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RANZHENG
Waverly is a platform that allows people to discover content online
Timeline
3 months(shipped)
My role
UX&UI Designer
Key Contributions
Competitors Matrix
User interview
Wireframes
Prototyping
Annotated High-Fi Mockups
1
Research & Methodology
Our Methodology at Waverly is based on the Double Diamond Theory. We aim to incorporate the key phases of Discovery, Definition, Ideation, and Implementation in all our projects.
2
Waverly’s Market Data
Key takeaways
52% of users liked posts by other users on social media
48% of users commented on social media posts
77.9% left a comment on a social media platform vs. 14.6% on a news site or app
Outcome
Through the research process, we learned that by developing the comment section for Waverly, we could improve engagement and that commenting does not belong to Social Medias only.
Anchor 1
3
Understanding the Problem
Pain points
Not being recognized
Can't connect meaningfully with Waverly users apart from the comment section
Negative commenting environment
User goals
Being recognized by obtaining a status
Have a better way to start discussions on Waves with other Waverly users
Have access to a safe space to comment. Not being attacked or judged
Design Solution
Propose a reward system to identify the user’s status
Live discussion / (voice) conversations
Comment’s author has the possibility to block/mute or report a comment
Anchor 2
Anchor 3
4
Exploration
Based on the above problems identified, I worked towards addressing these pains by coming up with potential solutions:
Record comment video
Idea
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Users can record a quick 5-minute video to share their thoughts, like sharing your story on Instagram
Validation
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User interviews
I found that people tend to record multiple times
Why rejected
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Waverly is a reading-based application, not an image/video application.
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Users tend to record a video multiple times to organize their thoughts.
Rejected solution
Rewards with Coins
/ virtual items
Idea
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Using gamification to motivate user participation
Validation
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Quick survey
The survey shows that 90% of our target users don't want to be rewarded with coins/virtual items
Why rejected
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Although the reward of coins/virtual items increases motivation, it is not fit for our target users, those who want to gain/share knowledge rather than earn virtual rewards
Rejected solution
Social Structure
Idea
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Building a new commenting system in social structure.
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Provide feedback, like and share bookmark links to build social connections
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create a user dashboard to show the comment wave
Validation
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Waverly market data
Most people like to comment on social media
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Competitive matrix
I did a competitive matrix on social apps like Facebook and Twitter to understand why people are highly engaged in social media
Why accepted
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Social Structure increase the returns rate, session length, and daily active user, which are 3 main KPIs monitored by Waverly
Chosen solution
Lived Audio Space
Idea
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Proposing a live audio space for conversations.
Validation
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Competitive Matrix
Twitter has space for live audio, Instagram can share live video, etc
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User Storyboard
Users can listen to live audio while waiting for their bus. This feature can increase the flexibility of gaining knowledge
Why accepted
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Attract new users
Currently, Waverly is just a mobile reader that recommends articles for you. Reading and writing reviews is time-consuming and suitable for users who have free time. This is a market opportunity for those who are short on time or for multitasking users
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Join to the Waverly Community
Chosen solution
Badge
Idea
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Propose a reward system to identify the user’s status
Validation
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Competitive matrix
There are various social apps that use gamification as a strategy to increase engagement.
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Survey
70% of users want feedback and rewards
85% of users choose to receive a badge to identify their status
Why accepted
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Users want to be recognized
When a user contributes to the platform, they want a reward to identify their status
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Long-Term engagement
The reward system motivates users and helps build long-term engagement.
Chosen solution
Recap Design Solution
New commenting system
- Social Structure
easy to comment
create a comment wavy
01
02
Lived Audio Space
Attract new users
Join a Waverly community
03
Reward system - Badge
Feedback for contribution
Long-Term engagement
Anchor 4
Storyboard
Ideation/sketch
4
Waverly Round Table - Design Details
a live audio space where meaningful conversations happen
Listen to subject experts from the Waverly community anytime, anywhere
I create the Storyboard to craft the narrative and inspire a sense of the experience.
This helps me understand users better and build business strategies around human needs rather than focusing on product features.
Design principles
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Match between the system and the real world
The round table icon has a microphone in the centre.
It is easily recognized because that feature serves the same purpose as its real-life counterpart -
Consistency in the design system
How it Works:
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Hosted by subject experts from the Waverly community
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Earn a Rising Star badge when you join 10 round tables within your first 3 months
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Earn a Top Contributor badge when you have been joining round tables for at least 6 months
5
New Commenting System - Design Details
Challenge
HMW design a comment system that is effortless
Design principles
Easy to comment
Prevent user errors
Improve user’s guidance
New commenting system - better comment experience with features such as:
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likes on comments
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the ability to reply to others' comments
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auto correct feature
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share article links with other users from bookmarks
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save your comment as a draft in case of interruptions
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earn badges based on your commenting activity
Before
When testing the commenting system, I asked myself
HMW made it even more impactful?
What is the right social media to add to Waverly?
Design Insight:
The commenting section is based on user-submitted content. Redesigning the comment system to the social structure will improve engagement.
The basic formula: Action from user A + Feedback for user B + Content for user C.
The Comment Wave
Outcome
More people see it, do actions, which give feedback, and create even more content.
After
Anchor 5
6
Key Performance Indicators & Metrics
Our recommendation:
Follow those KPIs in the first 3 months of the new features release and evaluate if changes are necessary.
Session Length
time spent on new pages
Return rate
% of users returning to the comment section and Round table
Daily, weekly and monthly active users
this KPI is already monitored by Waverly
7
What I learned...
Defining the right problem
The brainstorming process was a great way of finding design ideas, but a lot to sort through to realize the final design.
By prioritizing the designs that suited best the customer’s needs and that designs are backed up by research and data
KPI
Learned System Usability Scale to measure usability performance in the aspects of effectiveness
Anchor 6
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