UX Case Study
Overview
The scope of this project was to redesign an existing digital product for the near future. For this, we chose to tackle Reddit. Reddit is known as “the face of the internet”. Reddit is an American social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website, reddit is a social platform where can people discuss, browse and stay up to date with the latest news.
Time Line
This projects time line was over the course of five weeks from brief to final pitch
Week 1
User research, User Journeys, Competitor Research, Market Research and further observations.
Week 2
Assumptions, Goals, Product Statement, Wireframes and User Flow map.
Week3
Paper Prototyping, Digital Compositions, InVision Prototyping.
Week 4 - 5
Revisions, Pitch Deck prep and Case Study execution.
The Task
Reddit is a highly content saturated website with no intuitive organization or visual design. It is an outdated digital product that is more function rather than form.
The Concept
The first thing we wanted to tackle was Reddit’s visual identity. The aesthetic of Reddit matches its form, purely for function... we wanted to change that. A revamp on the color palette, logo and overall layout was our main goal. To build off of a new visual identity for Reddit, we wanted to consolidate the content and organize it in a way that allows users to easily find new subreddits while maintaining accessible subscribed feed. This would mean that we would implement a “discovery” option for subreddits and include “related” subreddits that are seamlessly integrated into the site for the user. We wanted to keep the idea that Reddit isn’t necessarily about finding things, it’s about being provided for.
Assumptions
1. People want the visual design of Reddit to be better.
2. People go to Reddit to browse and spend time.
3. People have a hard time navigating through Reddit.
4. People go to Reddit to to feel apart of a community.
5. New users of Reddit feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.
6. People want to feel more involved in the Reddit community—I.e they want updates like a messenger.
7. Users are very diverse.
8. People rely on reddit for information.
9. People use reddit to share.
10. People use reddit as a platform for discovery.
Research
To insure the reason of our concept, we started our research on User Demographic, Market estimates and Competitors of Reddit. We were looking for patterns that would back our shift to a redesigned Reddit through visual aesthetic and user experience of the product.
Observations
Aside from Voat, Reddit is a combination of all the competitor sites, offering a collection of content that users love. When visiting these competitor sites, the visual design and organization of content is among the same status as Reddit; saturated, out-dated and purely functional. The only site that had an updated modern design was StumbleUpon. StumbleUpon’s website has a “pinterest” feel. It lacks the scrollable layout of Reddit but has an updated aesthetic that brings immediate appeal.
When applying our concept to the digital product, Reddit should stand out among the rest, maintaining the functional aspect but with more organization, interaction and a revamped visual design.
User Demographic
User Survey Results
We created a survey on Google Forms and posted it to multiple subreddits and shared it on facebook. We asked questions that specifically targeted the visual design and organization of content of Reddit. These are the results the most popular results:
What Would You like to Change About Reddit?
“Better layout and a cleaner design overall.”
“The interface is cluttered and confusing.”
“The aesthetic, it feels overwhelming and is unorganized.”
“Make it easier to find subreddits.”
“It’s so hard to access your “saved” posts. Also, navigating the website is harder than the mobile.”
What Would You Expect From Reddit In Fifteen Years?
“Better visual design.”
“Sleek and modern interface.”
“More curation, AI suggestions based on your feed.”
“A better User Interface.”
Observations
The average user age is consistent among general statistics, that being that the average user is typically 18-35 years old. The age of Reddit users matters due to the modern condition of design that our generation (20’s-30’s) is exposed to. Contemporary design is making a shift towards cleaner, simpler and more concise design; this affects the audience very heavily through user flow and overall user experience with a product. We found that there is some diversity in usage but many similarities when it comes to the visual design and organization of the site. 50/50 do or do not like the visual design of Reddit... we aim to change that.
When it comes to the organization, people generally have a hard time discovering new subreddits and navigating through existing subscriptions. These are two aspects that we also aim to change in our redesign.
User Experience Maps
After the research, we tested and recorded two user experience maps. One regarding the set up of an account as a new user and the introduction to the interface... the next as a returning user trying to find and edit subscriptions to subreddits.
Concept Evolution
Experience Goals
Our goal is to provide a well designed visual product. A better visual aesthetic also creates a more personable space where users feel comfortable and spend longer than 15 minutes browsing due to reduced visual strain.
We want to create a better user flow by organizing the content, allowing users to easily view subreddits and related subreddits. Along with that, we would like to add a “discover” option, giving users the ability to easily find new subreddits based on their searches and subscriptions.
User Goals
By adding a better user flow, visual design, creating organization and adding a “discover” to the existing product, Reddit should become a more enjoyable experience for users.
End Goal
The result of Reddit will provide the user an easy seamless platform for communities to interact and for the user to gain whatever they seek. A place where people use the site rather than the app.
Primary Goal
To apply new visual design to Reddit and increase the overall user flow.
Secondary Goal
Create discovery options for users.
Prototyping Results
User Comments
“Make subscribing to a subreddit more noticeable.”
“Try a new interface for the discover page.”
“Have multiple navigations for ‘discover’.”
“Make the ‘create a post’ button easier to find.”
Concept
Home Page
For the final product, we added a ‘home page’ and ‘discover page’ to Reddit while applying a redesign to the overall layout of the site—including the subreddit layout. Our overall goal was a thoughtful user experience through visual design, layout and curated options.
Creating A Resting Spot
When you first enter the old Reddit, you are placed in a saturated layout immediately, we wanted to change this by creating a home page for users. At the home page, the user still has the ability to scroll through content while being able to discover new content. We added in curated recommendations and trending subreddits that change based on what the user views.
Discover Page
Optimizing
We wanted to optimize the browsing process for users, we saw an opportunity for this on the ‘Discovery’ page. The idea was that the user could discover subreddits content without actually going into them. The user would be able to browse that subreddits whole content while keeping the ability to easily go back and forth between subreddits.
Subreddit Page
