Project Description
SpyAware is the only app that is able to watch data enter and leave an Android phone in real time.
Quoin Design was brought on to the SpyAware project about a year after initial coding had begun. There were a number of novel solutions that were created for this app and then patented. Through brainstorming and user testing we developed a set of goals for creating engagement with users and giving them reasons to return to the app regularly.
When we arrived on the scene, the app’s experience reflected its early stage development. Quoin pulled together the existing company identity, improve and refine it to make it consistent. Then we set up consistent ways in which the brand informed the user experience to reinforce SpyAware’s authority and brand recognition.
We wanted to alert, inform, and sometimes alarm users about the ways that information is being taken and used. The app was constantly monitoring data entering and leaving the device, so we were able to set up a series of notifications that would appear while the user was on other apps or the phone was not being used. This also gave users a reason to return to the app to take action.
Our Process
We begin by reviewing our clients’ market research. Then, our design process consists of user research, design, testing, and implementation. Editing and being agile during the process is vital, especially when user testing reveals that the killer feature we thought would be our winner during the first brainstorm turns out to be a dud and the one everyone thought no one would want turns out to be the app’s biggest draw.
Process is vital.
Quoin also believes that a great experience is a result of creative leaps and a willingness to step back and review overall results to find opportunities to delight users.
One challenge we overcame was that users expected SpyAware to be able to stop data sharing completely. While this is on the road map for ultimate development, it wasn’t currently possible under Android OS. So we found ways to make the most of satisfaction points for users, including easy routes to report abusive apps to the FTC, review apps on Google Play Store and share how apps had taken data via social media.
A map on the home screen showcases the apps best feature: knowing where in the world your information has gone.
