GApp
Social Media Networking Messaging App
Case Study
Synopsis
Project Highlights
Role
Product Designer
Responsibilities
Design Strategy, User Research, Marketing Research, Research analysis, Data Synthesis, User Stories, User Flows, Information Architecture, Wireframing, Prototyping and Usability testing
Methodologies
Design thinking, User research, interviews and surveys, contextual inquiry, Competitor analysis and heuristic evaluation, Card sorting
Platform
iOS Mobile app
Tools
Axure, Illustrator, Pencil
Industry
Software & Tech Services
Timeline
12 Weeks
Project Objective
The goal of this particular project was to discover the essentials of secure and effective communication via digital networking products.
And also to identify the shortcomings of current messaging apps and to explore further for the design solution to help overcoming the existing problems.
The Problem
How can people with any level of technical skills use messaging apps on any devices to communicate with others easily, quickly, securely and cost effective?
Project Overview
In this project a combination of qualitative and quantitative research has been conducted including contextual inquiry, interview, surveys and usability testing.
Qualitative user research in the form of interview has been conducted over a period of two weeks with participants from various demographic including age, gender, marital status, profession and location to gain insight into users’ experience and pain points.
Quantitative research has been also completed in the form of anonymous survey which 10 questions were sent out to a number of people in order to support the information gained through interview and assist identifying any gaps to be considered for further research.
User segmentation process has been defined two key personas based on users’ main goals including personal users and professional users. Customer journey map of identified persons has been also created to unveil pain points and deeper perception into users ‘ goals, attitudes and behaviour which resulted in creating an optimal User Flows.
Furthermore, the information architecture, wireframes and prototype design of the app has been completed in response to users’ needs addressed through user research and key findings from market research.
And lastly, User testing has been conducted with participants, as potential users to determine the success of the tasks and validate the usability of design solution.
Project Approach
My design approach and thought Process is based on design thinking and human centred design to find users’s paint points and turn them into delight points.
I apply a non-linear, iterative process to understand and study users, explore information, analyze data, challenge assumptions, synthesize data, map user stories, define user flows, redefine problems, ideate creative ideas, validate design and finally create innovative solutions.
Empathise > Research > Analyse > Discover > Synthesise > Define > Envision > Ideate > Decide > Design > Validate > Iterate > Develop > Deliver
Discover
- Empathize
- User Research
- User Research Analysis
- Market Research
- Competitor Analysis
- Validate Hypothesis
- Develop UX Strategy
Define
- Data Synthesis
- User Stories
- Develop Personas
- Users Journeys
- Redefine the Problem
- The Product’s Goals
- The MVP
Ideate
- Envision Users’ Experience
- Develop Possible Solutions
- Innovate
- Decide on Best Idea
- User Flows
- Form a Concept
- Sketch
Implement
- Information Architecture
- Wireframe
- Create Low-Fi Mock-up
- Validate Internally
- Design High-Fi Prototype
- Validate with Real Users
- Iterate
- Develop Product
- Deliver
Process
Discover
User Research
A combination of qualitative and quantitative research including contextual inquiry, interview and surveys have been conducted to collect data in order to gain insight into users’ experience of using messaging apps and gain understanding of their needs.
An interview with a number of users were conducted over a period of two weeks. The participants who use messaging apps, aged from 16-77 years old were thoughtfully selected from various demographic with diverse range of age, gender, marital status, profession and education.
In addition, an anonymous survey was done to collect statistical data in order to support the information already gained through interview.
Various topics were discussed in the user research and a wide range of open-ended interview questions were asked to reveal users’ goals, behaviours and attitudes in regards to using the messaging apps which provided an insight into their experience of communication in general, their decision making behaviour, their concerns and doubts, their considerations, their challenges and their expectations.
Interview Questions
- What is your preferred method of communication with people?
- What type of communication tools are you mostly interested to use?
- How do you communicate in distant relationship with friends and family?
- What is your main goal to use messaging apps?
- How often do you use messaging apps?
- Which networking apps do you feel comfortable and mostly use for this purpose?
- How did you became aware of this opportunity as a tool of communication?
- How often do you use messaging apps?
