Summary:
Solved 12 common user issues that refined WhatsApp's user experience:
Introduced a "starred message" feature for efficient message organization in Group Chats.
Strengthened privacy by implementing "Username" initiation for conversations.
Enhanced usability in key sections, creating a smoother experience.
My Role:
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, information architecture, user journey maps and empathy maps, and usability testing through my active involvement in the case study. My contributions significantly impacted WhatsApp's overall user experience.
Problems Solved:
I addressed key user issues in group chats, privacy, and other app functionalities to deliver optimal solutions. This included introducing the "starred message" feature for efficient message management, enhancing privacy through the use of usernames, and improving usability in various sections.
Design thinking & Project timeline:
User Research:
As everyone uses Whatsapp, it is easy for me to have biased thoughts over certain things during the research phase. But I tried my best to not get biased & tried to get user's opinions by conducting primary & secondary research. I applied Secondary & Primary research methods as this suits the project best.
Primary research:
Conducting primary research, I posed open-ended questions to participants, urging detailed responses for better insight:
How does WhatsApp benefit your daily life?
Any issues in group chats, video/audio calls, or file sharing?
What improvement or new feature would you like to see?
Identify the most irritating aspect of WhatsApp.
Participants profiles:
Secondary Research:
Despite the widespread use of WhatsApp, I consciously avoided biased perspectives during research. Utilizing both primary and secondary research methods, I sought authentic user opinions, adapting the approach to best suit the project's needs.
Quantitative analysis:
Qualitative analysis:
Limited message forwarding capability.
Difficulty finding important messages in group chats with a large volume of messages.
Must save everyone's number for messaging, leading to memory consumption.
Sharing phone numbers with strangers not only impacts personal safety but also raises the threat of potential scam calls and unwanted advertisements.
File sharing size limit is considered too small.
Competitor Analysis:
User Persona:
By synthesizing data gathered through extensive user research, interviews, and strategic thinking, I've crafted a user persona that summarizes the user base & target audience.
Empathy map:
User journey map:
Problem Statements & Solutions:
I systematically addressed fundamental user challenges within three distinct sections. My efforts were focused on enhancing the user experience by systematically resolving issues in each of these critical sections:
Group Chats
Privacy Concerns
Other Aspects (Storage, File Management, Functionality & UI)
Group Chats:
Problem Statement #1: It's challenging to locate a specific message in a sea of thousands within group conversations on WhatsApp. Although the app offers a "Star" feature for pinning important messages, the drawback is that only the member who pinned it can see the starred message, leaving others unaware of its significance in group chats.
Solution: Introducing a "Starred Message Menu": Now, group admins can star important messages, making them visible to every group member. To enhance visibility, starred messages will be displayed in a distinctive colour, ensuring they stand out in the chat section and enabling users to quickly locate crucial information.
Information Architecture:
Wireframe:
Problem Statement #2: Automatic scrolling to the bottom of the group chat prevents users from reading unread messages.
Solution: Implementing a feature where users are positioned in the group chat where they left off last time ensures a seamless reading experience. This approach allows users to continue reading from the point they left and closed the chat, addressing the issue through a thoughtful hypothetical solution.
Problem Statement #3: Anyone has the access to add you to Group Chats without restrictions.
Solution: While WhatsApp provides an option for users to select "specific users" who can add them to groups, there is a drawback. If a new contact is added without specifying permissions, they can add you to a group. Many users express frustration with the influx of group messages and desire a "Do Not Disturb" (DND) feature.
Therefore, I propose the following solution:
Hi-fi Prototype:
Privacy Concerns:
Problem Statement #4:
It can be frustrating to have to save everyone's number in the contact book just to send them a temporary message.
It raises privacy concerns when users have to consistently share their phone numbers with strangers just to send them a temporary message for a specific purpose.
It can be frustrating for users as they need to save international phone numbers along with their country codes; otherwise, the profile won't be visible.
Solution: Introducing the "Username" feature, an alternative to sharing personal phone numbers. Similar to its competitor Telegram, this enhances user privacy, allowing communication on WhatsApp without revealing personal phone numbers. This solution effectively addresses the three user issues mentioned above.
Wireframe:
Hi-fi Prototype:
Other aspects:
Problem Statement #5: The file upload size is limited to 16 MB, which may be considered small by some users.
Solution: Telegram allows file uploads up to a substantial 2 GB, facilitating seamless sharing of various file types. To enhance user experience, WhatsApp should consider increasing its file-sharing limit to at least 500 MB, as the current 16 MB limit is considerably restrictive. This hypothetical solution aims to address the limitation and provide users with greater flexibility in sharing files.
Problem Statement #6: It can be frustrating and time-consuming for users as they can only forward messages to a maximum of 5 contacts at the same time.
Solution: Telegram offers the flexibility to forward messages to 100 users simultaneously. To enhance user experience, WhatsApp should consider increasing its forwarding limits for improved usability and efficiency.
Problem Statement #7: After deleting a message, an awkward situation arises as it leaves behind a text box indicating "message deleted."
Solution: Unsending a message should not leave any residue or notification, as it can create an awkward impression. A solution could be adopting a feature similar to the "Instagram Unsend" functionality.
Problem Statement #8: The camera screen is obstructed by images from the gallery, hindering the ability to see the full view of what you are photographing. This issue impacts the user's experience while taking pictures.
Solution: Resolving this issue can be achieved by minimizing gallery images into a menu, and placing a greater emphasis on enhancing micro user experience.
Problem Statement #9: When scrolling through contacts, WhatsApp includes the entire phone book and prompts users to invite them to use the app. This experience can be disruptive and might not align with user expectations.
Solution: This unnecessarily lengthens and confuses the contact list for users. The optimal solution is to create a separate menu to address this issue.
Wireframe:
Hi-fi Prototype:
Usability Testing:
I performed prototype testing with interviewed users & and others who use WhatsApp regularly to confirm the effectiveness of my design decisions and received positive feedback. Users also offered specific suggestions for enhancement.


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