The Baltimore Orchard Project (BOP) is a project of Civic Works which strengthens communities through planting and cultivating orchards, teaching citizens to be long-term stewards, and sharing the harvest among neighbors. With the idea of a potential mobile app in mind, BOP partnered with the University of Baltimore’s Interaction Design and Information Architecture program to engage in several user research and user experience design activities including: creating personas, developing heuristics and conducting an in-depth user/statistical report, usability testing/ field work, wireframing, paper prototypes, tech Prototypes (Axure), information architecture and a competitive analysis.

1. Baltimore Orchard Project App
Facilitating Community
Justin Scruggs
Kate Coates
Pamela Gibbs
IDIA 612
05.09.16

2. To design an engaging mobile application for
individuals seeking grow and enhance his/her
connection to the community through the
building of individual and communal knowledge
of the local fruit and nut tree populations.
2
GOAL

3. 3
Through preliminary research we found...

4. 4
Unsplash, n.d.
Young adults are known as being the
most likely demographic to use
technology as a means of connecting to
others.
These “individuals use social-networking
sites to experience selective, efficient, and
immediate connection with others for their
(mediated) interpersonal communication
satisfaction and as an ongoing way to
seek the approval and support of other
people” (Urista, Dong & Day, 2008).

5. 5
(“Grandparents-Child,” n.d.)
Despite the common misconception that older
adults (55+) are adverse to technology (Arning
and Ziefle, 2006, 2008; Melenhorst et al., 2006),
they are also one of the most likely
demographics to bring others into the fold
when it comes to personal and technological
devices and/or endeavors (Kurniawan, 2008)
through their pursuit of personal connection
and/or assistance.
As of May 2013, “88% of 50 to 64 year olds,
and 57% of Americans 65 years old and older
reported regular internet use (Fox & Rainie, 2014;
Zickuhr, 2013).

6. 6(WSJ, 2015)
Though low income and low literacy
population is the demographic most likely
to not to have access to the Internet at
home, they tend to be heavily dependent
on mobile technology.
“49 percent of children living in households
with incomes of less than $15,000 had access
to a computer at home, while households
bringing in $75,000 or more almost reaches
94 percent (Zichuhr & Smith,, 2012).
Furthermore, those with “no college
experience, and lower household income
levels are more likely to say that their phone
is main source of internet access” (Pew
Research Center, 2012).

7. We focused our efforts on creating a digital
environment for individuals who are statistically
most likely to initiate interest in others -- young
adults and older (55+) adults -- as well as the
large percentage of low literate Baltimoreans.
7
Keeping these demographics in mind...

8. 8
Through our extended research we uncovered
some prevalent heuristics & industry
practices that we used moving forward with
our application design...

9. 9
Young Adult Persona
Thomas Eggers
“I like finding new
ways to connect with
people using social
networks.”
Older (55+) Adult Persona
Charles Salley
Low Income / Low Lit Persona
Briana Jackson
“Lots of text makes
me uncomfortable. I
don’t like things that
make me feel like I’m
dumb. They get
deleted.”
“Community is
important to me,
especially now that I
am retired. I guess I
am just looking for a
way to be more
involved in it”

10. 10
For Young Adults
Top 5 Heuristics
1. Utilize spaces that promote
community.
2. Build off of established
connections.
3. Focus on mobile devices.
4. Provide only a few options.
5. Create a sense of social
community.
For Older (55+) Adults
Top 5 Heuristics
1. Keep it simple.
2. Make it personal.
3. Facilitate a sense of
community/belonging.
4. Avoid distraction unless used
deliberately to transition
attention.
5. Use recognition over recall.
For Low Income / Low Literacy
Top 5 Heuristics
1. Write actionable content.
2. Display content clearly.
3. Utilize graphics and audio
whenever possible.
4. Provide feedback.
5. Engage users.
Investigated Apps: Charity Miles Investigated Apps: Pillboxie; iCanFit;
Words with Friends; Cityville
Investigated Apps: myfamily

11. The Paper Prototype1

12. 12
Our Methodology
We tested our paper prototype on six users:
● 2 Young Adults (1 male, 1 female)
● 2 Older (55+) Adults (1 male, 1 female)
● 2 Low Literacy / Low Income Adults (1 male, 1 female)
Each paper prototyping session included
one facilitator/computer, one note taker,
and one user.
To ensure consistency across sessions,
each session used the same introductory
script, user consent form, and user task
sheet.