- How do you find the messaging apps working out for you?
- How do you find interacting with the apps interface
- What is your standards and priorities in choosing and using these apps?
- What is your popular messaging app to use?
- How was your experience to find a proper app to use?
- What was the worst and the best experience you had with messaging apps?
- How is your experience and interactions with the app you currently use?
- Who do you try to contact via messaging apps?
- What is your favourite messaging app have you used so far?
- What are the types of messaging apps your are mostly interested?
- What is your concerns and doubts, considerations, challenges, expectations?
- Why would you be interested in using a particular app?
- Tell me about your digital devices usage and your technology proficiency?
- Tell me about your apps usage and social media usage?
- How do you reflect your feedback about the apps you currently use?
Survey Results
User Research Analysis
Qualitative user research unveiled some insights in terms of users’ goal, behaviour and attitude. Additionally, a quantitative research was completed subsequent to a qualitative research in order to confirm the findings were revealed throughout user interview.
Similarities in objective
Similarities in behaviour and attitude
- People use messaging apps widely for either personal or professional purpose or both to stay in touch with their family, friends, workmates, classmates and clients. As such, messaging apps have been very popular as it has made communication much easier, quicker and less costly.
- Messaging apps have become a multi-purpose platform in which people can meet most of their needs and assist them to avoid swapping different apps for the purpose of messaging, audio and video calling, sharing and exchanging media including audio or video files and documents such as PDF files, Word, excel PowerPoint files.
- Research findings has also revealed the most used messaging apps in order of popularity are WhatsApp, Telegram, Imo and Messenger, Line, Skype,Tango and Viber and etc,.
- People use most likely the one recommended by their family or friends which is more popular, user friendly, simple and easy to use, reliable and secure with high quality features and more importantly free.
- Almost all the interviewees confirmed that they prefer to use messaging app rather than phone on daily basis mainly for making international audio or video call, audio or text messaging and for sending photos or videos and documents as they can save on international call fee since it doesn’t cost them anything except the internet connection fee.
- The most important factors in choosing and using a messaging app in order of importance based on user research is being free, security, quality, ease of use, accessibility, additional feature and app size.
- It has been noted through user research that the technology has had a huge impact on the quality of people‘s communication and hence helps people connected to the world more efficiently.
Similarities in objective
Similarities in behaviour and attitude
- People use messaging apps widely for either personal or professional purpose or both to stay in touch with their family, friends, workmates, classmates and clients. As such, messaging apps have been very popular as it has made communication much easier, quicker and less costly.
- Messaging apps have become a multi-purpose platform in which people can meet most of their needs and assist them to avoid swapping different apps for the purpose of messaging, audio and video calling, sharing and exchanging media including audio or video files and documents such as PDF files, Word, excel PowerPoint files.
- People use most likely the one recommended by their family or friends which is more popular, user friendly, simple and easy to use, reliable and secure with high quality features and more importantly free.
- Almost all the interviewees confirmed that they prefer to use messaging app rather than phone on daily basis mainly for making international audio or video call, audio or text messaging and for sending photos or videos and documents as they can save on international call fee since it doesn’t cost them anything except the internet connection fee.
- The most important factors in choosing and using a messaging app in order of importance based on user research is being free, security, quality, ease of use, accessibility, additional feature and app size.
Similarities in objective
Similarities in behaviour and attitude
- People use messaging apps widely for either personal or professional purpose or both to stay in touch with their family, friends, workmates, classmates and clients. As such, messaging apps have been very popular as it has made communication much easier, quicker and less costly.
- Messaging apps have become a multi-purpose platform in which people can meet most of their needs and assist them to avoid swapping different apps for the purpose of messaging, audio and video calling, sharing and exchanging media including audio or video files and documents such as PDF files, Word, excel PowerPoint files.
- People use most likely the one recommended by their family or friends which is more popular, user friendly, simple and easy to use, reliable and secure with high quality features and more importantly free.
- Almost all the interviewees confirmed that they prefer to use messaging app rather than phone on daily basis mainly for making international audio or video call, audio or text messaging and for sending photos or videos and documents as they can save on international call fee since it doesn’t cost them anything except the internet connection fee.
