ABOUT THE CLIENT
Unconvo is a social startup for young readers to organize and foster connections away from bustling social media.
PROBLEM
The Unconvo team noticed low user activation due to the site’s limited features. Besides the home feed, users had no way of engaging with one another.
MY ROLE
A key differentiator between Unconvo and their competitors, I built the end-to-end design of discussion groups (called “Nooks”) for their existing site to increase user activation and engagement.
UNCONVO TEAM
Founder - Gabriel Tomitsuka
Design Lead - Amy Lima (Pinterest)
Design Manager - Liz Wells (Squarespace)
Engineer - Sofia Sicat-Wawrzyniak
Front End Developer - Mikhail Andreev
Product Designer - Noëlle Pouzar
Nooks serve as intimate, smaller discussion groups that allow for social connection between Unconvo users.
After sorting through 1 year of research by the Unconvo team, I conducted my own research to gain a better understanding of user needs for Nooks.
Through interviews and surveys, I connected with over 40 Gen Z fiction readers who are either Unconvo users or current members of online groups for readers. I compiled all research into this empathy map.
Most GenZ readers are uninterested in joining a bookclub environment because it feels like school and they don’t have the time. Users also expressed that activities like silent reading groups sounded boring.
Most GenZ readers are uninterested in joining a bookclub environment because it feels like school and they don’t have the time. Users also expressed that activities like silent reading groups sounded boring.
I facilitated an exercise with a group of five GenZ readers to quickly jot down what they associated with online communities.
Through this activity, plus an overwhelming response from survey participants, it was evident that gamified features on social media and interactive video games are the most favorited methods of online social engagement.
TEAM CHECK-IN
In my survey, many participants expressed that having ADHD and anxiety influenced their reading habits and comfort within online communities. I shared this finding during team meetings and design feedback sessions, especially throughout ideation.
As designers we are required to build language, content, and features that foster an accessible, encouraging experience to all users.
IDEATION
Utilizing the data on Unconvo’s user activity and imported Goodreads lists, I proposed that Nooks have a feature that combines each Nook member’s lists together to create one, curated list of books. Lists titled “Must Read” and “Book Favorites” offer community connection among the group.
- Collaborative bonding experience
- Allows for more passive user engagement
- Utilizes Goodreads integration
- Resource hub, promotes books to focused audience
This feature can expand further into creating custom, collaborative lists where members can upvote books.
Because research suggested a high demand for interactive features, how might we gamify Nooks to increase user engagement and stand out from competing discussion groups?
Gamifying Nooks must be approached with care and caution. Interview participants overwhelmingly mentioned that points-based video games increase their stress level and fear of getting kicked out of a team if they aren’t active enough. Plus, people want to read what they want and make reading feel fun, not like a social obligation.
Since Nooks are the primary feature to enhance user engagement and directly ties with Unconvo’s mission as a platform, Nooks must be accessible via the main nav. Users can also find their Nooks through their profile.
UX WRITING
After users select Find Your Nook CTA, they are directed to their My Nooks page where all joined groups will be located. For onboarding, I designed six suggested Nooks that users can join, all based on current user data and survey responses.
CONTENT DESIGN
PROTOTYPE
My prototype is annotated to walk you through my process specifically on content design and ux writing.
View Prototype
My involvement as product designer included building V1 for the beta site, while also heavily ideating what Nooks will evolve into. I wish I could share more of the latter - but, alas, NDAs.
Communicating with a design team in four different time zones was tricky. Clarifying communication preferences helped increase efficiency and overall ease in working together.
While ideating with the design team on immediate and long-term feature ideas, I conducted extra research on potential accessibility issues that may arise with certain ideas. My approach was not only to highlight these concerns with data, but to also have conversations as a team on how we hold ourselves accountable for the virtual environment we design.
