Consolidated Research Synthesis

Annika Jonsson & Chris Luedtke

December 17th, 2015

Heuristic Analysis:

 1. Visibility of system status: Sooth should inform users as to

what is going on using appropriate feedback within reasonable time. This is to save from waiting without seeing progress. There did not appear to be an issue with this during any testing. Sooth also has the spinning progress bar that users did find helpful and liked the consistent watercolor look.

 2. Match between Sooth and the real world: File folder tabs

for navigation caused some difficulties for users and complicated the process of navigating the app.

   

Users were unsure about the meaning of this icon tab. They assumed it was to give advice, chat, or enter a forum discussion.

Relationship, business, family, love, friends Gender, job, status, feeling, relationship Profile, toolbox, family, likes, friends

100% of users tested said this represented email or send message.

Users unsure if this was a like button, show support, or agree with post.

3. User control and freedom:

Where am I? How did I get here? How do I get back from where I came from? “The most complicated part of the experience was when I wanted to scroll down further to see other peoples complete advice, and it kept scrolling sideways to show OTHER people's advice. The arrow keys seemed very sensitive.” User Testing

4. Consistency and Standards: Sooth stays consistent visually. Users like the watercolor,

organic feel of the site. Testing showed users were able to find the spots to click based on visual colors that represent them.

 

5. Error Prevention: Sooth does display which form fields are mandatory. Users had some difficulty with “system problems” while using the app. We believe this is due to the platform used and the version of the Sooth app.

“The refresh button in the advice given section was counterintuitive compared to the pull-down refresh in the SOOTHSTREAM. The app seemed a little buggy / overloaded and froze a couple times when I was trying to click certain options or refresh.”-User testing

6. Recognition rather than recall. Since users were new to the app they had some

difficulty finding what they were “supposed to do.” When asked to make a post there was some confusion during the steps some noted potentially giving up in frustration. This may also have been due to some difficulties with the platform.

7. Help users recognize and recover from errors: Useful error messages. These notes help users recover quickly and get back on track. Sooth has error message pop ups that are quick to get you back on track.

8. Flexibility and efficiency of use. Are there short cuts or

quick links in the site to make using the app regularly quicker?

“I wish there was a search bar to search within posts and within the advice section. Be able to comment on people's advice/reply to people's comments. Be able to post pictures, videos, web links easily in posts/advice.”

9. Aesthetic and minimalist design: Users interviewed liked the design and look of the app. They started it appeared warm, trustworthy, not cluttered with advertising.

 

       

10. Help and documentation: One overall takeaway was users stated they would like more explanation or walkthrough when attempting to use Sooth for the first time. We recommend putting in some simple walk through light box information windows for 1st time users. We provided an example in the wireframe on the left.    

 Survey  with  High  school  (60  responses)  

Survey  with  25+  (32  responses)      Take  away:  

 1. Both  groups  were  on  the  negative  side  of  anonymity  online,  but  largest  segment  were  

neutral.        

2. Both  groups  felt  the  advice  givers  background  was  important,  education/experience.    

 3. Both  groups  think  of  themselves  as  honest.    False  level  of  ability  to  be  100%  honest  

with  others.      

4. Both  groups  prefer  to  provide  advice.        

App Web

HOMESCREEN YES YES Yes, Menu of topics YES

TAG LINE

Connecting human kind. Kindly.Talk privately with kind peers, life

coaches, and certified experts whowant to help you.

Friendly advice is just a tap away.Deciding what to wear? What tobuy? Post a photo/ question and

get instant votes.

We are a social service ofanonmous Q&A about personallife. you can discuss the most

delicate and private issuesconfidentially.

The ElderWisdomCircleTM is anonline inter-generational program

pairing advice seekers with a networkof seniors (“Elders”) who provide

empathetic, caring, and supportiveadvice based on their own life

experiences.

LOGIN YES YES No-Not necessary to read/post YES

AVATAR YES YES YES NO

EASE OF USE Based on providing advice by"lending an ear"

Visually based on photos. swipeto left right. Vote yes or no.

Most heavily used of the apps.Discussions show how manytimes viewed and comments.

Lots of users comment.

Easy. Post question and recieveanswer.

PHOTOS Yes for profile Yes-user generated photos Yes for profile NO

PROFILE Create public profile Create public profile. Personalizeas much as like. YES NO

NSFW NO NO Yes in Settings NO

TOPICS/CONTENT

It states there are topics. Topicsmenu but nothing there. USER

GENERATED Q/A

Wide ranging. No catagoryoption. Range from "do you think

Kourtney and Scott should getback together to which dress

should I wear with photos," USER GENERATED Q/A

Wide ranging topics: love,relationship, money, work, family,

kids, body, depression,addictions, cigar lounge, sierraecho xray ( random assortment

of discussions) USERGENERATED Q/A

Love, Relationships, legal, Marriage,kids, family, work USER

GENERATED Q ELDERS/ELDER GROUPS SIGN UP

TO ANSWER A

RANDOMPost what is on your mind. Or you

can be availble to live chat withother user to discuss their problem.

