Welcome to your very first design adventure! You're about to become a real design detective, creating the master plan for an amazing mobile app. This isn't just homework - you're building the blueprint for an app that could change the world!
- Estimated Time: 8-10 hours across 3-4 sessions
- Difficulty Level: ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 stars
- Team Size: Individual project
- Deliverables: Complete feature requirement document, user personas, project timeline
Objective: Create a comprehensive feature requirement document for your own mobile app concept
What You'll Learn:
- How to plan and document a UI/UX project
- Essential components of project documentation
- Best practices for clear communication with stakeholders
What You'll Create: A detailed feature requirement document that will serve as the foundation for your app design in future lessons
Your journey to design mastery includes these exciting checkpoints:
- 🎨 Brainstorm Genius: Come up with an app idea that solves a real problem
- 📝 Documentation Master: Create professional project documentation
- 👤 User Detective: Research and define your target audience
- ⚡ Feature Architect: Design core features that users will love
- 📅 Project Planner: Build a realistic timeline for your app development
Project documentation defines the objectives, scope, requirements, and plans for a project. It provides:
- Clarity - Clear understanding of project goals and expectations
- Communication - Effective tool for stakeholders, designers, developers, and clients
- Planning - Helps with resource allocation, timeline estimation, and risk management
- Accountability - Reference point for project progress and deliverables
One. Introduction and Overview
- Project background, context, objectives, and expected outcomes
2. Target Audience and User Personas
- Detailed descriptions of end-users, demographics, needs, and challenges
3. Features and Requirements
- Functional Requirements: Core features and how they work
- Non-Functional Requirements: Performance, usability, security considerations
4. User Stories and Scenarios
- Features described from user's perspective: "As a [user], I want [feature] so that [benefit]"
- Real-world scenarios and edge cases
5. Scope and Limitations
- What is included and excluded from the project
6. Assumptions and Dependencies
- External factors, third-party services, and project dependencies
7. Timeline and Milestones
- Project phases, key deliverables, and completion dates
Here are the insider tips that professional designers use to create amazing project documentation:
- Be Clear and Concise - Use simple language, avoid jargon - imagine explaining your app to a friend!
- Stay Organized - Use headings, bullet points, consistent formatting - make it easy to scan
- Include Visuals - Diagrams and mockups aid understanding - a picture is worth a thousand words!
- Keep Updated - Maintain current documentation as project evolves - your document should grow with your ideas
- Think User-First - Every feature should solve a real problem for your users
- Start Simple - Focus on core features first, you can always add more cool stuff later!
You will be designing your mobile app. Think of an app idea you're passionate about - something that solves a problem, connects people, or simply brings joy.
Need Inspiration? Consider concepts like:
- A language learning app 📖
- A social platform for artists 🎨
- A fitness tracker with personalized challenges 🏋️
- A recipe app with interactive cooking guides 🍽️
- A mental wellness app with guided meditations 🧘
- Project Title:
- Brief Description:
- Objectives and Goals:
- Primary Objective:
- Secondary Objectives:
- Age range
- Gender
- Occupation
- Goals and Needs: What does this user hope to achieve using your app?
- Pain Points: What challenges or problems does this user face that your app can solve?
Functional Requirements:
-
Feature 1:
- Description: What does the feature do?
- Purpose: Why is this feature important?
-
Feature 2:
Non-functional Requirements:
- Performance: Any specific performance criteria (e.g., load times, responsiveness)
- Usability: Requirements related to ease of use and user experience
- Reliability: Expectations for uptime, error rates, and recovery
- Security: Data protection measures, compliance standards
- Compatibility: Platforms, devices, and software versions supported
Write a user story and give the correct acceptance criteria for the story.
Example:
"As a busy parent, I want to order groceries online to save time and manage my household more efficiently."
Acceptance Criteria:
- The user can browse and search for grocery items
- The user can add items to a shopping cart
- The user can schedule a delivery or pickup time
Your User Stories:
-
User Story 1: "As a [user persona], I want to [action], so that [benefit]."
- Acceptance Criteria: List specific conditions that must be met for this user story to be complete
-
User Story 2:
In Scope:
- Features Included: List all features and functionalities that will be part of this project
Out of Scope:
-
Features Excluded: Identify features that are not included in the current project but may be considered for future development
-
Limitations: Any constraints that may impact the project (e.g., technical limitations, budget constraints)
-
Assumptions: List any assumptions you're making about users, technology, or other aspects of the project
- Example: Users have access to high-speed internet
-
Dependencies: Identify external factors or resources the project depends on
- Example: Availability of third-party APIs, reliance on certain technologies
Build your timeline for the whole project development and how long it will take for a milestone to be completed for a 3-month project.
Example:
- Milestone One: Completion of the feature requirement document
- Milestone 2: Finalization of wireframes
- Milestone 3: Development of high-fidelity prototypes
- Milestone 4: Usability testing and revisions
- Milestone 5: Project completion and presentation
Projected Timeline:
Document your process:
- Screenshot your completed feature requirement sections
- Write 2-3 sentences about your app concept and target users
- Note any challenges you faced in defining requirements
- Save your documentation in your portfolio folder for future reference
- Find a review partner
- Present your app concept and key features (3 minutes)
- Listen to their feedback without defending your choices
- Take notes on suggestions for improvement
- Ask clarifying questions about user needs
Use "I like, I wish, I wonder":
- I like: What's compelling about the app concept
- I wish: What features or documentation could be clearer
- I wonder: Questions about target users or implementation
- Choose 2-3 suggestions to implement in your documentation
- Document what you changed and why
- Thank your reviewer!
This project mirrors real work at companies like:
- Product Management: Companies like Google, Meta, and Spotify use feature requirement documents to plan new products
- Design Agencies: Firms like IDEO and Frog Design create project documentation for client projects
- Entry-Level Role: Junior Product Designer or UX Research Assistant
- Salary Range: $45,000-65,000 for entry-level positions
"Good documentation is the foundation of every successful product. It's where great ideas become actionable plans that teams can execute."
- Sarah Chen, Senior Product Designer at Airbnb
Mini Project 1 Worksheet
Once you've completed your feature requirement document:
Submit Your Work Here: Submission Form
Congratulations, design superstar! You've just completed your first professional design documentation - that's exactly what real designers do in tech companies around the world!
What You've Accomplished:
- ✅ Created a comprehensive app concept from scratch
- ✅ Learned professional documentation skills
- ✅ Researched and defined your target users
- ✅ Planned features that solve real problems
- ✅ Built a project timeline like a pro
You're Now Ready To:
- Move on to designing your app screens
- Communicate your ideas like a professional designer
- Understand how real design projects work
- Impress anyone with your structured thinking skills
Share Your Success: Tell someone about the amazing app idea you just documented. You might inspire them to become designers too!
- Clarity and completeness of requirements
- Professional writing and organization
- Thorough target audience analysis
- Detailed feature specifications
- User persona development depth
- Market understanding demonstration
- Problem-solution alignment
- Competitive awareness
- Portfolio documentation quality
- Peer feedback implementation
- Learning reflection depth
- Process improvement notes
- Clear communication of concept
- Professional document formatting
- Engaging app concept presentation
- Question handling and discussion