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For a UX/UI Class, I was presented with the opportunity to design an app, no matter how impossible it seemed at the moment.

So…I asked myself the question, “How might we add value back into our social media experience.”

My idea: Face to Facebook.

In 2015, Facebook introduced “M”, a virtual assistant, to a small group of Facebook users in California. “M” uses artificial intelligence as well as human-powered responses to answer any tasks or questions the user sends.

I thought about how far we could take this technology. What if users could compliment their friends behind their phone screen AND compliment them in person.

It will appear on their Face to Facebook app as a “live interaction”.

“Face to Facebook decreases screentime while increasing Facebook usage.”

Audience Analysis

Age

86% of 18-29 year olds, 83% of 30-49 year olds, and 58% of 50-64 year olds own a smartphone.

Gender

Based on the 2010 US Census, 50.8% of the United States is female while 49.2% is male.

Education

Based on Pew Research Center, 81% of smartphone users have a college degree or beyond.

Ethnicity

66% of White adults, 68% of Black adults, and 64% of Hispanic adults own a smartphone.

Phone Type

68% of U.S. adults own a smartphone (iPhone, Android, Blackberry, or Windows phone).

Community Type

86% of urban citizens, 70% of suburban, and 52% of rural citizens have a smartphone.

Income Status

While income ranges amongst users, 52% of people with a $30K or less income own a smartphone.

Voice Recognition Software

Out of 62 responses, 52 people (84%) use Siri followed by 6 people (10%) who use Alexa.

Personas

Carrie Fredrick

Super Mom of Social Media

Age: 24-30

From: Charlotte, NC

Education: Bachelor’s in English

Relationship Status: Married

Income: $18,000-30,000

Ethnicity: Black

With three children and a job as an elementary teacher, this hard-working mother puts her family and students before herself. She has a booked calendar and loves planning events. When she gets home from work, her favorite thing to do is comment on all her neighbor’s photos of their families and upload new photos of her children. Social media is what she considers her “guilty pleasure” and is the only time she spends not worrying about others. While her kids are at baseball and ballet, she sits on her phone in the car and stays up to date on her social media. Even though she needs to go to bed, Carrie often stays up long into the night scrolling on her timeline.

“Susan always posts the cutest photos of her kids and I love staying connected with her on Facebook.”

Grayson Rodgers

Make it Happen Man

Age: 28-35

From: Atlanta, GA

Education: Masters in Business

Relationship Status: Single

Income: $75,000

Ethnicity: White

Grayson is a go-getter and won’t let anything stop him. He finds it better to be busy than bored. While working hard to climb the ladder at his modern and new business company, he tries to stay healthy and fit. On his way to his car, he will have his arms full with books, folders, and bags because he refuses to waste time taking two trips. He talks a mile a minute and people are always telling him to calm down and take a break. His social life is a priority as well. He wants to build strong connections with the people in his life and makes a point to schedule lunches and drinks with his friends and other network connections.

“I don’t have enough time in my day to get done what needs to get done.”

Henry Johnson

Mr. Old Fashioned

Age: 55-64

From: Shelbyville, IL

Education: Medical Doctorate

Relationship Status: Married

Income: $75,000+

Ethnicity: White

Henry hates how glued people are to their phones. Every day in the waiting room at the hospital he works at, families are interacting with their phones instead of each other. It drives him crazy and makes him not want to use his phone. He only uses his phone to see what his grandchildren are up to and to stay connected with family. Any other screen time comes from him working on his computer at work. Even then, he prefers to write all his patient’s notes down by hand and transfer them later. He knows he can’t fight this new age of technology, but he hopes to use technology to improve our world rather than distant people from one another.

“A handwritten note might take longer, but it just means so much more to me.”

Henry’s Customer Journey Map

WIREFRAMES

User Testing Results: Overall, three users shared similar positives and negatives while also offering unique suggestions.

User 1 expressed concern with how the app will interact with Facebook, but liked the idea and approach with voice recognition. She stated, “Some cases, such as having a long comment or your hands being too dirty to type would benefit from being able to speak rather than type.” Her main suggestion was to move the saved interactions section below the new interactions section. On a 0-10 scale, with 0 being not likely at all to recommend the app and 10 being very likely to recommend the app, she reported a 7.

User 2 was initially confused with the purpose of the app. He said that after playing around on the app, it became clear that he could post to Facebook using voice commands. He enjoyed the innovative thought behind the app and liked the clean look of the design. His main suggestion was to include a description as to what the app is and how to use it. On the same scale, as previously mentioned, he rated a 7.

User 3 said, “I love how it’s centered around voice recognition so you don’t have to type out messages and waste time.” However, she did not see herself downloading the app as she could do the same activities in Facebook. Her suggestion was to branch out to other social media platforms and have the app connect multiple news feeds, so the user can check and interact with multiple apps in one area. On the same scale as previously mentioned, she rated a 6.

Based on the three user tests, it is clear that the app is a novel idea and would take thorough explanation to understand. The finished app would feature a walk-through for first time users that don’t understand the purpose of the app. In addition, the saved interactions and new interactions should switch places on the home screen (an accidental error on the original design). During a video, a user suggested to add a timestamp to the ‘live comment’ message on the saved interaction page. This will keep the consistency of the voice message design. Another subtle change was a user kept looking for an ‘approve’ button, so the ‘correct’ button changed accordingly. Overall, users mentioned that the app looked very similar to Facebook in terms of design, and said that it was simple and easy to navigate.

User 1

Hover to see profile

User 1

https://goo.gl/IelBUj

• Female
• 23 years old
• Income of less than $40,000
• From Canada
• Average web expertise
• Verizon
• Uses Facebook
• Tested on an iPhone 6s

User 2

Hover to see profile

User 2

https://goo.gl/vqYdfU

• Male
• 21 years old
• Income of less than $40,000
• From Canada
• Advanced web expertise
• Rogers (Phone Carrier)
• Uses Facebook
• Tested on an iPhone SE

User 3

Hover to see profile

User 3

https://goo.gl/w8HQpp

• Female
• 21 years old
• Income of less than $40,000
• From United States
• Average web expertise
• Verizon
• Uses Facebook
• Tested on an iPhone 7

Check Out The Prototype

Tap or click the blue screen to begin

Open the Design’s PDF

A comprehensive file about Face to Facebook