Research

The Problem

Since humans are inherently social, there is a need to foster relationships. In a time where we have so much access to one another, how can we cultivate genuine connection over an app? While there are platforms to update people on our lives, how much of that content is curated versus honest?

Competitive Research

I researched the top social media and messaging apps: Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. I also looked at some newer social media apps that introduced a unique approach to social media: BeReal and Lapse.

Among the top social media apps, authenticity is not a priority for Users. There therefore is an opening for Users to connect with their loved ones in a casual and real way.

User Research

I interviewed five users aged 20-30 with various degrees of social media usage. Their social habits were explored, particularly how they use mobile apps to keep in touch with friends and family.

Key Findings:

• There is an inherent sense of needing connection so users choose to interact on messaging or social apps as little or much as they want.

• All users did not have a set recurring system to remind them to talk to people.

• One user had explained he hasn’t been reaching out or checking any messages but now suddenly has wanted to be more social. He realized he can be doing something he enjoys, such as gaming, and also can be doing that with friends and get the social benefit. 

  • Lishani: “I communicate because I want to keep my loved ones in my life”

  • Khaleed on not reaching out to people for a while: “Because if I have that mentality forever, I'm just going to lose friends down the line...”

• Most users expressed they won’t be the one to call out of the blue but will always answer if someone reaches out to them.

• Instagram has varying levels of interaction for people. One user is completely off, some mostly “lurk”, and some actively post stories/post. Two users have expressed scrolling as a waste of time.

The user research reveals that connection happens everyday with varying levels of intensity depending on the individual. A long time friendship has a strong foundation that doesn’t need daily maintenance or check-ins, and it is always fun to look back into past memories. People don’t necessarily need a push to talk to their loved ones, but perhaps reminders on why they love each other in the first place.

User Personas

Three user personas emerged.

Shelby is very interested in social media and keeping connected to loved ones using mobile apps. Nick doesn’t post much but does use mobile apps. Daniel does not use social media but still has a vibrant social life.

Empathy Maps

To further define each persona, I created empathy maps with specific quotes and derived feelings from the User Interview findings.

Before commiting to a solution, I did a brainstorming exercise and sketched some ideas.

Analogous Brainstorming

Since it is nice to have shared interests and hobbies with someone, the app can have a section to display this information. While a social media app was the intended goal, there was an idea to incorporate gameplay. This would make the app engaging because games encourage participation in a low commitment way.

Sketching

Feature Roadmap

Now knowing the app has a featured game and brainstorming some other screens to foster connection, the features can be organized in a roadmap.

Site Map

These features can now be organized into designated pages of the app.

User Flow

The main flow of the app is answering the question of the day (QOTD).

Task Flow

Branding

The main flow of the app is the QOTD. This comprises light-hearted questions for Users to answer about their loved ones in a friendly competition. There is also a page where Users are able to inform their friends of the various media in which the User is currently interested. I sketched out a few logos and potential names.

The name “kno me” stuck out the most because of it’s quirky ring to it. It also encompassed the idea of getting to know your friends and family. Since “kno me” looks like the word “gnome,” I decided to make a cartoon gnome the logo. I collaborated with a graphic designer to help digitize my idea. The typeface and color scheme all reflect the casual, playful, and fun branding.

Wireframes

Low fidelity screens

The QOTD is a daily activity that starts with a push notification that goes off at a random time for all members of a group. All members have to submit an answer to the generated question. After all answers have been submitted, Users vote on their favorite answer. The votes are tallied up and the ongoing leaderboard is updated.

Users can be in more than one group, and therefore have more than one Leaderboard for each group.

Other screens include a newsfeed of what your friends are “Currently” into. For example Users can update if they have been listening to an album, reading a book, or watching a TV show. A User’s profile is where they can update this content. There is also a monthly archive of reported media.

High Fidelity Screens

UI Kit

Five users were tested as explained below.

The feedback from the usability test was organized into a chart.

Key Findings

• Users were excited about the app concept, liking the potential of interacting with their loved ones in a fun way.

• The QOTD flow was intuitive.

• There is a lot of white space in both the home page and profile page. The information on those pages can be organized to better utilize the space.

• Users had a lot of unique ideas to make the Question of the Day engaging including being able to submit drawings, memes, or photographs.

Revisions

The revisions to be made were prioritized.

The itemized list of edits for the QOTD flow are:

• Lines in between groups on the main QOTD page

• Removing the navigation bar on the loading page after answering the QOTD

• Bold “vote for your favorite answer below” instead of the question

• Adding “You submitted this answer” on the voting page

• Changing the bonus gained from the subject voting an answer from a star icon to a colored outline on the profile picture

• Including the option to enter a group chat after viewing updated daily leaderboard

The home page and profile page were also edited.

Home Page Before

Profile Page Before

The full prototype can be viewed here.

Prototype

Social media has turned into a constant stream of consumption, which does not help new and old friends connect organically. A quick and fun game that gets loved ones to talk on a regular basis can serve as an entry point to get to know your people.

From this project I learned how to conduct User Research on potentially sensitive subject, since asking people how they socialize with their loved ones can be personal. Knowing that people consume all types of media such as books, games, and TV shows, I was challenged with how to distinguish from these types of medias yet visually streamline these cards.

For further development, I would love to develop the push notification Users would get randomly throughout a day and see if that would create pressure to complete the “Question of the Day.” Additionally, I would love to have more variation with the types of questions asked for the “Question of The Day.” For example one User offered an idea to have Kno Me users submit drawings as an answer and another User suggested being able to submit memes or pictures. One finding from the User Interviews was that people love to reminisce about the past with their friends. It therefore would be great for Kno Me to have a feature that syncs with the Users' photo album and pulls a photo a day to present to the group.