WhatsApp with that? Adding a feature to a native IOS app.
It seems that in 2021 we are more connected than ever before. The evolution of written communication has evolved tremendously in the last decade. Gone are the simple days of communicating through a single platform. We now have countless options to relay a message, with so many factors deciding just which conduit we use. Facebook messenger, Instagram DM, text message? How do we directly and effectively get our message across, literally and often figuratively?
A big factor in choosing a communication format is location. Text message if you’re sending local, Viber if you’re reaching out to Eastern Europe, or in the case of most international communication, WhatsApp. WhatsApp, a free messaging app currently owner by Facebook is the first choice of many users, and rightly so. It’s free, mostly reliable, and has a pretty easy to use UI. It’s built a reputation over the last few years as the go-to app for messaging. So when an app “ain’t-broke”, why try to “fix-it”? Because this is UX, and were never done!
For this project, we are tasked with taking a simple and relatively intuitive user-face, and adding a non-existent feature. And not just any feature, a feature that makes sense, both to the user and within the existing UI of the app. How does one find whats not there? By looking at what is, and often comparing it to similar products. When we think about an experience we’ve had, we often compare it to previous experience, as that’s our frame of reference and comparison. One can endlessly think about whats missing, so it’s best to start with one problem (or solution) and focus on that, especially when working alone.
While WhatsApp is chock-full of useful features, one can quickly find areas for improvement. We are going to focus on a feature thats standard in many messaging apps/platforms, namely email, but missing from WhatsApp, a “drafts” feature. In email this feature allows the user to begin writing a message, save what they’ve written, and come back at any time to continue writing the message. In WhatsApp, this isn’t currently possible. The user either has to finish and send the message or delete it. So now that we have our idea, we need to first find out how to adapt it to our product.
Research is always vital. Never forego the process, even if you think you know the best way to do it. You likely don’t. The product is for the user, so go the user, always. In this case, our WhatsApp users liked the idea of a drafts feature, but were not entirely sure if it could be fit into the existing UI of the app in a way that would make sense. User’s shouldn’t have to go looking for your feature, they should be able to intuitively find it! So here begins our actual challenge, fitting what looks like a circle into a square shaped hole.
From really taking the time to learn the app, how it functions, and its current limitations, we can begin to think like the user and empathize with their needs. In the case of WhatsApp, in order to fulfill the needs of the user with this feature we needed to create two user flows for our design. These flows would be dictated by whether the user was creating a new draft, or editing an existing one.
Once we find exactly what the user wants or needs to achieve we can then delve into the UI of the thing. From exploring the app, we are able to discover current features of the existing UI and look for places that it can be modified effectively to accommodate our new feature, without sacrificing usability. In WhatsApp this is not such an easy task, as the the UI is very streamlined, without much free space for modification. However, this doesn’t make our task impossible, just more challenging.
After we find where we think our feature should go, we test it with users, to either confirm or reject our hypothesis. We then take these findings and decide how to move forward. In this case, the first iteration was not super clear to the user and required some more iteration. The users tested were not always able to intuitively find where to access their drafts. Although some eventually found the feature, it took them some trial and error, and much longer than it optimally should have. Only after doing some more research, iteration, and re-designing did the consensus turn in favor of the placement. But the process must be trusted, and data validated, for your product to function effectively for your user.
Once you find your initial “solution”, do you stop? No. Follow the philosophy of “can’t stop, won’t stop”. Keep iterating and reiterating as time and resources allow, and you’ll practically guarantee a great product for your user, and ample opportunities for learning and growth for you.
Takeaways:
- The best solution is not always the one you think: you are not the user.
- Iteration is a never ending process, and the process must be trusted.
