Project Seed Bag is an icon design project which basically researching and designing localized icon system for different Sri Lankan industries. It will help to develop better, unique user experience among local users in the digital products.
Icons systems are basically developed through user research on local mobile apps in Sri Lanka. The guideline system helps other designers and developers to develop more icons for their product needs which can modify with any brand identity.
Designer: Malan Alankara
Mentor: Ranga Weerasinghe
Guidance & Coordination: Sumanthri Samarawickrama, Rangana Chandrasena
Sample Industry: Online Banking
Duration: 6 months
Context: Colombo, Sri Lanka
The most difficult aspect of conducting local online banking was detected as the lack of user-friendliness in interfaces. Layout, Interactions, and Iconography are major issues in most of the interfaces. (Kariyawasam, 2016) When considering mobile interfaces / mobile apps, iconography is the most important component among others to simplify communication in limited screen space.
In the context analysis and user research, we went through most of the Sri Lankan online banking mobile apps and identified the following major issues with current icon systems.
Generally, local seeds grow well in local soil whoever plant them. Likewise, the icons which developed based on user-related metaphors are providing better communication in any local context. This project identifies most user familiar visuals/metaphors and converts them into simple icons. SeedBag project will be a platform which will let local developers and designers use these icon systems in local industries.
This specific guideline and icon system developed focusing on local online banking in Sri Lanka. These icons are gathered here and developed under the above concept to create a better user experience in online banking services.
Internet usage of the western province is more than 40% of the annual island-wide internet usage in Sri Lanka. Out of the all-district in the western province, Colombo was chosen because of the higher rate of internet usage than the other two districts in the western province.
Within Colombo district, 100 online banking users were randomly selected. Interviews are conducted through a structured questionnaire which is designed to capture the necessary information. this session done as drawing session and ask them to draw the first visual came to their mind about the explained icon or idea.
This guideline will help the next designer who develops an icon package for local brands. It gives guidance to adopt these icons to their brand. And also they can develop new icon ideas with constructive manner.
