Solo app
For TETAVI B2C
Role: UX/UI Designer, Design system
Collaborators: Development Team, Product Managers, Design team
Platforms: Mobile app, iOS
Project Duration: 18 months
My journey as a UX/UI Designer in this product involved characterizing the user experience and designing an interface that truly speaks to our audience's love for fresh, interactive social media and 3D content creation. Over the course of 18 months, in collaboration with an additional designer, development team, and product managers, we dedicated ourselves to leveraging immersive technology. The main goal was to enable creators to bring their 3D visions to life, making 'Solo' more than just an app – it's a doorway into the exciting new realm of the metaverse creator economy.
Goal
Establish 'Solo' as a leading platform in the metaverse creator economy, aiming to capture at least 8% of the market share among GenZ content creators and influencers within the first 18 months. Focus on the content quality and collaborators.
The challenge
In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, capturing the attention and loyalty of GenZ — a demographic known for its affinity for innovation and creativity — presents a significant challenge. The primary obstacle was designing an iOS app that not only met the high expectations for social media interaction and 3D content creation but also stood out in a saturated market.
Research
Step 1 Audience research
Conducted to gather quantitative data on GenZ's preferences and habits in social media and 3D content creation.
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GenZ: Investigated how GenZ is engaging with social media platforms, with a focus on content creation and sharing.
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Metaverse: Explored the rising interest in immersive and 3D content among young creators and influencers.
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User Preferences and Behaviors: Analyzed data on what drives GenZ towards certain platforms, especially regarding content creation, sharing, and monetization. Studied the balance between user-friendly interfaces and innovative features.
Step 2 Competitive Analysis
Analyzed competitors in the social media and immersive content creation space to understand market trends and identify gaps.
- Technological Advancements: Researched the latest developments in 3D content creation, virtual avatars, and their integration into social media platforms.
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Competitor Analysis: Examined the features, user experience, market positioning, and USPs of key competitors. Identified gaps and opportunities where 'Solo' can offer unique value to its users. During this stage, I created a detailed list of social platforms.
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TikTok: A leading platform for short-form video content, popular among GenZ for its creative and interactive features.
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Instagram (Reels & Stories): Offers a range of content creation tools, including stories and reels, catering to a diverse user base.
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Snapchat: Known for its AR filters and lenses, Snapchat appeals to young audiences for its playful and immersive content options.
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Byte: As a successor to Vine, Byte focuses on short-form video content, attracting creators with its simplicity and engagement.
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Vero: Positions itself as a true social network with a focus on sharing content without ads and algorithms, appealing to creators who seek more organic engagement.
Step 3 User Personas and Journey Mapping
Developed to gain insights into the typical user's needs, behaviors, goals, and pain points.
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User Journey Map for Ava, The Creative Innovator
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Awareness: Discovers 'Solo' through an online design forum. Intrigued by the 3D content creation feature.
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Consideration: Explores the app’s features, reviews, and tutorials. Interested in how it could enhance her design portfolio.
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Decision: Downloads 'Solo' and starts experimenting with its features, particularly volumetric video capture.
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Use: Integrates 'Solo' into her creative workflow. Shares her creations on her social media and professional networks.
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Loyalty & Advocacy: Becomes a regular user, recommending 'Solo' to fellow artists. Provides feedback for further improvements.
User Journey Map for Hunter, The Trendsetting Influencer
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Awareness: Notices 'Solo' being mentioned by a popular influencer on Instagram.
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Consideration: Checks out the app's social media presence and user reviews. Curious about its unique 3D features.
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Decision: Downloads the app to create content that could make him stand out on his social platforms.
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Use: Regularly uses 'Solo' for creating innovative posts and stories. Engages his audience with unique content.
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Loyalty & Advocacy: 'Solo' becomes a key part of his social media persona. Shares his experiences and tips with followers.
Step 4 User interviews
Using the Usertesting.com platform to interview GenZ content creators and influencers to create a deeper insight into their expectations from social media platforms, particularly around overall satisfaction, ease of use, quality, and Overall likelihood.
1. What was your initial impression when you first opened the 'Solo' app?
Did you find the app visually appealing and engaging?
2. How easy was it to navigate through the app?
Were there any features or sections you found confusing or difficult to use?
3. How would you rate the quality of the 3D scans you created using 'Solo'?
Were the details and textures in the 3D scans up to your expectations?
4. How would you describe your experience creating 3D content with 'Solo'?
Did you encounter any challenges while using the content creation tools?
Will you most likely share your content with others?
5. How satisfied are you with the customization options for your digital avatar in 'Solo'?
Do you feel the avatars accurately represent your physical appearance or desired persona?
6. How do the avatars perform in terms of movement and interaction within the app?
Are there any improvements you would suggest for avatar animation and responsiveness?
Will you most likely share your avatar with others?
7. Which features did you find most useful and why?
Were there any features that didn’t work as expected or could be improved?
8. How well did the app perform on your device? Did you experience any lag or crashes?
Was the app layout and functionality consistent across different screens and sections?
9. Overall, how satisfied are you with the 'Solo' app?
What features or improvements would you suggest for enhancing your experience?
10. How likely are you to recommend the 'Solo' app to others?
What would make you more likely to recommend this app?
Key challenges
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Integrating Advanced Technology: Seamlessly incorporating volumetric video capture and immersive technology into a user-friendly mobile platform.
