Snapchat User Research
Software Redesign and Change in Efficiency
The Challenge
This project was designed to understand the research methods used in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and more specifically to understand how drastic redesigns can impact user experience and efficiency. My goal was to test the timings of the controversial Snapchat update of 2018.
The Research
My goal was to try and understand the deeper meaning of User Experience as it pertained to changes in software. I wanted to understand more about where Snapchat went wrong in their design choices and how testing methods prior to launch may have prevented the backlash. I spent a good amount of time reviewing literature relating to software redesign and the processes that go into research beforehand. I also found research done on predispositions to rejecting change in keyboard layouts. What this essentially boiled down to was the learning curve when experiencing new software.
The Procedure
Participants were students at the University of Iowa and given tasks to complete in a quiet environment at the main library. The tasks included sending a Snapchat to another account, viewing a Story posted by said account, finding the same Story again to view again, and adding a different account to the friends list. Each of these tasks were timed, tracked for number of taps required for completion, and averages for each task were reported at the end of the study. This was then followed up with a survey for participants testing the new interface changes.
The Results
My final project report can be viewed here. What I found was that the average timing and time spent per task was not drastically different. Though this was the result I was expecting, the surveys really provided the greatest insight into the role UX plays in good software design. Though the Snapchat redesign had been out for a little while at that point, most avid users still had a lot of dissatisfaction with the changes. This was well past the point of “getting used to it,” leading me to conclude that the redesign of Snapchat had really fractured its user base.