13. THE FACILITATOR / COMPUTER
Facilitator role:
● Introduced the session via the script. This
script included:
● Conveying general introductions
● Obtaining the signed consent form
● Describing methodology
● Introducing the concept of a task list
● Concluded the session with a brief wrap up,
including:
● Likes / Dislikes / Recommendations
● Appreciation for having participated
Computer role:
● Revealed tasks to the user one-by-one
● Manipulated the paper prototyping
components in accordance with user action
● Note: When filling this role, the user could only
interact with the prototype without outside
assistance
13

14. THE NOTE TAKER
● Used note taking sheet to:
○ Indicate task fulfillment
■ Green = successfully completed
■ Yellow = completed with difficulty
■ Red = task failed (needed assistance)
○ Write down general observations or user
comments
○ Note pertinent info (i.e. demographic information)
○ Capture parts of the session facilitator/computer
may have missed via audio/video recording
14

15. THE USER
● Read and performed the tasks as revealed by the
facilitator/computer on the user worksheet
● Indicated with their finger what actions that he/she
wanted to take on the paper prototype
● Vocalized anything that was unexpected, confusing,
helpful, etc. for the note taker to capture
15

16. 16
6 successfully completed the task
One user wanted ability to add photo
when creating account => Added this in
Two users would have benefited from
having password requirements visible
during password creation => Added
auto pop up on entering password field
Task 3
Create a post about a tree.
Task 1
Register with the app.
Task 2
Find & subscribe to a tree.
5 successfully completed the task;
1 with difficulty
Two users clicked find or attempted to
filter without entering zipcode / location
info to bring back results => Added
error message
Appreciated provided app feedback
3 successfully completed the task;
2 with difficulty; 1 failed
Three users struggled with handwritten/
handdrawn format and either couldn’t
distinguish the Facebook-like type field
=> Modified to indicate type field more
prominently & increase legibility
Two users revisited the tree profile under
“Find trees” first (more roundabout) =>
Included ability to add post there too

17. 17
4 successfully completed the task;
2 with difficulty
Four users used the graphic to reach
the tree profile.
One low-lit user clicked on a tree with
an action and hit “Take Action” rather
than “View” and then used menu to
reach tree profile,
One older used the messages in the
subscription feed to link back to a tree
profile
Task 6
Send friend request.
Task 5
View who is also subscribed.
3 successfully completed the task;
3 with difficulty
Three users had confusion regarding
“Friends” versus “Community” tab =>
Added explanatory screen when
entering friends page; provide clearer
indication when inside of a tree profile
4 successfully completed the task;
1 with difficulty; 1 failed
One older user was confused if this was
on the tree profile or within the Friends
tab => Change star icon into word form
because it’s not translating
One older user didn’t understand what
the task was asking.
Task 4
View a tree profile.

18. 18
5 successfully completed the task;
1 accidental task skip
Task 9
Find & request Matt’s friendship.
3 successfully completed the task;
1 with difficulty; 2 failed
Three users could not find the menu
without guidance and/or extensive
search => Use word menu rather than
hamburger menu icon
5 successfully completed the task;
1 with difficulty
One older user felt prototype didn’t have
enough detail to succeed => Added
more detail
Task 7
View facts about the tree.
Task 8
View all in-app friends.

19. 19
2 successfully completed the task;
4 with difficulty
Three users had trouble finding the
event filter due to styling reasons =>
Make filter look more like a button than
a title for the calendar
Three users clicked the event itself
rather than the ellipsis => Change
ellipsis to “View” or have entire event
be a link to follow user expectation
Task 12
Change your password.
5 successfully completed the task;
1 accidental task skip
6 successfully completed the task
Task 10
Register to attend May 16th event.
Task 11
Share an event via email.

