Mobile App Design
Pocket Tarot App
Creating a Tarot App That Stands Out in a Saturated Market
I wanted to create a Tarot app that stood out from the other available apps. I conducted a user survey that identified what made people download Tarot apps and what they felt was lacking from the apps they’ve downloaded.
The final prototype is based on my feedback from each round of prototyping and testing - including the addition of a card log, a better card selection interface, and a cute and friendly visual design.
User Testing and Iteration Leading to a Cute Final Prototype
Identifying that the key thing that was missing from existing tarot apps was a more guided experience, especially for 3+ card spreads, I developed multiple prototypes using Figma and conducted user testing to iterate on my concept.
Using User Research to Find Creative Opportunities
Tools Used
Google Forms
Figma
User Research
User Research / Survey
User Testing
UX Design
Wireframing
User Flows
Prototyping
Visual Design
Creative Direction
Illustration
Style Guide
Concocting a User Survey
Tarot is the practice of using a deck of cards to gain insight on whatever situation you may find yourself in. More casual practitioners may pull (or select) a single card that represents their day (similar to a daily horoscope) and more seasoned folks may pull a larger spread of cards with each one representing a different aspect of a situation.
My first step of this project was to build and distribute a survey for potential users to see how they use digital tarot and what would convince them install a new tarot app.
Some of my key takeaways from the survey results:
76% are secular or semi-secular - not many take tarot too seriously
64% practice tarot as needed, rather than daily
The most popular reason for choosing their current app or trying a new one is aesthetics/visual style
A new feature worth testing would be the ability to choose your daily card from a selection of cards, rather than a single card being automatically generated
The First Step to a Good Fortune is Planning
To get started with brainstorming ideas, I sketched a few options for wireframes.
While there are so many different directions this project could go, I decided to focus on:
An easy daily single card pull
Creating a simple yet hand-held 3 card spread experience
Designing a beginner-friendly tarot app for a casual, secular audience
Testing My Sketches With Real Users
Once I settled on the sketches, I made a low fidelity prototype in Figma to test out!
Through user-testing, I discovered:
Users expected to have access to a back button
Users would like the ability to revisit the cards they get in a log
One user suggested including a question or prompt that could be included to guide users through picking a 3 card spread - which aligned with my goal of creating a more guided experience
Manifesting Users With Unique Visual Design
Aesthetics will be a big part of making this app successful since most of the users I surveyed would try and use a tarot app based on the visual style. This is also how people tend to select physical tarot decks!
I wanted to make something unique - most tarot apps are dark and celestial. While there’s nothing wrong with that, I decided to aim for something a bit more light and friendly to align with my goal of reaching beginners and casual, secular tarot enthusiasts.
It took me a few tries to get this just right - especially since this project has taken place over a year and my skills as a UI/Visual designer have grown significantly since then. You can see how the visual design became cleaner and more mobile-friendly overtime!
Final Prototype…For Now!
After over a year of on and off work on the Pocket Tarot project, the final prototype is complete!
With this version of the prototype, I’ve updated the graphics to reflect the visual direction.
I’ve learned SO much about prototyping, mobile app design, and user testing through this process. I found myself continuously redesigning this project because I had grown as a designer each time I went to work on this. Even now, I have ideas for how to improve this prototype - as it goes with any product design, there is always more to be done!
But I’m happy with where this prototype has landed…at least for now!