<Overview/>
QUICK BACKGROUND
This is a 3-week project for the Tech & Business Jam held by U-M Ross School of Business. In this project, I worked in a team of five with diverse backgrounds from both School of Information and School of Ross.
To address some existing problems of online friend-making, we designed an MBTI-oriented and group-based friend-making App, analyzed it from a business point of view, and developed a business plan.
My Role
UX Designer Lead
Business Plan
Timeline
Nov 2021 - Dec 2021
Tools
Design: Figma
CONTEXT
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have struggled to make new connections or interact with new people in a meaningful and safe way. People have set patterns of behavior that have been disrupted due to the pandemic and so they are seeking out new ways to connect.
This is especially true for the younger generation. According to Telestra’s Talking Loneliness report, one in two Gen Z (54%) and Millennials (51%) reported that they regularly feel lonely, a figure higher than that of other generations.
PROBLEM
People usually find themselves in defined social circles and don’t have a lot of opportunities to form meaningful connections and make friends with people who are compatible with them and share similar traits or interests, especially during the pandemic.
DESIGN PREVIEW
Matched In Group
Try this new way of friend-making by getting matched into a small group of people
Chat In A Group
Chat in a small group of 4 to allow more natural conversations and easier friendship formation
MBTI Personality
Less focus on the selfies and more focus on personality and compatibility for more meaningful friendship
<Research/>
TARGET USER
Ideally, it should be open to everyone who is willing to make new friends. But the primary user groups are chosen to be digital natives and college students because they are more accustomed to use technology to solve personal needs, and they have experienced reduced socialization due to remote school/work.
PERSONA
<Design/>
SOLUTION
For the purpose of forming meaningful and genuine friendships without being awkward, we have designed a mobile app-based solution that has 4 major features: MBTI Personality Type, Group Mode, Smart Matching, and Discover Mode.
APP STRUCTURE
WIREFRAME
Based on the app structure, I have developed most of the wireframes, including the following.
HIGH-FI PROTOTYPE
A more detailed high-fidelity prototype is then designed.
<The Business Side/>
BUSINESS GOAL
Our team’s business goals are to create an industry-leading app-based solution for users interested in meeting new friends. Our next generation social media company is focused on building meaningful connections instead of click generation and screen time optimization. By creating an intuitive, welcoming app, we hope to attract a large and active user base to in turn generate revenue from advertising. We also aim to convert free users into paid or premium users by offering exclusive features to subscribers.
VALUE PROPOSITION
We want to digitalize the process of friend-making and to connect users with similar interests and personality traits, as indicated by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test. In this way, our app would facilitate offline non-romantic relationships.
MARKET SIZE
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
BUSINESS MODEL
DESIRED USER OUTCOME
The user will engage with the product several times a week in an effort to make new friends and connections. For example, a woman in her mid-20s has moved to a new city and is eager to build her roots but has limited social opportunities to meet people organically. She downloads the app and is grouped with others who share similar personalities and interests, whom she meets up with over the weekend. She continues using the app until she has met several people with whom she connects. Ultimately, existing users will act as an organic referral channel and drive new members to the app through word of mouth.
METRICS OF SUCCESS
-
Number of registered users (daily, weekly, monthly)
-
Number of active users (daily, weekly, monthly)
-
Number of successful group matches
-
Group matching satisfaction rate
-
Average time spent in app
-
User retention
-
Churn rate
-
App store ratings
-
User feedback
-
Cost per install
<Retrospective/>
SOME CHALLENGES
>> Used for Dating/Scams
There is a risk of the app being misused by users for unintended or nefarious purposes. With any messaging-based social app, there is a risk of scamming or fraudulent behavior. There is also a risk of the app being used for dating instead of facilitating friendships. This would pose a risk to users should they be approached aggressively or sexually by a fellow user.
>> Problems with groups
Although making friends in groups avoids some of the awkward situations in 1-to-1 cases, it makes things (the friend-making mechanism) more complicated. What if someone likes one person in that group but not the other? Are they allowed to send personal messages to each other when they are in a group? These are all problems that we need to think about and take care.
>> User Base Limit
We do recognize that for most people, the need for boyfriends/girlfriends can be much larger than the need for friends. This essentially means the max possible use base can be a lot smaller. This requires us to make the friend-making process more fun and engaging to encourage more usage.
FUTURE STEPS
>> More user research
Due to the short project timeline, our team wasn't able to do extensive user research. To validate some of the assumptions that we had, we plan to use surveys and focus groups to learn more about their opinion and feedback on friend-making on such an MBTI-oriented and group-based App.
>> More mature group mechanism
More possible scenarios in friend-making in groups will be considered, and more corresponding features/mechanisms will be developed. These features will try to solve problems including What will happen when someone likes one person but not the other? and Are personal 1-1 messages allowed when they are in a bigger group?
Right now, for example, we are considering giving users the option to drop the group and get matched again before the group starts. The personal 1-1 message feature can also be exclusive only to paid users.
>> More ways to enhance relationship
Right now, we algorithmically match users with their potential friends and just leave them like that, hoping that they become friends later. However, it’s important to make sure that they do have conversations, do get better and better at knowing each other, and do become friends down the course.
Some possible ways our system can do to facilitate friendship-building include (i) an AI facilitator that brings up topics and directions; (ii) a “Friendship Progress Bar” that keeps users on the platform and encourages conversations; (iii) Movie watching, voice chat, and multiplayer games.
>> Collaboration with offline recreational places
Recreational places are among the most affected during the pandemic. However, as the situation is getting better, more people are willing to meet up and have fun offline.
Therefore, when we get a decent number of active users, we can collaborate with offline recreational places. We will offer them young potential customers and in turn, they will offer deals and coupons for activities in their physical locations. These deals and coupons will greatly encourage users to transition from online to offline, helping friendships build.