SNAPCHAT WANDER:
A New Way to Explore the World
Overview
I worked on this two-week class project with Di Lu and Kevin Widener where we were tasked with choosing a feasible problem to solve for and a company to solve that problem with. We chose to tackle the problem of cross-cultural connection and exchange by developing a new feature for Snapchat called "Snapchat Wander".
With Snapchat Wander users could potentially meet and engage with other users worldwide via a dialogue of shared “snaps”. Desired location and shared interests would determine which individuals a user can match with in order to begin their shared stories.
My Role
Competitive / Comparative Research
Design Strategy
User Research / Testing
Persona Development
Hi-Fi Wireframes
Problem Statement
With our problem statement, we wanted to help people who were curious about exploring the world get a more intimate glimpse into the lives of others for cultural exchange and more meaningful connections. We saw an opportunity in implementing a way to connect people as “global pen pals”.
We initially sought to solve this problem with the live video streaming app, Periscope. However, Periscope's lack of restrictions on what content could be viewed and broadcasted gave us concerns over users' safety and security. We ultimately decided on Snapchat, as current users of the app are limited to connecting one-on-one only with their personal contacts. The app’s unique time-conditions on snaps also set desireable limitations for our proposed feature.
Competitive / Comparative Research
We performed a competitive analysis where we identified Snapchat’s potential competitors in the streaming video exchange realm and took note of the differences in how each app addressed issues like searching for content, communicating with other users and viewers and safety and security functions.
A comparative analysis of other social, travel and language exchange apps revealed models to consider that Snapchat did not have — particularly algorithms like searching for and matching up with users and facilitating a safe and secure correspondence between them.
We identified Persicope, YouNow and Meerkat as Snapchat Wander’s main competitors in the video streaming realm. We noted differences in how each app addressed key functions such as search, communication and security.
We also looked at apps such as dating site eHarmony, hospitality and social networking site Couchsurfing, and language exchange site Lang 8 in order to compare how users search, connect, and correspond with other users in a safe and secure way.
We identified Persicope, YouNow and Meerkat as Snapchat Wander’s main competitors in the video streaming realm. We noted differences in how each app addressed key functions such as search, communication and security.
User Interviews / Synthesis
A user survey was created to screen potential users we could recruit as interview applicants. We asked questions pertaining to people’s frequency in viewing and creating content online, whether they’ve ever made friends online or as pen pals before, how they maintained correspondence with these friends and their experiences and thoughts on travel and connecting with others online for cultural exchange.
We received a total of 49 respondents for our survey. Of those respondents, we selected 10 participants, who were a mix of users and non-users of Snapchat, for a round of in-person interviews to extract qualitative data around their experiences using social media platforms such as Snapchat.
In synthesizing the data, we found that trust and security were a prominent concern with the new feature. Shared interests were a key motivator in the desire to connect with others online. Although users liked the ability to interact with new people and content, they desired control over what they want and do not want to see.
Participant Profile:
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49 Survey Respondents:
45% 26-34 years old
39% 22-25 years old
10 User Interviews:
5 Females / 5 Males
22-34 years old
Key Takeaways:
90% had trust issues when it came to corresponding with new people online.
“One-on-one is too personal. I can’t really trust someone if I don’t know them personally.”
80% wanted common interests to be their connection point with others.
“There has to be some common ground.”
80% don’t want to interact with the same people every time.
“I don’t want to see the same person’s face, I’d rather quickly move on to other content.”
60% wanted some sort of filter functionality with the current app.
“It would be cool if I could explore stories through hashtags.”
User Personas
We were able to identify primary, secondary and tertiary user types from our collected data. We focused on our primary user, “Zoe”, who is a “potential user” that may have used Snapchat before, but for various reasons did not become a repeat user. Their pain points revolve around having a busy lifestyle, reservations about sharing personal content online, being approached by unwelcome strangers or receiving snaps from anonymous users. Their needs are to be able to leisurely browse through content to discover things as they please, refine and curate the content that they create and share, and desire safety and security in what they view online.
Primary Persona
Secondary Persona
Tertiary Persona
Swim Lane Flow
To get a better idea of how the interface and the system should respond during a given user task, we created a swim lane flow and consulted with a web developer to confirm that the required system functions were technically feasible at each step.
Feature Prioritization / Implementation
A MoSCoW chart helped us prioritize the features that would be included in the MVP prototype. Our ‘Must Haves’ centered around the map search feature and ways to help users label their content and refine their search through the use of hashtags. Regarding user needs for safety, we included the ability to block/report other users and user verification.
We adopted Periscope's map search feature and applied it to Snapchat, while adding Meerkat’s API so that search results could be viewed in preview mode on a multi-split screen. Use of Twitter’s hashtag API allows users to label their content thus making it findable for others, as well.
Periscope's Map and List Views
Twitter's hashtag API
User Testing / Iterations
With our MVPs defined, we developed the first set of wireframes and conducted three rounds of user testing. Users in the first round noted confusion with the icons that were used for the “World View” and “Multi-Screen View” features. We subsequently, changed them to a button indicating “Map” or “Preview” for improved clarity.
Iteration 1.0
KEY: Blue = explanations, Red = design changes, Green = future opportunities
KEY: Blue = explanations, Red = design changes, Green = future opportunities
KEY: Blue = explanations, Red = design changes, Green = future opportunities
KEY: Blue = explanations, Red = design changes, Green = future opportunities
Iteration 2.0
KEY: Blue = explanations, Red = design changes, Green = future opportunities
KEY: Blue = explanations, Red = design changes, Green = future opportunities
KEY: Blue = explanations, Red = design changes, Green = future opportunities
Iteration 3.0
KEY: Blue = explanations, Red = design changes, Green = future opportunities
KEY: Blue = explanations, Red = design changes, Green = future opportunities
KEY: Blue = explanations, Red = design changes, Green = future opportunities
KEY: Blue = explanations, Red = design changes, Green = future opportunities
Next Steps
Short term:
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Refine the navigation based on the feedback from our last user testing.
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Make “World Search” button more noticeable for users to locate.
Long term:
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Develop a more intuitive map that lessens the search time and allows for a more catered experience.
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Research and build out new ways for users to interact with one another while also addressing the user's sense of security and safety on the app.
Granular:
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Create a more detailed user journey featuring multiple personas.
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Refine how users add friends and their messaging criteria.
Conceptual:
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Create an entirely new app that would attract users who want to strictly explore and share content on a global scale.
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Utilize Snapchat’s ghost mascot to implement a fun gamification aspect.