"و" (Waw) - The Arabic Social Media Platform.
Project Overview
The design project aims to create an Arabic social media platform that bridges cultural relevance with modern usability. Named "و" (pronounced "Waw"), representing connection and unity, the platform is designed for mobile-first users and focuses on simplicity, personalization, and seamless communication.
Platform and Device Selection
Decision:
- A mobile-first platform (iOS and Android) was chosen due to the predominant use of smartphones for social interactions in the Arab region.
- A secondary consideration for a desktop interface is to cater to professionals and occasional users seeking extended functionality.
Rationale:
Smartphone dominance ensures reach to a broader audience. The secondary desktop interface provides accessibility and scalability for diverse user segments.
Branding Concept
Name: "و" (Waw)
- Symbolism: Represents connection and inclusivity, aligning with the app’s purpose of fostering relationships.
- Cultural Relevance: Arabic users instantly recognize the simplicity and meaning of the name.
Logo Design:
- Focused on minimalist Arabic typography, integrating subtle elements like circles or lines to depict communication and unity.
- Teal Gradient: Chosen for its calm, creative tone, appealing to casual and professional users.
Personas
The personas reflect the app’s primary target audience—young adults actively using social media for creative storytelling. While the age range is intentionally narrow to align with the app's goals, further iterations could explore older age groups to increase inclusivity and broaden the app's reach.
Design Decisions
UI/UX Features:
- Navigation: Simplified layout to address drop-off rates, ensuring users can easily post, browse, and connect.
- Content Discovery: Personalized feeds tailored to user behavior and preferences.
- Engagement Tools: Editing features for posts, interactive comments, and collaboration options for creative users.
- Trust Features: Clear privacy settings to counteract privacy-related hesitations.
Challenges:
Balancing a clutter-free interface for David-type users while meeting the needs of Sarah-like creators for robust functionality.
Case Study
Tools used
From brief
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Reviews
4 reviews
Hi Mariam, excellent execution on the User Personas task! I appreciate that you’ve created a few personas—this approach is usually sufficient for most projects. However, I noticed a potential gap in age diversity among the personas. While this may align with the app's target audience, it could be valuable to mention this consideration explicitly in your project description.
You also highlighted the challenge of finding participants for user interviews. One strategy to address this might be to analyze your direct competitors. This could help you better understand their target audiences and uncover additional insights about user needs and preferences.
Great job overall—keep up the fantastic work! 👏
Yuliia
Hi Mariam, it was great to see your presentation—fantastic job on that! 👏🏼 Here are my thoughts on your work:
I absolutely love the way your mobile social media app functions, particularly the insights about content personalization. It’s a refreshing take, especially since most social media algorithms often make me feel like I’m stuck in a rabbit hole, spending too much time without gaining real value. I genuinely wish more media platforms had this feature!
Here are a few recommendations and suggestions to consider:
- Your user personas are visually appealing, user-friendly, and easy to digest—I really liked that.
- For better emphasis, you might consider bolding introductory terms like "Information Overload" and "Time Consumption" in the Pain Points section.
- The bios for the user personas feel a bit inconsistent. Aligning the tone and style across all personas could make them more cohesive.
- Ensure your presentation flows smoothly as a unified piece. For example, the cover photo and the user personas seem to have different vibes. A more consistent design theme would make the presentation feel more connected.
- Lastly, the fonts used throughout are somewhat inconsistent. Standardizing them will give your presentation a polished and professional look.
Overall, it’s a strong presentation with great ideas, and these tweaks could make it even more impactful. Keep up the great work! 🌟
Bravo
Hi Mariam,
I can't help but agree with the need to have a social media platform where the algorithm works just as you want it. That is being able to customize the platform to look and feel as you like.
Lack of control can be very distracting and overwhelm a user.
Your presentation is also top-notch. Love the name given to your project.
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