The Guide to Duxbury Mobile App
The Guide to Duxbury app gives residents access to key features and town services to help them stay informed, connected, and engaged with their community.
The Problem
The Solution
Municipal websites are notorious for poor user experiences. Residents often face an overwhelming maze of pages and clutter just to complete simple tasks like paying taxes or requesting a birth certificate. But what if the most important information for residents could be separated from the noise?
Duxbury, a small town on the coast of Massachusetts, could benefit from a mobile app designed for its residents. Functioning as a companion to the town’s website, the Duxbury app organizes key information in a simple, accessible format with a visually appealing, easy-to-navigate interface. The app gives residents access to key features and town services to help them stay informed, connected, and engaged with their community.
Information & Architecture
To begin the design of the app, I first created a sitemap of the current Duxbury municipal site to get a base understanding of everything included on it. During this process, the site’s information architecture (IA) was assessed and analyzed to find inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement. I then redesigned the site's information architecture, focusing on the needs of resident users.
Analyzing the website's sitemap allowed me to identify the user needs and requirements for an app. While the city’s website serves a broad audience of residents and visitors, the app is specifically designed for residents, which means that it will need to provide quick, on-the-go access to essential town services and updates. From here, I designed the app’s sitemap to plan out what type of content will be offered on the app and how it will function. The sitemap includes resident-focused content from the city’s website, such as bill payments, permit applications, public works requests, and emergency notifications.
Current Website IA Sitemap
New Website IA Sitemap Proposal
Companion App Sitemap
Target Audience
The target audience of the Guide to Duxbury app consists of new and long-time Duxbury residents who rely on their mobile devices for town updates and alerts, and up-to-date information on events, government, and the community. Residents who will use the app, especially those who are familiar with the Duxbury site, will benefit from a more convenient way of accessing information and resources.
Personas
After creating a site map and defining user needs, 3 personas were identified for further app development.
Jim
Age: 39
Education: MBA
Occupation: Business Manager
Residency: Moved to Duxbury 12 years ago after getting married.
“As a working parent, I want to pay my property taxes quickly through the app so I don’t have to worry about missing deadlines.”
Rachel
Age: 27
Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Occupation: Therapist
Residency: Recently married, just moved to Duxbury. Looking to get involved and get settled.
“As a new resident, I want to apply for a beach parking sticker easily so I can enjoy the summer without hassle.”
User Needs
Mobile-friendly bill payment options
Easy permit and license applications
Event and meeting information on-the-go
Centralized access to up-to-date resources
Personalized notifications
Jen
Age: 34
Education: High School
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Residency: Has lived in Duxbury ever since starting her business 10 years ago.
“As a business owner, I want to stay informed about town meetings and public notices so I can stay ahead of local policy changes.”
User Flows
After generating the 3 personas, 3 user scenarios were developed from each persona and showcased through user flows. The user flow stories involve some of the more complicated yet common tasks users might face on the resident app.
Flowchart #1
Low Fidelity Prototyping
I began the UI design process with low-fidelity paper prototypes, fully mapping out the three scenarios defined in the user flows for this initial round.
Usability Testing
To evaluate the usability of my app prototype, I conducted one-on-one remote testing sessions using the Prototyping on Paper (POP) method. I scheduled individual Zoom meetings with each participant to guide them through the process and observe their interactions with the clickable prototype I created using hand-drawn sketches from the previous phase. This structured setup allowed me to collect valuable feedback in a natural, user-centered way that will inform future improvements to the app design.
Key Feedback From Users
The users provided feedback that will help me make necessary changes to the app’s structure before I refine the screens.
Better Category Labels: Reevaluate “Government” and “Community” to make them clearer and better aligned with user expectations.
Log-in Screen Refinements: Rename the “search” button to a more intuitive label, such as “enter” or “continue,” to reduce hesitation.
Payment Screen Navigation: Ensure the back button is properly linked for smoother navigation.
High Fidelity Prototyping
After conducting user testing on the paper prototype, I used the feedback to develop a more functional and user-friendly medium-to-high-fidelity version of the app. Key changes included clarifying navigation, enhancing the events interface, and refining the way users save and access locations.
By testing early, I could identify usability challenges and improve the app based on real user behavior. The updated screens now offer a clearer, more intuitive experience that reflects the needs of the target audience
Reflections & Next Steps
The Guide to Duxbury app is designed to enhance the experience of both residents and visitors by making it easier to discover everything the town has to offer. Throughout this process, I learned how an app evolves from concept to prototype and the key steps involved in creating an effective, user-centered product.
The next phase of this project would involve conducting another round of usability testing on the high-fidelity prototypes. This will help assess how users respond to the updated design direction and determine if the navigation changes have enhanced the app’s usability. This phase would move the prototype one step closer to becoming a usable and impactful mobile app for Duxbury residents.