20. 20
5 successfully completed the task;
1 with difficulty
One user clicked “push notifications”
first; labeling confusion => Break up
settings into chunks to find things
easier
Task 15
Accept event invite.
2 successfully completed the task;
3 with difficulty
Three users had trouble with
understanding notification icon => Use
word notification as well as the icon
One older users had trouble with
understanding difference between posts
on a feed and notifications => Use word
notification as well as the icon to draw
attention & increase clarity
5 successfully completed the task;
1 with difficulty
Need indicator when a notification
comes in for prototype => Added after
1st session
Task 13
Change your email notifications.
Task 14
View personal notifications.

21. 21
5 successfully completed the task;
1 with difficulty
One older user first attempted to use
the Friends tab instead of Messages
tab
5 successfully completed the task;
1 with difficulty
One user indicated more detail was
needed to be more successful =>
Added detail
Task 16
View the personal message.
Task 17
Search for a personal message.

22. The Digital Prototype2

23. Our Methodology
We tested our digital prototype on six users:
● 2 Young Adults (1 male, 1 female)
● 2 Older (55+) Adults (1 male, 1 female)
● 2 Low Literacy / Low Income Adults (1 male, 1 female)
Other testing methods remained consistent
from the paper prototype session with slight
modifications to the introductory script and
user task sheet.
The digital prototype contained the most
up-to-date paper prototype revisions
following user feedback.
23

24. 6 successfully completed the task
24
Task 3
View a subscribed tree.
Task 1
Register with the app.
Task 2
Find & subscribe to a tree.
6 successfully completed the task 6 successfully completed the task

25. 25
6 successfully completed the task
Task 6
Send friend request to Ally H.
Task 5
View who is also subscribed.
2 successfully completed the task;
4 with difficulty
One user had difficulty aligning this task
with the community tab => Proposal to
change the verbiage to align more strongly
with what that area contains or educate
first time users (include on screen
explanation of tab contents)
Both older users had trouble understanding
back arrow => Return to on screen menu
bar similar to app navigation
6 successfully completed the task
Task 4
Create a post about that tree.

26. 26
6 successfully completed the task
Task 9
Request Abby B.’s friendship.
4 successfully completed the task;
2 with difficulty
Both older users missed the button on the
friends page and went to the notifications
area to do this task => Allow this task to be
completed in both areas. Make the button
on the Friends page much more prominent
visually.
6 successfully completed the task
Task 7
View all in-app friends.
Task 8
Accept the new friend request.

27. 27
5 successfully completed the task;
1 with difficulty
One user clicked within the last name field,
recognized an error in first name, returned
to first name field but then inner label for
“lastname” indicator had vanished so didn’t
know what info was meant to be entered
there and skipped the field => Corrected
this issue during testing so the form field
descriptors were always present in these
instances
Task 12
Change your password.
5 successfully completed the task;
1 with difficulty
One user entered a users name instead of
their email address => Add an error
message if form fields are not correctly
filled out
5 successfully completed the task;
1 with difficulty
One user wanted to look in the privacy
section to complete this task before
successfully navigating to the general section
=> Ensure clarity of categorization (would
require further testing to further evaluate if
current hierarchy is appropriate)
Task 10
Register to attend May 16th event.
Task 11
Share an event via email.

28. 28
4 successfully completed the task;
2 with difficulty
Both older users focused on the word
notifications in the task and navigated to the
notifications area of the app before
returning to settings and completing the
task => Could possibly be due to lack of
focus and a bit of stress in a monitored
setting
Task 15
Reject the friend request from
Tom.
6 successfully completed the task 6 successfully completed the task
Task 13
Turn off your email notifications.
Task 14
View personal notifications.

29. 29
6 successfully completed the task
Task 16
View the unread message & respond.

