Completed Tasks

Low Fidelity Prototype

Person Responsible: Enoch, Chem, Ella

Due Date: Oct 30

We finalized our low fidelity prototype. The goal of our low fidelity prototype was to test for functionality and flow over design.

Low Fidelity Testing

Person(s) Responsible: Joe, Gavin, Max

Due Date: Nov 6

The Core Concept is a Resounding Win

All interviewees "got" the mission of an authenticity-driven, non-performative social app, and they were all enthusiastic about it.

• Users repeatedly used words like "refreshing," "authentic," and "intuitive." They are actively tired of "performative" social media and see this concept as the "future of social media" (Interview 4).

• Features that reduce noise were praised. The 150-connection limit was explicitly called out as a "fix" for social media (Interview 4). The lack of ads and "funny filters" was seen as a strong reinforcement of the core mission.

What Works:

• Onboarding is "Perfectly Standard": The simple, linear sign-up flow was praised by all. It's "easy" and "straightforward." As Interview 4 said, "you don’t need to innovate there."

  • Next we want to test the ability of our onboarding to express the app's purpose without us having to explain it in detail

• Guided Posting is Better Than a Blank Canvas: Users loved the structured post types (books, albums, text, etc.). They felt it reduced pressure and gave them "more ideas for what to post" (Interview 4), contrasting it with the "post anything" paralysis of other platforms.

  • We realize we should put even more emphasis on guiding users to custom posts as well

• Custom Feeds/Groups are a popular: The ability to control post visibility and organize friends into feeds (Family, School, etc.) was a universal hit, called "a really cool innovation" (Interview 4) and a "strong feature" (Interview 3).

What Needs Tweaking:

• Profile Ambiguity: The profile's goal of showing "me right now" (Interview 4) wasn't immediately clear to everyone. Interview 1 was confused, perceiving items as "all-time favorites" rather than "current activities." This is a simple UI labeling/guiding and feature explanation problem.

  • We address this in our mid fidelity, rethinking certain aspects of the profile item creation to make it more intuitive and do a better job of communicating the purpose

• The 48-Hour Post Lifespan: This was the most divisive (though not hated) feature. While some understood it (Interview 1) or even loved it (Interview 4), Interview 2 explicitly "didn't initially like" it. Users understand the "why" (authenticity, FOMO), but it's not universally liked.

• "Feeds" vs. "Groups": A simple but important wording issue. Interview 2 was confused by "Your Feeds" and suggested "Your Groups" would be much clearer for the custom audience feature.

Top User Suggestions

1. Add Basic Editing, Not Filters: Users want utility, not performance. They suggested basic tools like cropping, exposure, and color grading, but strongly warned against filters and stickers that ruin the authentic feel (Interviews 2 & 3).

2. Make "Likes" Private: To fully commit to the anti-performative goal, Interview 2 suggested that like/reaction counts should be private, visible only to the original poster.

3. Refine UI Labels:

   • Change "Your Feeds" to "Your Groups" (Interview 2).

   • On profiles, label items with "Currently Reading," "Reading Now," or "All-Time Favorite" to remove ambiguity (Interview 1).

   • Add an explicit "Add another photo" button for multi-image posts (Interview 3).

4. Save the Media, Not the Post: A brilliant suggestion from Interview 1. If a post about a book disappears, users want a way to save the book title to a personal list, even if the social post itself vanishes.

5. New Post Types: The most popular ideas for new post types were attaching a song from a music library to any post and a unique voice note post (Interview 2).

Mid Fidelity Testing Script

Person(s) Responsible: Dom, Gavin, Jo

Due Date: Nov 7

Logo Icon

Person(s) Responsible: Chem

Due Date: Nov 12

We finalized our logo icon for Loam. The group took a vote on which logo we preferred (we were between this style and another) and the group resoundingly preferred this one. The major changes involved incorporating the leaf from the other logo into this one and balancing out the top part of the log so it is all similar it stroke width and the curves resemble the curves in our lettermark.

UI Moodboards

Person(s) Responsible: Chem, Enoch, Ella

Due Date: Nov 6

User Authentication

Person(s) Responsible: Max

Due Date: Nov 6

Set up the authentication process in Supabase and svelte so that users can sign up and log in to loam. This involved using Supabase authentication and resend for email verification.

Docker Setup

Person(s) Responsible: Ella

Due Date: Nov 6

We've set up docker so that we can manipulate the database locally without interfering with anything on the live site.

Live Site Hosting

Person(s) Responsible: Ella

Due Date: Nov 12

We have a live site! Ella set up Vercel and we purchase our domain. loam.ing.

Connections Functionality

Person(s) Responsible: Max

Due Date: Nov 11

We've set up the functionality for accessing a users profile, requesting and connection, approving and denying a connection, as well as viewing connections list. This all is managed through our connections table which features a requester id, receiver id, and status (accepted, denied, requested) row.

Image transformation / storage research

Person(s) Responsible: Ella

Due Date: Nov 13

We need to looks at the most effective and free way to manage image transformation for profile and posting as well as how we can store the images.