Overview — Creating an enjoyable social media app

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Product Designer

2021

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Analyzed the app's purpose, brainstormed ideas, and redefined the problem. As we finalized the roadmap for this, I dove in process of solving this problem and as a result I delivered a final design that was more intuitive and easier to use as per user needs.

Problem

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As users have started being aware of their time consumption on social media apps, so it is now getting difficult to keep them up on these app for long time. So we have to be innovative and create a way so that user can spend more time on the app.

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Solution we proposed

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To solve the users engagement problem, I suggested to create a new feature that will allows users to react to content with short videos or audio instead of traditional text comments. This feature can make the user engagement more interactive and fun, and it can also save time for both content creators and their followers by providing quick and meaningful feedback. Additionally we have tried to gamified the app by adding rewards programs and incentivize user engagement and adoption for the new feature.

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Project Background

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The rise of social media has changed the way we communicate and consume content. However, as users become increasingly aware of their time consumption on these platforms, it becomes challenging for social media apps to keep users engaged for long periods. To address this challenge, our team was tasked with developing a new feature for a social media app that would increase user engagement and keep users on the app for longer periods. The project aimed to create an innovative solution to the problem of user engagement on social media apps while also encouraging users to use their time on the app more productively.

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Research Findings

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According to various studies, there has been a rise in user awareness of the negative effects of social media usage on mental health and productivity, leading to increased time management awareness among users. Additionally, many users have reported feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content and information available on social media platforms, leading to difficulty in staying engaged and focused on one particular platform for an extended period of time.

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Problem Definition

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Increasing user awareness of Time Management :

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This problem statement suggests that with the increasing awareness of time management, users are becoming more conscious of their social media usage and are realizing that they should spend their time on more productive activities rather than aimlessly scrolling through social media feeds. As a result, they may eventually reduce their overall time spent on social media, which could potentially impact the engagement and user base of social media platforms.

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The Solution

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Creating more engagement friendly app (Problem 1):

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For solving the users engagement problem, I suggested to create a new feature that will allows users to react to content with short videos or audio instead of traditional text comments. This feature can make the user engagement more interactive and fun, and it can also save time for both content creators and their followers by providing quick and meaningful feedback. I have created a flow for how we can achieve that

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1. User sees a post on the app and wants to engage with it.
2. User clicks on the "React" button.
3. User selects the type of reaction they want to give (video or audio).
4. User records their reaction (up to a certain time limit).
5. User previews their reaction and confirms if it's good.
6. User submits their reaction.
7. App processes the reaction and adds it to the post's comments section.
8. Other users can view the original post and the reactions left by other users.

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Wireframes

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Final Designs

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Reflections

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As a digital product designer, I was thrilled to take on my first complete project which allowed me to solve a real-world problem. With a deep understanding of user behavior, I introduced a new feature that revolutionized the app's existing flows, interactions, and logic. This experience not only sharpened my design skills, but also provided valuable insights on the importance of working for a client and navigating the complex processes of a startup. As the Product designer, I took on multiple responsibilities and delivered a solution that exceeded the client's expectations.

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Next Steps

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As a product designer, my main goal was not only to improve user engagement but also to make the business profitable. Due to the nature of startup, stakeholders were initially not thinking much about profits. So I have suggested features which they can implement in this feature to generate revenue from here.

1. Premium features: Offer premium features for users who want to access advanced emoji or reactions.
2. Targeted advertising: With more user engagement, the app can attract more advertisers who are interested in reaching a highly engaged audience. Targeted advertising can also increase revenue and provide better user experience.
3. Data monetization: User reactions can provide valuable data for analysis, which can be monetized. The data can be sold to third-party partners, or used to develop new products or services.
4. Use of Gamification techniques to keep user engaged for long time.

By implementing these strategies, we can improve user engagement and profitability of the app.