Enhanced Quora's search, navigation, and engagement with strategic approach

Summary:

• We improved Quora's usability by user-centered design process, hypothetical thinking & strategic problem solving by empathizing with 5 user problems i.e. receiving spam emails, being forced to download the Quora app, account suspension & No auto-save.​

• We updated the unorganized UI design elements(buttons, menus, text) into a consistent design by following product guidelines & visual principles. This gave a seamless experience & clear navigation inside the app.

Our Role & Responsibilities:

In this project, we both played a pivotal role by implementing user-centred design strategies, user research, creating personas, and conducting usability testing.

We gained practical expertise in secondary research, competitive analysis, wireframing, prototyping, visual design, user journey maps, empathy maps, and usability testing through our involvement in the case study.

Design Process & Timeline:

In this project, I played a pivotal role by implementing design strategies, conducting user research, creating personas, analyzing competitors, and facilitating interviews.

I gained practical expertise in wireframing, prototyping, user journey maps and empathy maps, and usability testing through my active involvement in the case study.

User Research:

Secondary research:

We primarily emphasized secondary research, specifically gathering a collection of reviews from the Play Store, focusing on negative feedback with ratings below 3 stars and other relevant parameters.

Grouping the data:

Through collaborative teamwork and leveraging our expertise in user research, we skillfully organized the multitude of data gathered from the Play Store into distinct categories. This strategic approach facilitates seamless analysis and enhances our ability to derive meaningful insights.

Grouping the Userbase:

Quora primarily takes care and manages these 3 kinds of users very efficiently on its platform:​

1. Who asks questions

2. Who answers the questions

3. Who reads and interacts with the content
   

​However, a large number of users are unhappy with Quora as they face a lot of problems while using it. We did our detailed secondary research & and collected a lot of data from the Play Store. Based on the researched data, we figured out Quora’s platform will be more refined and smoother, if they solve the User pain points in these specific 5 areas:

1. Drafts

2. Email spam

3. Account suspension

4. Poor UI

5. App Promotion

Understanding the User Pain Points:

1. No Drafts: 

Whenever the user types an answer, their answer is not auto-saved. Sometimes the Quora Home feed automatically gets refreshed in middle of reading something(after this, it is very difficult to find that specific post).

2. Email spam: 

Numerous users express frustration over the inundation of irrelevant emails from Quora in their inboxes. While we understand the goals of Quora's Email Marketing team, it's crucial to consider that sending a limited number of emails is imperative to maintain a positive perception with the email servers.

These servers employ sophisticated algorithms, and exceeding an optimal threshold may lead to categorization in the "spam" or "promotion" sections rather than the coveted "Inbox" section.

3. Account Suspension: 

A user invests a lot of effort, time and dedication while answering a question on Quora. We noticed a lot of users have complaints about their accounts getting suspended(due to policy violations).

An increase in account suspension directly affects the user base of Quora. We agree that people who violate the privacy policy of Quora should be removed, but sometimes genuine users whose intention was just to help the community end up getting their accounts suspended due to some mistakes that they don’t even understand where they have made, as there is no such explanation from team Quora.

4. Poor UI: 

There's an immediate need to enhance and simplify the UI of Quora, as users encounter several issues:

• Unorganized Platform: The arrangement of 'Question/Answers,' 'Spaces,' and 'Suggested posts' lacks organization, causing confusion among users.

• Small Buttons: The buttons across the platform are excessively small and lack proper alignment, leading to usability challenges.

• Hidden Bookmark Option: While there is a "Bookmark" feature, its visibility is limited, making it challenging for users to locate and use.

• Lack of Read History: Users face difficulty in finding previously read answers due to the auto-refresh of feeds, resulting in shuffled content with new topics and answers. Addressing these concerns will significantly enhance the user experience.
  

5. App Promotion: 

Interruptions spoil the user experience while a reader is reading something with full interest & joy. Many users complain that they are forced to download the “Quora App” but they love to read articles on laptops & they don’t need an app.

User Persona:

Empathy Map:

User Journey Map:

Qualitative Analysis:

Users face the issue of their answers not being auto-saved, leading to potential loss of content. Additionally, automatic refresh in the Quora Home feed disrupts reading experiences.

• Users investing time and effort in answering questions often experience account suspension due to policy violations, negatively impacting Quora's user base.

• Users express dissatisfaction with Quora's UI, citing issues like unorganized sections, small and misaligned buttons, and a hidden "Bookmark" feature.

• Many users are frustrated as their inboxes are getting flooded by irrelevant emails from Quora.

Solutions:

Pain point #1:

No DraftsSolution:

For Quora, where users dedicate significant time to research and craft thoughtful answers, implementing basic features like drafts and auto-save is essential. This ensures that users' efforts are safeguarded and can be seamlessly continued, promoting a more user-friendly experience.

Pain point #2: Email spam

Solution:

Instead of bombarding users with numerous emails, the focus should be on delivering relevant content tailored to their interests.For instance, if a user is engaged in the "Cooking" space, the system should track their specific activities, such as upvotes, comments, and time spent on particular posts. Subsequently, emails should be curated to share similar, high-value content, ensuring a more personalized and less overwhelming experience for the user.

Pain point #3: Account Suspension 

Solution: Integrating an auto-tracking and word detector. This will track each and every word live when the users are typing their answers. Educating the users about Quora’s privacy policies and violation rules from the very beginning.

This will prevent users from doing any activity that violates the rules and most importantly Quora will not lose its potential loyal users who genuinely answer and interact with the community questions.

Pain point #4: Poor UI 

The current UI of Quora have these issues:

• Menus sizes are small, getting mixed with the text & and it is visually difficult to distinguish it as a menu.

• All the page content is getting mixed with each other.

Pain point #5: App promotion

Solution: By informing users about the app's new features and highlighting their benefits, we aim to spark genuine interest. This approach encourages users to explore and experience the app's latest functionalities, fostering a sense of curiosity and engagement.

Usability study:

I discussed the solutions and problems with users who use Quora regularly to confirm the effectiveness of my design decisions & and received positive feedback. Users also offered specific suggestions for enhancement.

Things we learned during collaboration:

We crafted a creative and organized virtual office to enhance our project journey. This approach not only made the experience enjoyable but also facilitated skill development in areas such as accountability, teamwork, and communication.We actively encouraged feedback sharing and improvements, contributing to a more effective and collaborative working environment.