30. Final Recommendations3

31. 31
Moving forward we recommend...
● Ensure that navigational items are not hidden or abstracted
○ Paper prototyping indicated the need to avoid iconographic-only cues regarding navigational items. Adding textual
accompaniment for menu items assisted but digital prototyping revealed that an always present lower navbar
tremendously aided efficiency and understanding. This fact was reaffirmed when we transitioned away from an always
present internal tree profile navigation for our digital prototypes, causing some users struggle more than within the
digital prototypes.
● Continue investigation of gamification features such as digital badges
○ Our testing was only able to very briefly touch on the concept of using fun badges attained after completing certain
tasks (ex. Wiley Weeder Badge) to motivate the app users and bridge a connection between real world action and in-app
participation. These publically-facing badges could be used as a means of competing with others and increasing feelings
of self-accomplishment. Incorporating this could provide great benefit for all user groups we investigated.
● Provide feedback (but also allow a way out if that feedback is not wanted)
○ While most users benefited from feedback, those more experienced users (or those who believed themselves to be) felt
as though feedback could be annoying. Keeping page explanations limited to first time usage is important as well as
allowing users the ability to quickly opt out of notices such as task completion feedback.

32. 32
Additionally…
● Keep elements and underlying architecture simple and intuitive
○ The use of consistent, clean and intuitive design practices to increase users comfort within their digital environment. The
practice of properly scoping the amount of material to present to the user, and grouping different functionality in logical
and consistent ways. This practice helps to not overwhelm the user with options, as well as allows an experience that
allows an organization to target across a broad spectrum of demographics.

33. Thank you.
33

34. References
Arning, K., & Ziefle, M. (2006). What older users expect from mobile devices: an empirical survey. In Proceedings of the 16th World
Congress on Ergonomics (IEA). Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Fox, S., & Rainie, L. (2014, February 27). The Web at 25 in the U.S. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/27/the-web-
at-25- in-the- u-s/
Grandparents-Child Photograph. (n.d.). Retrieved May 7, 2016, from http://mypage.siu.edu/~SIU850019459/img/Grandparents-Child.jpg
Kurniawan, S. (2008). Older people and mobile phones: A multi-method investigation. International Journal of Human-Computer
Studies, 66(12), 889–901. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2008.03.002
WSJ Poverty Rates Graphic. (2015). Baltimore’s Demographic Divide. Retrieved May 7, 2016, from
graphics.wsj.com/baltimore-demographics
Urista, M., Dong, Q., & Day, K. (2008). Explaining Why Young Adults Use MySpace and Facebook Through Uses and Gratifications
Theory. USA.
United States Census Bureau. (2015). Quick facts: Baltimore city, Maryland (county). Retrieved from:
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/24510
DeNavas-Walt, C., Proctor, B. D. U.S. (2014). Income and poverty in the United States: 2013, Current population reports, Census Bureau,
P60-252.
Child Trends DataBank. (2015). Home computer access and internet use. Retrieved from:
http://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=home-computer-access
34

35. Appendix
35

36. User Profile: Marcus Smith
Profile
Age: 19 years old
Location: Baltimore, MD (Living in a row home with
the mother of his child Krystal-17 years old, her 2
sisters and mother)
Marital Status: Unmarried
Education: GED Diploma; just accepted to Stratford
to pursue his Associates of Applied Science in
Advanced Culinary Arts
Occupation: Arraber Apprentice/Cook/Student
Financial Status: $18,000 per year
Personality: Outgoing, hard-working, determined to
succeed at all costs
Hobbies: Taking his Krystal and 2yr old son Bryce to
the park, reading, cooking, going to the movies
Technical Skillset: Comfortable with simple tasks;
signed up to attend a few classes offered by Enoch
Pratt Library in preparation for school
Limitations
Does not have access to computer at home-
uses library computer which has restrictions
length of use at one time, and hours of
availability; has cell phone but plan is low cost,
thus limited data plan
Personal Goals:
1. To provide neighborhood with access to healthy
food alternatives-neighborhood is riddled with
corner stores, fast food joints, and liquor stores,
which all lack fresh produce
2. To learn about new foods, be introduced to new
recipes and ways to prepare meals with
unexpected ingredients; loves to add such
information his cookbook-aspires to be a Master
Chef one day
3. To somehow use his volunteering as a resume
builder/internship
4. To keep himself occupied and focused; does
not get pulled back into his old lifestyle- did a
short stint in “juvie” for selling drugs, or ever see
the inside of another detention center
Low Income Profile

