Unplugged: Navigation Architecture Design

🎨 Design Challenge

Design the navigation flow for a 5-screen app using only paper, pencils, and your brain - no code required!

✏️ Materials

• Paper and pencil
• Sticky notes (optional)
• Colored pens (optional)
• Your imagination!

📱 Your App Concept

Choose one app idea to design:

Option A: "Study Buddy"

• Login screen
• Dashboard with subjects
• Study session timer
• Progress tracking
• Settings/profile

Option B: "Local Explorer"

• Welcome/onboarding
• Map with local spots
• Spot details page
• Favorites list
• User profile

Option C: "Habit Tracker"

• Today's habits view
• Add new habit
• Progress calendar
• Statistics dashboard
• Settings

📝 Design Activity (20 min)

Step One: Screen Layout (8 min)

1. Draw 5 rectangles (phone screens) on your paper
2. Label each screen with its purpose
3. Sketch the main UI elements in each screen
4. Don't worry about perfect drawings - boxes and circles work fine!

Step 2: Navigation Flow (7 min)

1. Draw arrows between screens showing navigation paths
2. Label each arrow with the action that triggers it
   • "Tap login button"
   • "Swipe left"
   • "Press back"
3. Use different colors for different navigation types if possible

Step 3: User Journey (5 min)

1. Trace the path a new user would take through your app
2. Circle the "happy path" - the main user flow
3. Mark any potential confusion points with a "?"

🗣️ Present & Discuss (5 min)

Partner Share: Find someone who designed a different app concept.

Explain your design:

• Why did you choose this navigation structure?
• What trade-offs did you consider?
• How would users learn to navigate your app?
• Where might users get confused?

💡 Key Learning

Great app navigation feels invisible - users shouldn't have to think about how to move between screens!

📤 Submit Your Work

Complete this activity and submit your work through the Activity Submission Form