Project documentation
Role
UX Designer
Responsibilities
User Research, Ideation and Prototyping
Duration
1 week
Business
WhatsApp is a communications app on iOS, Android, and web, that allows users to send and receive text messages, voice messages, images, videos, and documents, as well as make voice and video calls, both one-on-one and in groups.
Summary
Many users use WhatsApp to discuss plans, event details and take attendance. This could range from group dinners, sports events, meetings and more.
In my research, I discovered that many users enter details in the chat box, or completely move on to other platforms to finalize plans.
I designed a new functionality, WhatsApp Events. which allows organizers to create, share and manage events and participants.
Firstly, this was a personal problem of mine when using WhatsApp to create and organize events. Using the chat functionality, many event details would be pushed up when other members of the group sent messages, leading to some members missing the event completely.
I asked around and found that many people shared the same pain points. Therefore I decided to conduct proper user interviews to get deeper insights into the usage and journey of WhatsApp and design a potential way to solve the problem.
I conducted 5 user interviews, asked about their experiences with organizing events such as social gatherings using WhatsApp. Some users also used WhatsApp to organize meetings in a professional setting, but the main focus was on social usage first.
Key Findings
Users manually entered event details into chat
Already established group, if they wanted to add someone from outside the group, it was a hassle
RSVP had huge user error potential
No reminders option
Messages mentioning the event would get pushed up when other messages are sent
Some users moved to other platforms after discussing, like Facebook, Meetup or creating a spreadsheet
Problem Statement
From the findings, the following user needs statement was created:
WhatsApp users need a way of creating, sharing and managing events without juggling multiple apps, so that they have an enjoyable event experience with nobody missing out.
Problem Statement
WhatsApp users need a way of creating, sharing and managing events without juggling multiple apps, so that they have an enjoyable event experience with nobody missing out.
Solution
WhatsApp Events feature to show upcoming events. Users can create, share and manage events on this page. Invitations can be sent to individuals or group chats.
Participants can use this page to RSVP and keep a log of their upcoming events.
User Flow
Created user flows to understand the process and to clearly know what screens are needed for prototyping.
As WhatsApp already had a design system in place, I jumped into high-fidelity prototyping. I used Pixsell's WhatsApp UI kit in Figma.
I conducted user testing with 3 frequent users of WhatsApp. The following iterations were made according to their feedback.
Link with group chat
Users wanted some events to only be available to one WhatsApp group. I made an extra option in the event creation/edit page to include "link to existing group" or "create new group" in the privacy page. This greys out the "allow guests to invite others" option as they would be inviting them to the group chat.
Calendar View
Users wanted to see their events in a calendar view to see how many events they had given a certain week or month.
User - Create, share and manage events without leaving the platform
Previously, users had to resort to using other event management platforms after discussing plans on WhatsApp.
User - No more missing out on event invitations!
With invitation notifications, reminders and event details all in once place, users won't miss out on invitations due to them being in message form.
Business - Collaboration with brands
Public events such as concerts, meetups and other company events can be promoted on the events tab for a fee. This could generate revenue for WhatsApp.
Business - User loyalty
Because users don't need to jump to other platforms to perform this task, it is more likely they will continue using WhatsApp as a communications platform.
Working with a design system
It was challenging to keep within the brand guidelines and use the existing design systems for WhatsApp and iOS. However, it also made it easier because there were ready made components of what I needed, for example the calendar component when I needed to iterate.
Easy prototyping and testing
Because I was working in high-fidelity prototyping straight away, it was much easier to create a clickable prototype to test with users, rather than using lo-fi like paper prototypes. But, it was only done this way because I knew there were design systems in place for WhatsApp and iOS already.