- The most important factors in choosing and using a messaging app in order of importance based on user research is being free, security, quality, ease of use, accessibility, additional feature and app size.
Market Research
Market and Competitor research has been conducted across three applications including WhatsApp, Imo and Telegram which all considered popular competitors among social media and messaging apps.
They all pursue similar objectives in fulfilling users’ communication requirements. However, based on their various functionality features they mostly are used for particular purposes by different target audience.
Through competitor analysis some shortcomings have been noted in competitors’ applications which mostly have been confirmed by user research including functionality, structure, interface, usability and security.
Hypothesis Validation
There have been some assumptions in relation to product itself and product users that generative research findings have been validated them.
These assumptions have been validated and either confirmed by research findings or have been in conflicts with them.
Define
The Users
In the process of discovering target audience, users have been segmented based on their main goals and from there two main personas have been identified.
Our two key personas which have been identified are Personal and Professional users. Therefore, it has carefully endeavoured to select interviewees, as representative of product users, to include all the groups identified.
Persona Development
Personal users are people who mainly use messaging apps privately for friend or family-related purpose.
Professional users are people who mainly use messaging apps publicly for business or Work-related purpose.
Users’ Goals
The user research study has revealed both groups of users’ needs including personal and professional messaging app users.
In response to users’ needs and their pain points, users’goals have been identified through research findings which can result in resolving users’ problems.
- To be able to make free and high quality audio and video call
- To be able to securely make a group call and create a group chat
- To be able to quickly send and receive documents, audio and video files
- To be able to easily use the app with simple interface and navigation
- To be able to easily use the app with similar interface and functionality across all devices
- To be able to easily use and navigate the app with clear features and buttons
Users' Problem
Conducting qualitative and quantitative research and collecting data from the user interviews and survey resulted in the key Insights to be emerged which defined the users’ pain points.
In addition to persona, a user journey map were developed to communicate the pain points and guide new design opportunities.
User Journey Map
Despite the fact two groups of personas have different goals, they are quite similar in terms of behaviour and attitudes and share quite similar journey. As such, their customer journey has been integrated together and presented in one inclusive user journey map.
Redefine the Problem
How can people with any level of technical skills use messaging apps on any devices to communicate with others easily, quickly, securely and cost effective?
The Product
GApp is a cross-platform online social media and networking messaging app, considered as one of the most widely used digital product, enables people all over the world to connect and communicate securely and effectively. GApp allows users to easily make high quality voice and video calls, send text and voice messages, share and exchange media including images, audios, videos and documents with high security. It also provides seamless experience with high usability and accessibility through innovative features across all platforms.
Messaging apps including WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype, Imo, Viber are some examples of its competitors.
Product's Vision
GApp committed to significantly improving the quality of people’s lives and contribute in closing communication gaps locally and globally.
Product's Goals
The generative research study has revealed users’ pain points. Therefore, in response to users’ problems and their pain points, a product is required which is able to provide delight points and solve users’ problems. These solutions discovered through research findings would be considered as product or business goals for GApp.
The MVP
A minimum viable product defines a product with just enough features and functionalities to be able to use by early customers, who can then provide feedback, which can define validated learning required for future product development that result in maximum productivity of product, to be able to use by customers effectively.
- Enable free communication
- Provide, high quality service
- Enable sharing multimedia files
- Provide user friendly simple interface
- Provide logical and structured content
- Ensure users’ privacy and data security
- Provide seamless cross-channel experience
- Ensure clear features and call to actions
- Ensure legibility of text throughout the app
- Provide visual consistency throughout the app
- Ensure easy registration process
- Provide built-in User E-manual
- Provide innovative accessibility features
Ideate
Based on the above problems and MVP identified, which will help to understand the business requirements, I worked towards addressing these pain points by coming up with opportunities. These potential solutions with considering technical feasibility of the design concept would be able to turn these pain points to delight points.
User Flows
UserFlows were developed based on personas and potential solutions in response to their pain points.
Implement
Information Architecture
SiteMap
Design
Wireframes Sketches
High-fi Prototype
Validation
The GApp prototype was tested to validate the proposed design solutions and whether they would solve users’ problems.
