THE REDESIGN OF THE REDDIT APP
PROJECT BRIEF
Why the reddit app?
I choose Reddit because the concept was unique and it was not like the other apps that I am used to. Reddit solely focuses on the community called "subreddit" and the users can create their own. There are thousands of communities on Reddit where you can find any community you want. If there is an app you are looking for, you can join in and if doesn't exist, you can create your own. Before this project, I attempted to use the Reddit app, however, it was difficult as a new user to navigate through the app. The app was clattered with information, so I decided to redesign the app to make new users navigate easily and give customer satisfaction.
The way to improve the current app
Reddit is a unique platform that includes a variety of age demographics. According to the survey conducted by Abhinav Agrawal, 59% of Reddit users are male. 45% of the users are aged between 18 to 29 and 40% are 30 to 49. So having a design that is fit for all ages was critical to the project. Not easy that the kids can navigate, nor not hard for people to follow. So creating a design that fits all ages was a challenge.
CURRENT LOOK
How do we improve the current app?
After learning and examining the users demographically, I conducted a heuristic evaluation to see if the current design of the app was fit for new users and the overall user experience. Some improvements can be made to this app that can greatly improve the overall user experience.
For example, the home page of Reddit has a section for Home, News, and popular. Within the categories, some subsections include Best post, New post, and more. However, when you scroll down to see the post, those subsections will disappear at the very top of the home page. To select the subsection, the users have to navigate to the top to select the subselections. That can be time-consuming and inconvenient for the users. Implementing a new interface to the app will greatly improve the overall user experience.
What are the ways to improve the app?
To improve the app, first, we need to research the users, and what kind of demographic the Reddit users are. Another method is to identify the problem. So by conducting a Heuristic evaluation and user persona/user flow, it is easy to identify what kind of problem there is in the app. Below is the persona and heuristic evaluation.
Whats the look and feel of the new redesign?
On Reddit, I used the new sleek interface that can be easy to navigate. Having the icon on every selection within the app can be visually easier to navigate. Used the iconic orange color that represents Reddit throughout the app, so the interface will be appealing to all ages. It was important to keep the elements of Reddit (community, no restrictions of users) as a core in this design.
IMPROVEMENT
Based on the heuristic evaluation and personal experience using the app, I notice some problems in the app that could be improved to increase the user experience. Experience the improvement by clicking the prototype below!
Improvement 1: Message section
In the previous app, at the bottom were two sections of message and chat that were separated from each other. As a function of the two sections, they both achieve similar goals, which are sending other users messages and receive back. So I put both sections into one, to make room for the profile section which I added at the bottom of the page.
Improvement 2: Reddit Coin Purchase
When the users buy the Reddit coins of the app, the users will see the icon of the Reddit coin on the home page of the app. For a new user, the icon on the home page feels like it is pressuring the users to purchase the coin. So I add the section to the side menu, so users aren't pressured to buy, and if the existing users want to buy the coin, they can select the side menu and push the Reddit Coin section. Also in this category, when the user decides if they want to purchase the coins, one click will purchase the coins. This is convenient for some users, however, if the users push the section by accident or new users try to figure out the app, it can cause an error. So to prevent that from happening, I design the section to be enlarged when the user selects the section. It gives the function of two-step verification so that when users push the purchase button by mistake, it will not go to the purchase page. Also, the enlarged section will give the details of what the users can do with the coins.
Improvement 3: Selecting Categories
When it comes to category selection on the Reddit app, it was often inconvenient to use it. For example, Reddit has a variety of posts you can select from. Post that is "top", "popular", "new", and more. When the users are scrolling down at the "new" post and decide to look up the "popular", the users need to scroll to the top to change the category. So I put the category selection on the top permanently so when the users want to select different categories, they can easily. This function applies to the comment section and more.
Improvement 4: Post
When the users want to post on Reddit, first you have to make selections of what the users want to post. For example, when clicking the post button, the selections will appear at the bottom of the screen. However, once the users select the categories, they can not be changed. If the users want to change the categories for example, from images to videos, they have to delete the whole post to select other categories. So I design the default post as text and put the categories on the top of the keyboard, so it users can change their posts whenever they want. Give the user more freedom and control of want they want to post.
Improvement 5: Look and the overall functionality of the design
When I first started using the Reddit app, it felt overwhelming. The font of the user and subreddit was similar so it was hard to tell the difference. The title of the post was bold, however, the user name and subreddit were faint. And between them was the award system which made the overall post overwhelming and hard to see. So I change the design of the font and the size to make the post more minimal and easy to see. I put the award system under the post to make it more simple. Also, they will be numbers that appear next to the award, and once click the award button, it will display what award the particular post got.
UI KIT
Below, is the selection of icons that I used in this project. I wanted to have the iconic Reddit color and make it more simple and minimal design. Wanted to make the Reddit app easier to see so creating these UI, will make the users easy to navigate.
CONCLUSION
As my first UX / UI project, it was an exciting experience for me. Researching people who use the app, listening to people's personal experiences, and researching, was a great experience and I want to improve my skills more. Learned a lot from this project and there is no plan to stop! I will learn from my mistakes and do more! Thank you for visiting my website!