Snapchat
Establishing new features to improve user interaction based on the vocal opinions (and complaints) of friends and peers.
Timeline
Role
Tools
Pen & Paper, Photoshop, Illustrator
December 2017 (1 Month)
UX/UI Designer, Independent Project
Background
Understanding the business needs as well as the customer pain points, I touch on every aspect of the design process to address the problem space.
Problem
Snapchat users are frustrated by two major flaws: one, the abundance of editing filters overcrowding the users' screens and hindering visibility; and two, saving and sending Snap Stories through other applications causing deficient interconnectivity within the application.
Research
I first identified my target audience and their pain points by conducting a rudimentary survey. Typically, majority of users were between 17 to 32 years of age and educated; so, I trusted my friends and peers within my university as my resource.
Questions within the survey include:
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How often do you use Snapchat?
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How often do you post on your Snap Story?
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How often are your friends in your Snap Story?
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How often do you save and end Snaps to your friends?
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Which application(s) have you sent your saved Snaps through?
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Have the editing features been in the way of your Snap?
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How often have the editing features been in the way of your Snap?
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Have you retook a Snap because the editing features were obstructing your image?
The results reflect the proposed problems as users run into these repeated frustrations. Notably, 58% of users save and send Snaps to their friends, preferably through their phone's messaging application. Even more, 43% of users retake their Snaps because the editing filters crowd the image.
To further grasp the user needs, I followed up the survey with a few interviews and grouped similar goals, responsibilities and characteristics. The personas reflect the different situations, times and places that users encounter these pain points.
Personas
User Flow
Based on the research, I constructed a strict, linear flow that simplifies the user experience and shows the process of User A editing and tagging a Snap while User B receives the tag and follows through to seamlessly post on their Snap Story.
Wireframing
After understanding the linear depiction, I followed by visually describing the user journey in the most simplified design, all while keeping continuity of the app's layout.
Design
Next, while creating these features, I also visualized new, communicable icons that speak to the needs of users.
By utilizing features such as a drop down menu and tagging option, editing filters become easily accessible and provide greater user visibility while simultaneously allowing users to connect by tagging each other in Snaps within the application, avoiding the saving and sending technique.
Solution
Reflection
For me, this project is the start of exploring how to improve existing products. Being a self-driven design sprint, I took a lot of interest in learning about my target audience through my research and truly applying the research to my designs. By also practicing continuity, I focused on flowing the UX/UI elements together with the existing application. To improve, I would have spent the remainder of my time developing more high fidelity shots or prototype the product to better showcase the final implemented design.
After presenting the final product to my friends and peers, they all provided very positive feedback to the design and the idea as a whole. If time permitted, I would have also enjoyed gathering more research based on the users response to from a prototype and develop iterations to further improve the product.
The question to continue asking, for this product and all other products alike, is how to improve its existing experience and appearance. I truly feel it's important to challenge the usability and interconnectivity of products today, and I intend to do so with every project moving forward.
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