theme for new
Aquarium (can swipe to switch themes)
2
Shows which theme is selected and
allows user to cycle through them
3
Type in name for Aquarium
4
Complete the Aquarium (Brings user
back to 4.0 My Aquariums - in the
prototype it just brings the user back to
Aquarium)
25
26. Skeleton
7.0-7.5 Create Fish
5
7
4
21
3
1
Brings you to the previous attribute
2
Brings you to the next attribute
3
Choose which attributes you are
looking at
4
Display helpful information and stats
about currently selected part
5
Select fish part/color
6
Displays current page and allows
you to swipe for more choices
7
Closes Create Fish and goes back to
Aquarium
26
27. Skeleton
7.6 Finish
1
2
1
Type in name for the fish
2
Complete the fish (Brings user back
to 5.0 My Fish - in the prototype it just
brings the user back to Aquarium)
27
32. Testing 32
My team and I are working with the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium to create an app for customers
to use to learn more about fish and their environments in a way that is both fun and educational. We
have been working on a prototype for this app and we were wondering if you would be willing to
spend a couple of minutes of your time testing it out so we can learn from users what works best and
how we can improve our app.
(If they say yes, then continue.)
The aquarium wants to create an app where users can create their own fish and submit them to a
virtual aquarium located at the LLPA. Users who submit their fish do so in hopes that they created a
fish that can survive longer than the other fish. On this app, you can create fish, learn about different
fish parts, and put the fish either in your own aquarium, or the LLPA virtual aquarium for competition.
You can use the app anytime, but you must be at the LLPA to submit your fish into the virtual
aquarium. You can track your fish from home and see how it is doing compared to other fish. The app
is free and is supposed to be fun and educational.
(Room for questions about the app. Answer the questions.)
The app at this point is just a prototype and isn’t quite fully functional. For example, one of the main
features of this app is creating a fish. Although you can go through the process of what it would look
like and feel like to create one, you can’t actually personalize it and explore the different options at
this point. I am going to ask you to complete a couple of tasks so we can learn more about our app
and how to improve it. As you do these tasks, don’t be afraid to voice aloud your thought process as
you do it. For example, if you are having trouble completing the task, say so and mention why. I will
observe from the side and let you do the work as you navigate through the prototype. Feel free to
critique anything, offer suggestions, or just comment on things you like. This is just a learning process
for us, so there’s nothing wrong if you feel confused or have trouble with things. The point of this
process is for us to learn.
3 tasks:
1. Create a fish
2. View the stats of your fish in the Virtual Aquarium
3. Place a fish from your Aquarium into the Virtual Aquarium
I tested 5 people, all between the ages of 18 and 30. Other than being frustrated with not being able
to use a fully functional app, here are the things I learned about our app and what is confusing or
could be improved through the three tasks I had them do.
First task: Create a fish
Problems:
1. Tried clicking on the fish right off the bat. (Multiple people did this)
2. Went to add fish first instead of create (everyone went to add fish instead of using the menu.
Which is okay because you can access it either way, but still)
3. Wanted to click on the ‘info’ circle, got frustrated when it didn’t do anything
4. Didn’t even notice the menu for probably a whole minute
5. Said main page should be the open menu
Only one person got it right off the bat. Other than wanting to create the fish their own way (and not
the way you have to create it for the simulation to work), they seemed to enjoy and easily understand
the process.
Second task: View the stats of your fish (in the Virtual Aquarium)
Problems:
1. Many people were confused what the Virtual Aquarium is because it doesn’t have a label like
the home aquarium does.
2. One person found the stats easily but suggested that you should be able to see the stats of
everyone’s fish, not just your own.
3. Thinks it should be a menu option
Most people found this one relatively quickly and they liked this feature. Mainly positive feedback.
Third Task: Place a fish into the Virtual Aquarium
Problems:
1. Said the process is confusing
2. Kept clicking on all the fish in the aquarium with no results
3. Once they found add fish they thought it made sense
4. Needed feedback after submitting fish so they know they did it right.
5. Didn’t know what to do when they got to their home aquarium
6. Clicked fish in home aquarium
This task took the longest. The users weren’t sure where to tap, and didn’t know when they had
actually completed the task. Since there is no feedback provided saying something along the lines of
“your fish is now in the virtual aquarium,” they got very confused. Many people didn’t know exactly
what add fish meant. Does it mean create a fish? Does it mean add a fish to the home aquarium?
A lot of these problems are due to the prototype just not being fully functional and are fairly easy
fixes.