Menu: Posts/Community/Friends. Option to take and upload photo

thru app

Create chatroom, set the topicand request solution. Appears tobe younger folks asking sexual

questions. NO PERSONAL INFOREQUIRED

Has a section on homepage: "whatpeople are saying about EWC"

Sorry... NO financial,legal or medical advice offered. Readmore details. You are

assured total anonymity: emailaddresses and personal informationare never shared. Read our privacy

policy.

Screen shots

KINDLY CASTOFF COUCH Elder Wisdom Circle

Comparative Analysis

 Pew Research Center: Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015 BY AMANDA LENHART Take away:

• Snapchat and instagram more likely to be used by Middle and upper income teens; Facebook most popular among lower income youth.

• 71% of teens use more than one social network site.

• Smartphones facilitate shifts in teens’ communication and information landscape.

• Teenage girls use social media sites and platforms (particularly visually oriented ones) for sharing more than their male counterparts do. For their part, boys are more likely than girls to own gaming consoles and play video games.

• Internet use is a near ‘constant’ for some

teens.

• 91% of Teens Use the Internet on a Mobile Device.

• 11% of cellphone-owning teens use

anonymous question and answer apps like Yik-Yak & Whisper: Girls (13%) are more

Washington Post: Millions of teens are using a new app to post anonymous thoughts, and most parents have no idea. BY MORIAH BALINGIT, Dec 8th 2015

Take away:

• The After School App has exploded in popularity in the 2015 school year and is now on more than 22,300 high school campuses, according to its creators.

• Teenagers in high school nationwide are using a smartphone app to anonymously share their deepest anxieties, secret crushes, vulgar assessments of their classmates and even violent threats, all without adults being able to look in.

• After School limits its audience to teens by requiring users to verify that they attend high school through their Facebook pages and by creating restricted message boards for each high school campus.

• It has been found these products create a much-needed alternative to Facebook and Instagram, where teens have grown up carefully curating digital identities that might not reflect their true struggles and anxieties.

• An algorithm automatically blocks posts with certain verbiage — like those that urge other

students to harm themselves. And he said other posts are reviewed by dozens of moderators who screen for cyberbullying and harassment around the clock; users also can report individual posts to have them removed.

PRO’s of User Generated Content:

• Authenticity: The public generates content. Sooth has Askers and advisors.

• Helps the community to learn about itself (values, customs, views…)

• Encourages and facilitates public debate-

Gives a voice

• Helps resolve disputes in a democratic way: Self Policing.

• Adds a corrective to the "natural

asymmetry of information" between those in power and the public

• Personal Connection: Strengthens the

relationship between audience and broadcaster, creates trust and loyalty

• Moderator can learn more about their audience (values, concerns, experiences, interests) => can tailor programs better to achieve data

CON’s of User Generated Content:

• Reliability and accuracy of the

material posted. This was a concern also voiced during user testing.

• People lack skills to produce content

• Control. Successfully using content created by users requires around the clock supervision. The need for Screening / moderating UGC for the “bad apples/ trolls/ bullies.”

• Liability / legal issues (copyright

issues; defamation; pornography; child protection…)

• Are users who they claim to be?

Credibility is questioned.

Takeaway: Consumer integration and interaction is a great opportunity. However, it’s easy to get in over your head. The key is to not overdue it and make sure every initiative and platform is well managed. And most importantly – have fun connecting with your audience. Showing passion and enthusiasm will lead all to have a positive experience.

 

GAMIFICATION  :    Adding a Sooth online profile came from user research and interview feedback. Advice seekers surveyed stated it was important to know more about the actual person providing advice. Experience and education were the most important trait in an advisor and it appears the weight of the advice is dependent on knowing this information about the provider.

25+ 32 Responses

Teens 60 responses

The profile will continue to be anonymous. Upon sign up and creation of the Sooth profile the user will choose from pre set “avatar” characters to identify with. New avatars will be unlocked, as this user gains likes for good advice provided to fellow Soothers in the community. This creates a motivation for status, which is achieved by unlocking more avatars.

   

Engagement Loop

• Motivation- Want to achieve likes from Sooth

Community for advice. This increases status, and feels good knowing advice was used.

• Action- Provide advice

• Feedback- Hear how advice assisted. This

provides intrinsic motivation with emotional connection, happiness.