Regulated, positive-content driven social media app
SafePlace is an app we created to promote kindness. My roles in this design sprint consisted of user research, usability testing, and prototype creation.
How would the world change if we were kinder to each other?
My reflections will go here.
Users become emotionally affected using social media platforms, which leads to discontinuing the use of the app. Trigger warnings are not widely used for content and are not always effective.
The problem
This was a finding from early user interviews.
SafePlace reviews all content and comments against community guidelines prior to being posted.
The solution
This GIF represents a user flow for scrolling through and interacting with content.
The sidebar was the most challenging to design.
This GIF represents the onboarding flow for first-time users.
We want to make sure users know what the app’s community guidelines are all about.
My UX process
This app is all about the users! So first, we created a user empathy map to put ourselves in their shoes.
Research
This process made me realize how much I want to make this world a kinder place!
“I had to delete my social media to better my mental health.”
Content Creator
Then we created and administered a user survey to find out how users would feel about using a fully regulated social media app and I was surprised by the results. Over 75% of users were interested!
We couldn’t believe that 77% of users surveyed would subscribe to a fully regulated social media app. This helped us know we were on the right path!
We were also surprised by this result! Over 50% of social media users surveyed feel the need to take breaks from social media due to negative content and user interaction.
This was the moment we got really excited about the app because our intuition was right on track!
Next, we created user personas and stories based on our research. Now get ready to meet our users!
Michael wants to interact with the mental health community and fellow artists on social media by commenting on other user’s posts.
Our research indicated that Michael’s user story was the most common.
Che wants to create and post an uplifting video to brighten other user’s days.
I think we all need a Che in our lives!
Mona wants to save videos she enjoys so she can watch them later and when wants to smile, and to share them with friends.
Mona told us that she currently has no active social media accounts to better her mental health.
Our research indicated that Michael’s user story was the most common, so we created a user journey map based on his story.
The ending is Michael wondering how he lived without safeplace!
Then we created paper prototypes, did Crazy 8’s design sprints, and sketched wireframes to determine visual design characteristics for the app including branding and logo creation.
Paper prototyping
The artist in me loves paper prototyping because I get to sketch!
After that, we transformed the sketches into digital wireframes and mockups using branding decisions.
Digital prototyping
We decided the UI of this mockup was too colorful so for the prototype we implemented a more standard color palette used for social media.
After in-person usability testing with three volunteers scouted from user interviews, key findings resulted in the following prototype iterations.
Prototype iterations
We promise this is not a planted quote from testing:
”I’ve been searching all my life for an app like safeplace!”
Usability tester
Users need to experience the regulation process for posted content.
Usability testing finding 1 of 2
“Under review” label added to newly posted content per comparisons below from before testing on left and after testing iteration on right.
Iteration
We wanted them to feel like a real user of safeplace!
Usability testing finding 2 of 2
Users unable to identify bottom bar icons.
Text labels added underneath icons to meet accessibility standards per comparisons below from before testing on left and after testing iteration on right.
Iteration
We realized that some users are more savvy than others on social media platforms.