The recruitment plan were done and participants as representative of potential users including returning participants from user research phase and new participants were recruited for this round of testing.
Usability testing sessions with potential users has been conducted over a period of two days in which on average every user testing session took roughly one hour to complete. During these sessions, participants were observed as how they interact with the prototype and explore the key app functionalities and how they follow the steps of tasks.
They were asked to complete a total 23 tasks and sub tasks based on scenarios which had been written in advance as a test plan which explored the key app‘s functionality.
All these testing sessions have been audio and screen recorded for the purpose of further observation and analysis.
Validation Analysis
Findings from usability testings indicated that users found 92% of the tasks were easy to do and that 93% of the tasks have been successfully completed by users.
Tasks Easily Followed
User Testing Tasks 87.2%
Tasks Successfully Completed
User Testing Tasks 96%
- The key findings form the the usability testing revealed that the minor modifications needs to be considered to improve the prototype as well as making it accessible for users with different level of abilities and technical skills.
- It also highlighted the importance of using consistent colour choice and terminology throughout the app to avoid misunderstanding or confusion in finding a success path or selecting a right CTA button.
- These insights will be considered in iteration phase.
Outcome
Solution
GApp is a cross-platform online social media and networking messaging app, considered as one of the most widely used digital product, enables people all over the world to connect and communicate securely and effectively.
- GApp allows users to easily make high quality voice and video calls, send text and voice messages, share and exchange media including images, audios, videos and documents with high security.
- GApp also provides seamless experience with high usability and accessibility through innovative features across all platforms.
- This platform allows connection and communication between people at personal or professional level.
Prototype Demo
Impact
Positive feedback have been received from users in regards to innovative app features including accessibility and users’ privacy protection features as well as the simplified designed path, easy to follow with clear to understand functions and call to actions.
I appreciate that for communication in my busy life, I don’t have to juggle multiple apps when I can have an all in one Solution.
It has all the features you’d expect from a modern but simple messaging app including security, privacy and being easy to use.
Impact
Positive feedback have been received from users in regards to innovative app features including accessibility and users’ privacy protection features as well as the simplified designed path, easy to follow with clear to understand functions and call to actions.
I appreciate that for communication in my busy life, I don’t have to juggle multiple apps when I can have an all in one Solution.
It has all the features you’d expect from a modern but simple messaging app including security, privacy and being easy to use.
Challenges
There are some shortcomings and limitations that have been identified in this qualitative and quantitative user research which might restrict the ability to reach a precise conclusion.
- The user research findings are discovered based on interview and survey that have been conducted on a small group of users who cannot be essentially considered representatives of all users of our product. Therefore, in order to reach a more valid conclusion it is beneficial to conduct further research both qualitative and quantitative on a larger number of participants as potential users from a various demographic to get a more accurate overview of pain points and potential users’ needs. This is also recommended for user testing as well which can result in gaining insight into other potential problems not found earlier in user research.
- One of the most challenging task to complete this project was finding participants for user research and user testing due to COVD-19 pandemic and the new social distancing rules. And therefore most of the user research had to be done remotely which had its own challenges which itself highlighted the importance of digital presence of business and digital products in general.
Future plan
Next step would involve applying the proposed solutions and possibly upgrading the prototype in terms of accessibility, interactivity and fidelity followed by a second round of testing to assess the improvement of the prototype.
Reflections
There are some key takeaways that I have learned from this project.
- It is important to focus on the problem and users’ pains that you are going to solve which also allows the business to identify gaps in their product and so tailor their product or service offerings accordingly.
- The priority is to focus on building an MVP and the features that can deliver the highest value for your users if there is limited time, effort and budget you can invest.
- Design is a constant iteration of improving the experience for the end user. Therefore, collecting user’s feedback is very important as user testing should not end after development.
- It is important to involve engineering in early stage in order to reduce any rework later on as an understanding of the technical limitations upfront will help to inform your design strategy.
- Validation and user testing in-person provides the best observational results. It is also most likely that technical issues or limitations would be avoided as opposed to remote testing.
Thank you for reading through my research, design and thought process!