Glimpse
A passion project to rethink the ways in which we interact over social media
Click here for the Figma prototype. Please view it on desktop.
Project Overview
This project is born out of my personal experiences* with social media apps today, where more often than not I've observed heated arguments often devolving into biased, illogical arguments and ad hominem attacks, fostering a toxic environment.
And this is just one of many challenges confronting social media users today, including data privacy concerns, the spread of misinformation, and mental health impact stemming from social media addiction, cyberbullying, sensory overload and false social comparison. These are complex issues (involving an interplay of business goals, platform/medium limitations, behaviours and intentions of users themselves, etc.) with no simple fixes, and this project does not seek to address all of them.
Many a time the solution does not lie in UX/UI itself, but it begs the larger question: how can we design/use tech for good, insofar as it can condition us to become better versions of ourselves, and improve the human condition as a whole?
This is an ongoing project/living document and I will be making updates along the way. I seek feedback on this initiative and would love to hear your thoughts.
*Recognising this, I acknowledge the potential for bias in my thinking and design process, of which I've taken care and consideration to stay objective throughout this exercise.
1
How might we promote respectful and constructive interactions in comment threads, preserving freedom of expression?
AI-enabled moderation to foster constructive discourse
Problem
Comment threads on social media platforms often descend into negativity and toxicity, with users at times making insensitive remarks, or resorting to ad hominem attacks and disrespectful behaviour in a heated exchange, detracting from the overall user experience and hindering constructive dialogue.
Solution
Implement AI moderation bots that will deliver gentle reminders to users about the importance of empathy, critical thinking, fact-checking, etc. without overly restricting freedom of expression, with the key aim to guide users towards more respectful and constructive communication.
2
HMW design social media platforms that encourage users to celebrate everyday moments and genuine experiences, fostering self-reflection and authentic connections?
A platform for daily reflection and celebration of the everyday life
Problem
Social media often emphasises idealised moments, neglecting the beauty of everyday life and fostering unrealistic comparisons. Users may feel pressured to curate a flawless image rather than embracing authenticity.
Solution
Introduce a daily reflection feature (e.g. Glimpse) that provides users with templates of various prompts to document their daily activities or thoughts. It is a healthy and creative way to express oneself and one's identity, while celebrating the beauty of everyday experiences in fostering a positive online environment.
Expressing one's authenticity and individuality
Problem
Current social media platforms often limit users to expressing their personalities and interests through standard photos and videos. This lack of customisation leads to profiles feeling generic, exacerbated by a growing trend of people posting similar poses and locations.
Solution
Beyond just offering themes, skins, or background, we seek to enable greater profile customisation for users to truly showcase their unique interests and personalities.
By offering various customisation options, users can showcase different facets of their personality and interests, leading to more authentic and engaging profiles.
Real-time activity updates to foster greater sense of connectedness
Problem
While not all passive content consumption is bad (i.e. it can lead to active engagement that leads to discovering content resulting in good conversations), it can still diminish social connectedness.
Solution
Implement more interactive and real-time activity updates to provide users with insights into the current interests and activities of others, promoting shared experiences and fostering a deeper sense of community.
Note: care to be taken to address concerns regarding privacy, potential misuse, and user engagement to ensure the feature's effectiveness and positive impact.
Reintroducing chronological order for intuitive content discovery
Problem
Some users may feel frustrated by the lack of control over the timeline and the potential for content to be buried or overlooked with most apps' decision to move away from a chronological timeline.
Solution
This design reintroduces chronological order through a 24-hour timeline grid, a feature that offers users a visually engaging way to documenting their moments and memories throughout the day. It is a unique and interactive way for users to share/chronicle their daily routines, special events, and spontaneous moments, fostering creativity and self-expression in a digital journal format.
Fostering authentic connections through informative guides
Problem
The prevalence of influencer-driven content often lacks authenticity and overwhelms users with promotional material.
Solution
Introduce a "Guides" feature that empowers users to create and share detailed, themed recommendations. These guides can include multiple points of interest or related activities, providing a holistic experience. To mitigate the introduction of biases into guides-creation, there could be community moderation or a review system to ensure the authenticity of the guides.
Retro
A self-critique of my designs
The success of a product lies in its appeal to users over time as well as its sustainability, scalability and profitability.
I often wonder what some sustainable revenue streams to ensure the app's longevity are, especially in a context where social media companies heavily rely on advertising, and such a model may conflict with the app's intention of creating a more mindful, less intrusive user experience. Thus the need to explore alternative monetisation strategies (perhaps premium subscriptions or a marketplace of well-designed templates and stickers from various creators and brands).
Next, such a design of mine seems to be based off the assumption that users will readily adapt journalling and personal reflection features, where in truth some users may not appreciate journalling or personal reflection features after trying it out. Moreover, they might find it hard to break away the instant gratification offered by their favourite apps.
Moreover, while the goal is to reduce the influence of paid content, users creating guides may still introduce their own biases.potentially promoting places or products they have a personal stake in. To mitigate this, there could be community moderation or a review system to ensure the authenticity of the guides. It is, however, important to balance this with the reality that influencers and sponsored content are integral to the business model of many social media platforms today.
Lastly, a critical aspect of this redesign is the implementation of constructive discourse and comment moderation features. This raises the important question about the balance between moderated content and free speech: too stringent a moderation may stifle free experience, while too lenient a policy may fail to protect users from offensive discourse or harmful content.
Finally, borrowing from Jake Knapp's Sprint method, it is crucial to test and gain clarity on whether these ideas work (and if not, to gain insights how best to iterate and move forward).