Script Results
33. Recommendations 33
Some of the recommendations would be to have the menu open from the beginning so
that people know where the menu is, and can go wherever they want to go right from the
get-go. Another thing is labeling the LLPA Aquarium the same as the Home Aquarium. The
menu items should maybe look more like buttons instead of just text, especially the LLPA
one, because it might just look like a logo instead of a button. Users should probably be
able to see their fish’s stats from the My Fish page, and should also be an option from the
menu as well. When adding a fish to an aquarium it should have some feedback (maybe a
“plop” in the water sound so that the user knows that it worked.
A lot of the issues people expressed mostly had to do with the prototype not being fully
functional. A lot of people would appreciate a quick tutorial or at least something
highlighting the different functions of the app.
34. Time Logs 34
Time Log (v 1.0, TKC) 1
Individual Time Log
Student Name: Anna Sharp Semester: Spring 2017
Date Task Description Hours
1/31 Visiting the Aquarium 1
3/7 Creating Interview Questions .5
3/10 Interviewing .5
3/10 Putting the Interview Data into Graphs .5
3/20 Prototype 7.5
3/23 Storyboards 1
4/6 Team design 2
4/9 Team Usability Test 2
4/24 Final project 1
Total 16
Time Log (v 1.0, TKC) 1
Individual Time Log
Student Name:_Ashley Hayes___________________________________ Semester: _Spring__
Date Task Description Hours
1/31 Aquarium Visit 2
2/1 Create Interview Questions 1
2/5 Interview 10 people .5
2/7 Put data into graphs 2.5
2/15 Create design principals 1
3/8 Create a project brief and design 9
3/15 Usability test .5
3/21 Personas 2
3/21 Storyboards .5
4/1 Team design 1
4/15 Team usability test and findings 2
4/24 on Final project 3
Total 26
35. 1
Time Log (v 1.0, TKC)
Individual Time Log
Student Name:___Darrin Harvard___ Semester: ____DGM 2240-001 Spring 2017____
Date Task Description Hours
01/31/17 Visit to Aquarium to meet with LLPA Team 2.5
02/15/17 T3 Design Principles 1
03/06/17 How Might We Questions/Project Brief 1(class)
1(outside)
03/07/17 Phone Interview 0.75
04/03/17 Mobile App Design 3
04/04/17 Mobile App Design/Documentation 7
04/05/17 Mob App Design Documentation 2
04/11/17 Persona 1
04/19/17 Persona Update 0.5
04/19/17 Team Mobile App Design 1
04/24/17 Team Mobile App Design 1
Total 21.75
Hours
Time Log (v 1.0, TKC) 1
Individual Time Log
Student Name: _Zach Chilcote_______________________ Semester: Spring 2017_____
Date Task Description Hours
1/20/17 Initial -optional- meeting at the Aquarium 2
2/1/17 Meeting at the Aquarium with class 2
4/8/17 Created design prototype 4
4/11/17 Drafted Persona 2
4/12/17 Finalized Persona 2
Total 10
Time Logs 35
36. Time Log (v 1.0, TKC) 1
Individual Time Log
Student Name: Jonathan Irwin Semester: Spring 2017
Date Task Description Hours
Jan 31 Visit the LLPA 1.5
Feb 27 Interviews 0.5
Mar 6 Mobile App Project Brief 1.0
Mar 7 Mobile App Project Brief 2.0
Mar 8 Mobile App Project Brief 0.5
Mar 31 Mobile App Design/Prototype 2.0
Apr 1 Mobile App Design/Prototype 4.5
Apr 2 Mobile App Design/Prototype 6.0
Apr 3 Mobile App Design/Prototype 8.5
Apr 4 Mobile App Design/Prototype 5.0
Apr 5 Mobile App Design/Prototype 1.5
Apr 11 Persona 1.5
Apr 17 Design Doc/Prototype Revising 3
Apr 24 Design Doc 4.5
Total 42
Time Log (v 1.0, TKC) 1
Individual Time Log
Student Name:___Ben Hutching____ Semester: ___Fall 2016-2017______
Date Task Description Hours
01/31/17 Attended Aquarium and had meeting. 3
02/04/17 Started sketching on paper app design ideas. 2
02/08/17 Decided on a design layout. 1
02/28/17 Started doing mock ups on invision. 2
03/20/17 Scrapped original design started new mockup 2
03/25/17 Created site map 1
04/03/17 Started creating boards on sketch 3
04/05/17 Began experimenting with hotspots (invision) 2
04/10/17 Finished creating basic structure of invisionapp
for aquarium
4
04/12/17 Smoothed over design, made more appealing. 1
04/17/17 Collaborated with group, decided on bits and
pieces to be implemented in final design.
2
04/19/17 Created personas and collaborated on the
realism and changes that needed to be made.
3
Total 26 Hours
Time Logs 36
