LeetCard
Cross Platform App
January 2024 - March 2024
The LeetCard app project aimed to fill a gap in the existing flashcard apps and Leedcode study tools. As a UI/UX Designer, my role was to create a user-friendly and visually appealing study app specifically made for software engineers.
What I did
- UX Design
- UI Design
/Problem
Our project begin with the developer's own struggles with LeetCode while job hunting. Recognizing the need for a tool to quickly refresh memories on problems they've solved, we created a solution to help developers prepare efficiently for technical interviews.
Currently, many individuals rely on Excel or spreadsheets to organize and track the LeetCode problems they've solved. However, these methods often lack efficiency and can be cumbersome to manage effectively. Our solution aims to streamline this process by providing a dedicated platform specifically tailored for organizing and tracking LeetCode problems, offering a more user-friendly and efficient alternative to traditional spreadsheet-based methods.
/Design Process
The design process for LeetCard follows a lean ux approach. I began by researching whether people who use Leetcode would like to use a flashcard app to help them study. This help me quickly evaluate the idea and decide whether to move forward with the project.
Think
I conducted a competitive analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing LeetCode study tools. This helped me understand the market landscape and identify opportunities for improvement. I found that users were crafting their own solutions by combining different available services, or build their own tools, rather than having direct competitors. I identified the key components users were utilizing. I then synthesized the most effective features from these services to create a cohesive user experience for our product.
User Persona
I created a persona to represent our target user, a software engineer who is preparing for technical interviews. This persona helped me understand the user's needs, goals, and pain points, guiding the design process to ensure the app would meet the user's expectations and provide value.
Make
To keep the MVP simple, I focused on the core features that would provide the most value to users. The original plan was to include only the Study Plan and All Cards, however, as the project progressed, the developer decided a Profile page is critical for the MVP. This addition ensures users can securely save their data, mitigating concerns about content loss and enhancing the overall platform experience.
Mock-up
With the MVP in mind, I created prototypes to visualize the app's layout and functionality. With minor navication changes, I decided to utalize a bottom navigation bar to provide a more intuitive user experience. This design choice was made to ensure users could easily navigate between Study Plan and All Cards in case they wanted to switch between the two frequently when organizing their study plans.
Check
We decided to launch the app without conducting user testing, opting instead to rely on monitoring user usage data for insights to drive improvements. While traditional user testing offers valuable feedback, we believed that releasing the product to the market swiftly would provide us with real-world usage data and a more comprehensive understanding of user behaviors and preferences. By closely analyzing user interactions and feedback post-launch, we are committed to iteratively refining the app to enhance its usability and functionality, ensuring a user-centric experience.
On the day of our iOS version launch, our developer took to Reddit to share news about our product, and the response was overwhelmingly positive, garnering over 300 upvotes within a single day. Many users requested an Android version, which is still a work in progress. Additionally, interest in a web version confirmed alignment with our future plans.
/Future Directions
Although the number of downloads was way higher than expected, the active users were lower than we anticipated. We are currently working on improving the app's retention rate by adding more features and enhancing the user experience. We are also planning to conduct user interviews to gather feedback and insights to further refine the app and ensure it meets the needs of our target users.
The app had a successful launch, with over 1,000 downloads within the first two weeks. The app has been well-received by users, with many expressing their appreciation for the aesthetic design and user-friendly UI. We are excited to continue improving the app and expanding its features to provide a comprehensive study tool for software engineers.