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User Experience Design: Crafting an intuitive and engaging UX/UI that resonates with GenZ's preferences for interactive and visually appealing content.
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Market Positioning: Establishing 'Solo' as a pioneer in the metaverse creator economy, appealing to content creators, influencers, and innovation visionaries.
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Adoption and Retention: Ensuring high download rates and sustained user engagement in a competitive environment, where new apps continually vie for user attention.
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Balancing Innovation with Accessibility: Introducing cutting-edge features while maintaining ease of use for a diverse user base with varying levels of technical proficiency.
Pain Points and Insights
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User-Centric Design and Personalization Limited personalization options lead to a lack of user engagement. GenZ users seek platforms that allow them to express their individuality and creativity. 'Solo' offers extensive customization features, including 3D avatars and personalized content creation tools, to enhance user engagement.
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Intuitive and Innovative Interface Complexity in Navigating Advanced Features. Users are intrigued by innovation but can be overwhelmed by complicated interfaces. 'Solo' balances innovative technology with a user-friendly interface, making advanced 3D content creation accessible to all users.
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Social Media Integration and Collaboration (Deep dive below) Challenges in seamless 3D content sharing and collaboration. Social connectivity and collaboration are highly valued in the digital experiences of GenZ users. The app provides smooth integration with existing social media platforms and offers features that encourage community building and collaborative content creation.
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Content Monetization and Transparency Unclear monetization pathways leading to user frustration. Transparent and straightforward monetization features are essential for content creators. The app offers clear and accessible monetization options, empowering creators to easily benefit from their content.
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Market Positioning and Unique Selling Proposition (USP) Difficulty standing out in a crowded market. A unique and compelling USP is key to differentiating in a saturated app market. Solo' distinguishes itself with unique 3D content creation capabilities and immersive metaverse experiences.
Deep Dive social media integration
The central issue lies in the disparity between the creation of 3D augmented videos and their limited viewing capabilities outside the app. This discrepancy presents a significant challenge to the app's functionality and user satisfaction. Here is how we dealt with one of the major pain points and my thinking and dealing with it process.
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User Experience Discontinuity: Users create immersive 3D content within the app, expecting similar interactivity when shared. However, the conversion to 2D on other platforms leads to a loss of the content's intended immersive quality, resulting in a disjointed user experience.
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Limitation in Content Reach: The inability to share 3D content in its original format on other platforms restricts the audience's reach. Users aiming to grow their follower base or engage broader audiences on multiple platforms find this limitation counterproductive.
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Technological Constraints: The current state of technology across different social media platforms does not uniformly support 3D content, posing a technical challenge in maintaining content fidelity when shared externally.
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Creative Restrictions: This limitation can stifle the creative expression of users who might otherwise explore more innovative 3D content, knowing that it would be diluted when shared outside the app.
How We Dealt With It
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Educating Users: Implemented educational tools within the app to inform users about the different content formats and how they translate across various platforms. This helps set realistic expectations about how their content will appear outside the app.
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Optimized Export Options: Developed a flow that optimizes 3D content for 2D platforms, ensuring the best possible translation of the content. This includes enhancing certain visual elements to retain as much of the original appeal as possible in 2D.
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In-App Viewing Enhancements: Enhanced the in-app viewing experience to make it more appealing. This encourages users to view and interact with content within the app, where the full 3D experience is preserved
Process in General
Went back to the comprehensive research on user behavior and expectations regarding content sharing across different platforms. Following this review- we created prototypes for various content-sharing flows, testing, and iterating based on user feedback and technical feasibility.
Flow 1 Create 3d > share 2d
Flow 2 Create 3d > share 3d
Flow 3 Create 2d > share 2d
Solution
User-Centric Interface Design Developed a sleek, intuitive user interface that resonates with the GenZ demographic, ensuring ease of navigation and usability. Also, we Incorporated user feedback loops to continually refine the UX/UI, making it more aligned with user preferences and behaviors.
Advanced 3D Content Creation Tools Integrated volumetric video capture technology, enabling users to create and share quality 3D content directly from their mobile devices. We made sure these advanced features were accessible to users with varying levels of technical skills, with a focus on simplifying the content creation process.
Personalized and Immersive Experience Offered extensive features for digital avatars, allowing users to accurately represent their physical appearance or desired persona in the digital world.
Main screens
Avatar creation
Text to movement feature, Generative AI
Prototyping
Initial Wireframes Created to layout the basic structure of the app, focusing on ease of navigation and a sleek design.
interactive Prototypes Developed interactive prototypes using Figma to simulate the user experience. This included the app's home screen, content creation pages, and user profile sections.
Feedback Integration Gathered user feedback on the ease of use and accessibility of these tools, making iterative improvements to ensure they catered to users with varying technical expertise.
Design system documentation The process began with a collaborative effort among designers, where key visual and functional elements were conceptualized, ensuring consistency and coherence across the app.
The Design System was meticulously documented, providing clear guidelines and standards for both current and future development phases. As 'Solo' evolved, the Design System was regularly updated to incorporate new features and feedback, thereby maintaining its relevance and effectiveness in guiding the app’s aesthetic and functional evolution.
Design system, sneak peek
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Throughout this prototyping phase, the focus remained on ensuring that each feature not only worked technically but also delivered on the promise of an innovative, user-friendly, and immersive social media experience for GenZ. The prototypes underwent multiple iterations based on user feedback and technical testing, refining the app into a platform that met the project's ambitious goals
