Utilizing design patterns to encourage active social media interactions

Students: Anthea Bartlett, Ethan Walkley, Alyssa Spickermann, Srinithi Latha
Project sponsored by:  Kloa

Our project aimed to explore how to direct Gen Z users towards active behaviors that lead to a positive mindset, regardless of their initial motivation to engage with an online platform. From an initial set of user research with Gen Z individuals, we were able to develop a mental model that characterized a typical social media session; from this, we were able to better understand what elements of a social media interaction our designs could target. In order to increase positive actions completed during a social media session, one idea we brainstormed and developed was a landing page experience that provides the user with a recap of what their "close friends" have been doing, encouraging the user to also reach out to them. Several rounds of usability testing with Gen Z users allowed us to better refine this concept, resulting in the final set of prototypes.