Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
We watched their squints, their smiles, and the rise and fall of their eyebrows. What we saw
terrified us.
To them, the alpha site's blank screen was an entirely new and unfamiliar environment.
It didn't look like Facebook, Twitter, or any other networking site they'd known. Our log
in button was small—too small. Though it sat in the standard spot in the upper right corner
of the screen, they had a hard time recognizing it. That alone would turn away many users.
When I asked them to invite some friends to the site, they tried, but couldn't do it. If my in-
office users had been sitting at home, or accessing the site via smart phone, they would've
already left us. Instead they stared at their screens, scrolled down, then back up, wondering
what came next. Most of them had the same reaction: “What do I do now?”
We'd thought that users would know what to do automatically. Presented with a blank
screen, we'd assumed they would soon start building content on their own. The key to do-
ing that was contact with other users, or inviting new friends to join the site. We'd assumed
that the data from those pages would begin filling up the user's screen. The user would find
value in having all of this in one place. It seemed so obvious. But it didn't work. Visitors
came and went. Our test subjects sat and stared. Our basic design failed right there in front
of us. We needed to do something different.
As a first step, we created an
onboarding user flow
—a concise, yet comprehensive set
of data placed to give maximum accessibility and ease to the user. With our new design,
visitors could see how to sign up and log in right away. Our users wanted to connect with
other social networks, so we also made that easy. We concentrated on displaying an obvi-
ous path to their friends on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. We then added
things they could click on to give us insights into their interests. Were our users into topics?
Music? Movies? Now there were obvious visual cues to signal those interests. Finally, we
wanted them to invite their friends, so we made that easier.
