I was chatting with a friend, a content creator, who mentioned his followers often had similar interests and would benefit from getting to know one another.
This instantly sparked my curiosity: How might we create a community among followers for creators?
This question was interesting to me because this could be another avenue for fans to interact with the creator’s brand. This may lead to more follower retention and a more willing audience for the creator’s message, allowing for more potential for the creator to monetize their brand.
This was a question that would haunt me for the next few months.
Therefore, I hope to create an useful place where people are able to generate community among a follower base.
I interviewed 5 people ranging in their early twenties to early thirties who interacted highly with forums and/or social media and recorded some user interview insights. I then affinity mapped my insights and used them as a starting point for brainstorming product features during ideation.
User interview insights are distilled and applied in the Ideation section below.
After distilling all the insights, I focused on three key areas:
Based on the user insights, I generated two personas. One who interacts with communities online as a casual hobby and a way to socialize easily and another who invests time into their conversations and uses online communities to gather more insights.
Though these two personas seem completely separate, they have one need in common: they’re in need of easy to access communities.
I generated ideas and potential design solutions based on these insights and questions, weighing them based on impact, feasibility, and value. After writing down a variety of ideas, I then asked for feedback from peers and mentors, iterating on my product idea until feedback became and remained positive.
Putting it all together, I imagined an online app that would allow content creators to have a open chatroom/forum exclusive to themselves and the subjects they represent. Influencers can set up a space and then add channels for each topic or conversation.
People find discussion centers from influencers they already know
An easy to access link to Sondermesh by ways of the link section on the social media profile.
Some users are afraid that friends will see their activity, limiting their interactions with public accounts
Allow people to message anonymously
People refer to other people to find answers to their questions
A forum section for conversations based on specific topics
Interacting online is a way to make your voice heard and engage with similarly passionate people
Allow people to follow other people can receive notifications/recommendations based on the followed user’s activity
I conducted two iterations of remote usability testing on my low fidelity wireframes with 5 participants each, making a combined amount of 15 participants.
Generally, people found my designs confusing and difficult to navigate. There were many suggestions on ways to improve, and I was grateful for this opportunity to improve.
Better navigation
People were having a hard time finding where to go to complete tasks due to the unique UI of the product.
Easier onboarding
Many people pointed out that they did not understand the terminology of the product, such as “channel” and “spaces” and this hindered their navigation of the product
More control
People didn’t understand how creators were supposed to moderate their followers. Isn’t the whole reason for this site to allow an ability to cultivate their community?
I conducted 3 more usability studies using the high fidelity wireframes with 5 people each, making a total of 10 participants.
The design changes were structural as well as cosmetic.
After testing, I made dramatic changes to the site. These changes were affirmed with more bouts of testing until people generally found the designs simple to navigate and aesthetically pleasing.
Sondermesh provides a unique and highly effective solution to a nagging problem for social media influencers: how do I keep my audience engaged on my terms?
After one visits a social media profile that provokes a desire to talk about its content, they may visit the link linked in the profile and reach an easy to access forum/chatroom.
