Clubby
A social media app to talk about media
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Team
Lewwanduuwe Dharmasena (Ruvini), Srishti Sirohi and Sneha Anand
Role
UI/UX Designer and Researcher
Tools
Figma, Teams, Google Docs, Procreate
Time frame
2.5 months
Define
Research
Design and test
Refine
Define
Problem Statement
Persona
Main Hypothesis and Sub Hypothesis
MVP Features
Problem Statement
Clubby was designed to achieve meaningful and intimate social interaction and mindful media consumption over shared or new entertainment media interests.
We observed that popular social media channels and media related products are not meeting these goals, which is causing feelings of isolation, passiveness towards media and overwhelm when consuming and creating content.
With our service, our customers are more successful based on reported sense of satisfaction with social interactions and media consumption, developing social connections, and increasing interest in entertainment media (eg.: tv shows, book, movies)
Persona
Meet our persona, Julia Sandoval. Julia is a 24 year old sales rep at a tech-based company. Julia was recently relocated to a new city by her company and has been struggling to maintain her friendships in her home-town and make new ones. She really loves her hobbies like reading, cooking and movie-watching but has been feeling they are not social enough for her new social needs as she usually practices them at home on her own. Because of this, she's looking for an easy way to meet new friends in her area that have similar interests.
Main Hypothesis
We believe our app will encourage meaningful and intimate social interactions and intentional content consumption over shared entertainment media interests through online discussions, reviews, updates from friends and posts.
Research
Market Research
Desk Research
Results
Unique Selling Points
Market Research
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Desk Research
Our desk research primarily focused on the mental health of the Australian population, though our findings are applicable globally. According the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, loneliness has become an increasing mental health concern in Australia since COVID-19 with one in six Australians reporting feelings of loneliness in 2022. This feeling involves a "lack of connection to others" and a "desire for more satisfying social relationships" (Badcock et al., 2022).
In exploring ways to combat loneliness, we found that book clubs were particularly effective. They foster communities, relationships, and a sense of belonging, creating safe spaces for individuals to build both new and existing friendships. These factors significantly help mitigate feelings of loneliness (Nowland et al., 2017). Additionally, it was found that entertainment media can serve as a "social glue," promoting intellectual engagement and strengthening social bonds (Chorianopoulos et al., 2008; Clarke et al., 2017). This highlights the potential for meaningful discussions and engagement in media to improve mental health, encourage and maintain social connection and reduce loneliness.
Results
Through the findings from both our market and desk research, we were able to conclude that there is a significant opportunity to address loneliness and enhance mental health through media-based community building. Our market research indicated a strong demand for platforms that facilitate meaningful and intimate discussion, content curation, increased privacy, and opportunities to create significant friendships. Our desk research reinforced this by highlighting the effectiveness of book clubs and entertainment media in fostering social connections and intellectual engagement.
Unique Selling Points (USP)
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Design
MVP Features
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability testing
Wireframing
Once our MVP features were defined based on our user research, we decided to jump into our design process by wireframing our flows.
Interview and Usability Testing Results
The team conducted 10 rounds of participant interviews that helped inform us aboout our user needs. We then performed a usability test on our mid-fidelity prototype. The results were as follows:
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social, environmental and emotional context affects tv show tastes
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media can be a source of relaxation (nostalgia plays a large role in self-soothing media) or anxiety
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media is often used as a catalyst for conversation or connection
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media can be a source of new information of point of views for many
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people seek out media discussing the media they just consumed
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people feel strongly about the amount of media available and often get overwhelmed
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communication types and patterns depends on relationship type and physical and emotional closeness
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the intent behind communications can also change how something is said
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our demographic struggles to expand their social network
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often, friends share interests in media
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our users would like to make friends with similar interests and many specifically would like friends that share media interests
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motivation to finish media comes from interest in topic and quality of content
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healthy habit building can play a large role in finishing media
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people often watch media based on community suggestions (friends, social media, reviews, etc...)
Affinity Diagram
Refine
High Fidelity Prototype
Conclusions
Next Steps
High Fidelity Prototype
Next Steps
As we move forward with Clubby, our team is dedicated to refining its media specific features and enhancing user experience for each. We will conduct comprehensive testing to tailor our offerings to diverse media types, ensuring a seamless and satisfying journey for our users. Additionally, we aim to investigate how users interact with the app at various stages - before, during, and after consuming media - to gauge the overall value Clubby provides and how we can improve. We envision Clubby's future as a vibrant platform that fosters meaningful connections through a shared passion, ultimately creating a positive and inclusive social ecosystem.
Resources
Works Cited
Chorianopoulos, K., & Lekakos, G. (2008). Introduction to Social TV: Enhancing the Shared Experience with Interactive TV. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 24(2), 113-120. DOI: 10.1080/10447310701821574
Clarke, R., Hookway, N., & Burgess, R. (2017). Reading in Community, Reading for Community: A Survey of Book Clubs in Regional Australia. Journal of Australian Studies, 41(2), 171–183. https://doi.org/10.1080/14443058.2017.1312484
Daniels, H. (2023). Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs & Reading Groups. Routledge.
Graziani, E., & Petrini, F. (2022). Online Communities. Benefits and Risks: A Literature Review. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Research Anthology on Fandoms, Online Social Communities, and Pop Culture (pp. 37-51). IGI Global. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au/10.4018/978-1-6684-4515-0.ch003
Käcko, E., Hemberg, J., & Nyman-Kurkiala, P. (2024). The Double-Sided Coin of Loneliness and Social Media – Young Adults’ Experiences and Perceptions. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 29(1), p.2306889.
Lizzo, R., & Liechty, T. (2022). Benefits and Motivations for Virtual Community Participation: A Netnography of the Hogwarts Running Club. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 40(2), 1-. https://doi.org/10.18666/JPRA-2021-10778
Nowland, R., Necka, E. A., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2018). Loneliness and Social Internet Use: Pathways to Reconnection in a Digital World? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(1), 70-87. doi: 10.1177/1745691617713052. Epub 2017 Sep 22. PMID: 28937910.
Roessing, L., & Warner, J. (2018). Book Clubs to Book Trailers: Remixing Reader Response with Digital, Mobile, and Multimodal Literacies. Young Adult Literature and the Digital World, pp. 27-37.
Shah, H. A., & Househ, M. (2023). Understanding Loneliness in Younger People: Review of the Opportunities and Challenges for Loneliness Interventions. Interactive Journal of Medical Research, 12(1), p.e45197.
Shoemaker, P. J., & Reese, S. D. (2013). Mediating the Message in the 21st Century: A Media Sociology Perspective. Routledge.
“Social Isolation and Loneliness - Mental Health.” Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Government, Apr. 2024. www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health/topic-areas/social-isolation-and-loneliness.
Wu, L., Mao, Y., & Zhou, L. (2021). The Impact of Interactivity on User Satisfaction in Digital Social Reading: Social Presence as a Mediator. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 37(17), 1636-1647.
Other
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Market research was done by using the application and understanding what features they include.
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IMDB, Goodreads and Reddit for mock reviews about books and shows for prototype.
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Google images for book cover pages and series covers to be used on prototype.