Increasing Awareness of Features and Feature Updates of WhatsApp Users

The Challenge

Many regular users lack full awareness of all WhatsApp features and updates, resulting in a less-than-optimal app experience for them.

Role

UX Researcher & Designer

Duration

8 weeks

My Design Process

Here, I adopted the double-diamond approach to solving this challenge. This is to ensure that I did the right things the right way. I went through these four (4) steps to ensure I came up with the right solution:

  1. Discover
  2. Define
  3. Develop
  4. Deliver

Discovery Phase

This is where I showed my research approach. I did the following in this phase:

  1. User Assumptions – These were based on personal use to get started with the user experience research. An initial of 10 (ten) assumptions were made, out of which 3 (three) were chosen to test.
  2. User Interviews (one-on-one) – Three WhatsApp users were chosen to participate. They were interviewed separately to get an insight into their WhatsApp user experience based on the assumptions made. 

Define Phase

I validated these assumptions through user research, and then crafted personas and a journey map. Additionally, I conducted a competitive analysis on Telegram. These tools informed the creation of user-centered solutions.

Develop Phase

I crafted a vision to guide me through this process. The vision is to ensure that WhatsApp users are aware of all features and feature updates without compromising on excellent user experience.

I then crafted two (2) goals that my design solution should meet: 

  1. To have a 50% increase in feature and feature update awareness by users within the first year.
  2. To improve the overall user experience by using feedback and iterative testing.

 

I applied UX design principles to develop a solution for users to easily discover and stay updated on all of WhatsApp’s features.

Three (3) principles were particularly chosen to achieve this.

1) Design for users and their tasks

  • Since most users use the text messaging/chat feature, it is better if feature details and updates are put in the “chat” area for easy access and noticeability.
  • Ease of use should not be compromised when redesigning.
  • User feedback should be incorporated to ensure the app stays true to helping users with their tasks.

 

2) Present Information Clearly

  • Details and Information about the features and its updates should be clearly communicated within the app.
  • Information about each feature should be carefully organized and arranged for easy accessibility.
  • The language used should also be clear and simple with audiovisuals to aid users assimilation.

 

3) Be Helpful

  • There should be clear CTAs and user guides to know about all available features, locate them within the app, see new updates, and know their overall benefits.
  • The design should be user-centric with emphasis on user education.
  • The link should take users to an archiving site with tips to resolve issues.

Delivery Phase

These are the designs I created as a solution:

The Outcome

A few weeks after my design work, WhatsApp implemented my recommendations, indicating they were already in progress before I became involved.

Key Learnings

Irrespective of an application's popularity, continuous efforts are essential to keep users informed about updates. This iterative approach ensures a constant pursuit of enhancing user experiences, making them feel valued.