Insighter
A social media platform designed to establish connections between developers and customer-facing employees, and share information across the company.
Duration 14 weeks
Role Research, Product Design
Course Advanced Digital Product Design
Brief B2B social network web interface
Design Challenge
Lack of communication between developers and customer-facing employees, which results in mutual loss of important knowledge and social connections.
The solution
An interface that 'matches' employees based on professional needs, and helps to develop a natural connection through conversation, as well as easily share newly learned information with other employees.
Design PROCESS
personas
The first step was to understand who are we designing for. The personas represent the two main employee groups: developers and customer-facing employees. Each persona card highlights the strengths and pain points of the employee.
Main flow
After understanding the persona needs, I mapped the main flow. It was important for me to cover all objectives within the flow, and make sure it's logical. The flow follows the user as he searches for information, connects to an employee, learns and shares an insight.
wireframes
Once the interface logic and flow were established, I began wireframing using important guidelines deriving from my user research:
- The interface should feel focused and intuitive, as tech employees have many overwhelming work interfaces and do not wish for another.
- The employee should feel rewarded for his actions within the interface. This assures a sense of appreciation often missing in daily work.
High fidelity wireframes
Interface
design
After wireframing, I dived into the design of the interface. I aimed to keep the look & feel professional and appropriate for a workplace, yet playful enough to encourage using the system regularly. I combined these goals with the initial need for an intuitive design.
I selected a bright purple gradient for CTAs. This helps to guide the user, while also adding a fun element that breaks the neutral color palette.
For another splash of color, I gave each element in the side panel a different gradient fill. This helps in differentiating functionalities, while enhancing the interface's gamification.
homepage search
Wireframe (back) and final design (front)
I removed the option to close discussions, and added Emoji and GIF keyboards to the chat. This emphasizes the social aspect of the interface and reduces the feeling of a task-oriented interface.
I added a competitive element by rewarding the user with points for social actions, such as marking a conversation "helpful" and exporting an insight.
Discussion page
Reflection
This 14-weeks-long project allowed me to create a product combining deep user understanding with business needs. If I had more time, I would invest it in developing the social aspect even more, exploring social interactions within the insight feed. Nonetheless, the process significantly enriched my design skills and taught me how to:
- Properly define my product's purpose and build it accordingly.
- Work in sprints, continuously reiterating and improving my design.
- Methodically search for the right look & feel (and understanding why it's the right design).
