I used mixed methods to collect quantitative and qualitative data and gain insight into my users' behaviors and motivations.
- Lean UX Canvas
- Competitive feature comparison
- User surveys
- Affinity map
lean ux canvas
2. More sponsored pins viewed
3. Longer user sessions
4. Higher number of shared pins
2. People with hobbies
2. Discover new things to love
3. Ease boredom
competitive feature comparison
I asked users what drove them to use Pinterest. Users expressed they primarily browse for visual inspiration or to relieve boredom.
Users revealed that they often turn to Pinterest when they need inspiration for a particular project or when they are searching for similar ideas to an interest of theirs.
Users complained that they often lose their sense of place within the app and lose track of interesting pins while browsing that they can't find again later.
I continued to synthesize my findings and pull out key learnings using several tools in order to generate problem statements.
- Value Proposition Canvas
- User Journey Map
- Problem Statements
I used a value proposition canvas, starting with the customer profile to assess customer jobs, pains, and gains. I asked myself, what do users hire Pinterest for? What jobs are they trying to accomplish? I identified some functional jobs, such as finding ideas and visual references, but I also identified jobs that were social and emotional. Users want their browsing to feel productive and they want to feel inspired.
- When being forced to sign in to view shared pins
- When losing track of pins they hadn't yet saved
- When getting lost in their feed, especially the "More Like This" feed
How might we allow users to conveniently view pins they've found through other sources?
How might we help users navigate Pinterest without feeling lost?
How might we help users easily keep track of potentially interesting ideas without having to save them to a board?
During this phase of the design process, I ideated and designed a solution based on user and stakeholder needs.
- Brainstorming
- Impact vs. Effort Matrix & MoSCoW Method
- Jobs-to-be-Done
I love the Jobs-to-be-Done framework. I used this framework to design a feature that lets users accomplish their main goals when using the Pinterest app. Without this framework, it would have been easy to assume that users browse Pinterest for fun or to relieve boredom. However, these use cases don't represent the majority of Pinterest users. Many people turn to Pinterest over other applications, because Pinterest is the best at sparking inspiration and suggesting ideas to them in line with their tastes. This is important to keep in mind, because if a user is not able to complete the job they have "hired" Pinterest for, they will go elsewhere.
When I am looking for fresh ideas, I want to feel productive and organized so that I can find what I'm searching for and reference it later if needed.
We want our users to "hire" Pinterest to find inspiration and similar ideas they love without getting lost and abandoning the app.
Users complained about losing track of interesting pins and getting lost during their browsing.
Users mentioned that they use Pinterest to feel productive. This feature allows users to stay organized during their browsing.
This feature enhances Pinterest's capabilities that differentiate it from its competitors. Users can now keep track of their ideas with less cognitive effort.
This flowchart maps the user flow for the Previously Viewed Thread feature. The green path represents the "happy path" that I expect and want the user to take. In this case, the ideal path is a loop because, ideally, the user will continue to browse rather than exit the app.
During the Delivery phase, I began designing my solution and tested with users to identify problems in layout and ontology. I created low fidelity mockups to find issues quickly and mitigate risk.
- Low fidelity testing
- Medium fidelity testing
- Visual Competitive Analysis
- 5 users tested
- Misclick rate during onboarding: 14%
- Misclick rate while trying feature: 26.7%
Quantitative metrics suggested that users struggled to find the second pop-up message during onboarding and that users weren't sure how to exit onboarding. Moderated tests revealed that users were reluctant to go through onboarding.
- 5 users tested
- Misclick rate during onboarding: 12.7%
- Misclick rate while trying feature: 20%
In my next iteration of prototypes, I made more educated decisions on layout, including making the onboarding more engaging and clear. There was a definite improvement in quantitative metrics and user feedback, but the misclick rate was still higher than I would have liked.
I took my insights from my user testing and developed a high fidelity version of my feature. I was careful to follow Pinterest's Design System, Gestalt.
- Improvement in user retention
- Longer user browsing sessions
- Increase in number of daily active users
- High churn rate
- Fewer sponsored pins viewed
- Low app ratings
I spent more time on the low fidelity prototypes than the medium fidelity prototypes. My lo-fi's were intended to discover mistakes in layout and wording early in the design process, so I plan to spend less time on them in the future.
Some of my users were reluctant to read long explanations, so with each iteration I cleared up the language in my prototypes and tried to be as concise as possible.
I asked each of the users in my interviews about their process when choosing to browse Pinterest and gleaned some excellent insights into their motivations, behaviors, and context.
I am currently open to new opportunities. Reach out if you would like to work with me or simply want to chat!