37. User Profile: Brianna Jackson
Profile
Age: 15 years old
Location: Baltimore, MD (Lives with her widowed
grandmother, a retired teacher of 28 years, who she
loving refers to as “Big Mama”, her best friend and
cousin Tanya-15 years old, older brother Charles-16
years old, and dog named Oreo because he is black
and white)
Marital Status: N/A
Education: Baltimore Community High school, 9th
grade
Occupation: Student & a very proud Senior Girl
Scout
Financial Status: N/A
Personality: Bubbly, inquisitive, eager to learn
Hobbies: Eating ice cream, biology, art, dancing,
singing, gardening with Big Momma, and going to
the pool
Technical Skillset: Comfortable with technology
Limitations
Enrolled in math and reading tutoring offered by
the No Child Left Behind Program of the
Enrichment Center in Baltimore- so complex
applications cause confusion, discomfort and
disinterest; intimidated by too many words/too
much information-makes her feel dumb and
overwhelmed; needs guidance on what to do next.
Personal Goals:
1. To challenge herself by learning something
different/new
2. To get a head start on her service learning-
requirement needed in order to graduate
high school
3. To complete her Take Action Project with the
Girl Scouts-come up with the “dopest” idea
ever to do as her Girls Scout Brownie Project
4. Take action projects are sustainable and
address a root cause of an issue; they make
the world a better place for more people or a
much longer time (Girl Scouts, 2016)
Low Literacy Profile

38. User Profile: Thomas Eggers
Profile
Age: 26 years old
Location: Baltimore, MD
Marital Status: Married
Education: Bachelor of Arts
Occupation: Youth Pastor in Baltimore City
Financial Status: $32,000 per year
Personality: Outgoing, responsible, optimistic,
encouraging
Hobbies: Listening to podcasts, going to shows,
church functions
Technical Skillset: Understanding of basic internet
usage skills, Microsoft Office, some Photoshop
experience. Uses his smartphone and laptop
computer consistently to post to social media for
work purposes, plan youth group activities, and
communicate with youth
Limitations
Schedule affects what goals he has while
interacting with technology
Personal Goals:
1. To leverage his youth’s social media and
mobile device use and gear it toward
building relationships
2. To cultivate an atmosphere of social
responsibility, not only within his church
community, but the community in and
around Baltimore city at large
3. To discover activities for his youth group
students that will get them involved with
philanthropic tasks
Young Adult Profile

39. User Profile: Charles Salley
Profile
Age: 65 years old
Location: Baltimore, MD (Co-habits townhome with
daugher and 3 grandchildren )
Marital Status: Divorced
Education: B.S. in Economics from UMBC
Occupation: Recently retired from financial
planning; Currently part time caretaker of
grandchildren
Financial Status: $50,000 per year
Personality: Typically a friendly people-person;
Recently has become more depressed and lonely
post retirement
Hobbies: Gardening; Reading; Watching grandkids;
Spending time outdoors
Technical Skillset: Average skillset on desktop
computer especially on familiar programs used when
working; Owns smartphone but less knowledgeable
of functionality
Limitations
Personal Goals:
1. To discover a newfound sense of
community within Baltimore city
2. To increase internal feelings of self-worth
post-retirement
3. To make societal impact
4. To instill similar passions as himself in his
grandkids (i.e. gardening, reading, etc.)
5. To find opportunities to engage with other
adults during the day (not only after
standard work hours)
6. To find opportunities to “stay sharp”Older Adult Profile