Assignment 1 ​

Social Media Needfinding

Interview Plan:

Hunch:

I would like to design a social media platform that breaks down echo chambers and stimulates the spread of new and diverse ideas and viewpoints.

Interviwees:

I tried to choose interviewees that have contrasting backgrounds, interests, opinions, and uses of social media. Below are descriptions of the two people I chose that are unique and different from each other and also from me.

Interviewee 1 - Milos:

Milos currently works in Denver as a strategic pricing analyst for Frontier Airlines, and studied economics and physics in his undergraduate degree in Montreal. Aside from having very different interests and career paths to me, Milos also grew up living in over 8 different countries around the world. Thus, I chose to interview him to see if his viewpoint would provide any insight to how social media is used and perceived in different countries other than in the US. Additionally, Milos is very critical and skeptical of the use of social media, and typically uses Reddit, Youtube, and Discord for entertainment purposes.

Interviewee 2 - Emily:

Emily studied molecular cell biology at UC Berkeley, and is working as a medical assistant in San Francisco while preparing for med school. Emily has only lived in the United States and is a fond and frequent user of social media, namely Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Pinterest. Emily uses social media as a form of expression, a source of creative inspiration, and a space of social connection and comfort.

Interview questions:

1. Can you describe your typical daily or weekly social media routine?
   • You mentioned the use of ___ in your routine, why do you prefer this platform over others?
   • And have these habits/routines changed over time, and if so, how and why?
   • Can you describe a time when you consciously took a break from social media? What prompted this break, and how did it affect you?
2. Can you share a recent positive experience you've had on social media? What made it memorable or enjoyable?
   • Conversely, have you ever had a negative experience on social media? How did it make you feel, and how did you handle it?
   • Do you think these experiences have had any impact on your relationships in real life, if yes, how so?
   • In general, do you think social media has had a positive or negative impact on your personal and social life? Can you provide examples or explain your reasoning?
3. Do you have any future plans or goals related to your social media usage?
   • How do you curate the content you see on your social media feeds? Do you actively filter or follow certain accounts?
   • How do you decide what content to post on your social media profiles? What are your goals when sharing content online?
   • Are there specific types of content or posts that you enjoy engaging with the most on social media? What attracts you to this type of content?
4. Have you ever engaged in discussions or debates with people on social media who have different opinions from your own? How did those interactions go?
   • Can you recall a time when you changed your mind about a topic or issue after engaging with content or conversations on social media? What influenced that change?

Interview Notes:

Milos Notes:

Emily Notes:

Interview Summaries:

Milos Summary:

Milos, a strategic pricing analyst at Frontier Airlines with a diverse international background, offers a unique perspective on his social media usage and experiences. His daily routine primarily revolves around Reddit, YouTube, and Discord, where he seeks meaningful and thought-provoking yet entertaining content and interactions. Milos values content-driven platforms like Reddit for their anonymity and focus on quality discussions. He also specifically liked when Youtube had the dislike button, so if an educational video or tutorial had many dislikes, users could know that it’s probably a poor tutorial and might lead to misinformation. Over time, Milos’s social media habits have shifted towards platforms that align more with his interests and less with personal profiles and “attention seeking popularity platforms”.

Milos is quite keen on managing his social media consumption, and has consciously taken breaks to maintain a healthy balance between the online and offline worlds. Regarding the impact of social media, he acknowledges its value for information and connections but remains wary of its addictive potential and the potential for negative interactions. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a clear boundary between online and real-life relationships. In addition, Milos recognizes the value of engaging in diverse conversations, and how different viewpoints can expand and make his thinking more nuanced. However, he has had some unpleasant arguments on subreddits that have taught him the importance of logging off. Milos' perspective underscores that social media's impact can vary significantly based on individual choices and usage patterns. In his words, "It's a matter of how you use it and maintaining a healthy balance."

Emily Summary:

Emily, a medical assistant in San Francisco with a background in molecular cell biology, offers insights into her frequent and positive engagement with social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, VSCO, and TikTok. Her daily routine is built around these platforms, which serve as avenues for self-expression, creative inspiration, and social connection. Emily typically starts her day by scrolling through Instagram and Snapchat for updates about friends, and then spends 1-2 hours a day on TikTok to keep up with the most recent trends. To her, social media is both a source of entertainment as well as a tool of expression. Emily's preference for Instagram is rooted in its visual nature, allowing her to share her life and creative pursuits while also staying connected to old friends while discovering new ones. Over time, her social media habits have evolved alongside her life transitions, adapting to her changing priorities and interests.

One of Emily's notable experiences highlights the power of social media as a source of creative validation: "Recently, I posted a DIY project on Instagram and received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback and encouragement from my followers. It felt incredible to see others appreciating my creativity and even trying out similar projects." She also acknowledges the occasional negative experiences but maintains a positive outlook and emphasizes maintaining a healthy balance between online and offline life. Emily also noted that she enjoys discovering new creative artists on Instagram and TikTok, but sometimes has to search for them as she typically just sees posts very similar to her tailored feed. Overall, Emily's perspective encapsulates the varied ways in which individuals can leverage social media as a means of expression, inspiration, and connection while navigating the challenges it presents.

Design Opportunities:

Milos Design Opportunities:

• Podcast social media - An audio-only social media where there are various chat rooms where people are free to join and leave anytime they like and discuss any topic. Can encourage diverse thoughts and different viewpoints without biases from video or images. Combines Milos’s interest in unbiased conservation and discussion on Reddit with the communicative aspect of Discord.
• Anti-social social media - Instead of following and keeping up with hundreds or thousands of people every day, this social media pairs you up with one other person that switches every week. During that week, you will only see posts from that person and ideally this can develop a more personal and stripped down aspect to social media that makes it more easy for people to connect to each other. Addresses Milos’s concern of “shallow” and surface-level social media like Instagram where there is a disconnect between the real versions of people and the version they feel like they need to portray to thousands of people.
• Skill-swap social media - Like a combination of Fiverr and Reddit where people post about their skills and interests and can find like-minded people to join their teams and collaborate on projects with, without the monetary aspect. Encourages informal collaboration and building partnerships with new people, which extends the community aspect of Discord that Milos liked, but with a more focused agenda.

Emily Design Opportunities:

• Virtual Graffiti social media - A form of virtual self expression through ‘virtual graffiti’ that exists in augmented reality and is geolocated to various locations where they are created. Allows people to explore artistic expression in a new three-dimensional form of social media. Can offer more creative aspects of expression that Emily liked, but with new technologies that may afford new ideas and discoveries.
• Social media tailored to creative hobbyists - a social media that is tailored to creative people, similar to Behance or Pinterest but without the need of perfecting each post. This social media would be tailored for creative people that are not professional designers, but just people that like to do creative things as a form of self expression. Addressing the issue Emily talked about where she felt shy or intimidated to post her DIY projects on Instagram in fear of being compared to professional designers and artists.
• Social media roulette - a social media app that resets every two weeks. The feed only exists of 5 people which randomly switch every two weeks. This gives a platform to people who have never had a following, a platform to speak or showcase their work. An interesting experiment: If random people suddenly had the attention of millions of people, what would they post? At the same time, it breaks down echo chambers and users get to see fresh ideas and posts every two weeks. This can help solve the issue Emily said of having to search for new and fresh content that isn’t what would typically show up on her feed.