Project 2: Add a Feature | Ironhack Bootcamp
In the second week of the Bootcamp, I was given the task of adding a feature to an existing application, all done in high-fidelity prototypes. After thinking about apps I’m already familiar with, I chose Instagram. The feature I chose to create is a function to schedule Stories, a section widely used by users of this social network.
Data
After conducting some desk research, I found Instagram statistics, allowing me to gauge the app’s relevance. I gathered the following data:
“The total active users of the platform are 1 billion. Approximately 50% of them (500 million) use Stories daily.”
“Instagram can generate up to 20x more interactions than Facebook.”
“On business days and at the times of 2 AM, 8 AM, and 5 PM, the platform experiences the highest number of active users during the week.”
“75% of users are under 35 years old.”
Research
Initially, I formulated a quantitative questionnaire to gather initial data and statistics about the topic, helping me to delve deeper and think of ways to best apply my feature. Below, I’ve included some responses that I found most relevant during this process.
After analyzing the responses, I realized that Stories are highly relevant to users and are frequently used. This made me realize that creating a feature related to Stories was the right path. However, I also noticed that, at least initially, this feature would be more interesting for people who use Stories for work purposes, such as web influencers and businesses. With this direction in mind, I formulated my qualitative questionnaire.
I chose to interview two people who use Instagram as a tool to promote their business or venture. I spoke with an influencer and a lawyer who frequently post content both in their Feed and Stories.
Here are some interesting responses I collected:
“The process of recording Stories to be posted later would reduce errors. I’ve had issues with my Stories in the past, with grammar errors and other mistakes due to haste.”
“Yes, I have a schedule. I have an employee who manages my Feed, and I create the Stories content.”
“Planning is essential, as it keeps you aligned with your project.”
“Every Sunday, I organize and define interesting topics to post and discuss throughout the week.”
From these responses, I realized that the interviewees frequently post content in their Feed and have a schedule to create content for the following days. They value this process because it reduces errors, such as grammatical mistakes and content issues. I also understood that scheduling would be beneficial for people with busy daily lives.
Persona
With the research processes completed, I was able to create a Persona, providing a better focus for the ideation process.
Task Analysis & User Flow
With all the gathered data, I proceeded to create the “skeleton” of my feature. I arrived at the following Task Analysis:
By mapping out the essential tasks to be performed, I got a sense of how everything would work and moved on to a more in-depth approach, developing the User Flow.
Both of these processes were highly beneficial and facilitated the subsequent Ideation process. Task analysis provided me with a macro view of the tasks that users would follow. The user flow helped me understand the possible paths to be followed and decisions to be made. This allowed me to create a mental “map”.
Ideation
I thought about adding my feature in a place easily accessible to users, close to the final section of posting Stories. A place where users could choose to post now or schedule it for later. Analyzing the user flow made it much easier to think about how to make everything visually appealing and integrated into the app’s visual identity.
Wireframes
After sketching in a low-fidelity manner, I moved on to Figma and arrived at the following solution:
In this initial part, I illustrated how a video from the gallery would be posted, and the schedule button would be placed below the “Next” button, allowing the user to decide when to post the Story.
Now, with the completion screen, the user selects the date and time for the post. This then leads to the user profile flow, in case they want to edit the content after confirming the post.
Figma Prototype
Next Steps
For the future, I would like my feature to be used not only by influencers and businesses but to also be useful for all types of app users. I feel that it would greatly help people who post numerous Stories throughout the day but are busy with their everyday lives.
Conclusion
After this second week, I learned a lot about user flows, use cases, and more. This knowledge greatly aided me throughout the Ideation and Definition process. Formulating this feature was quite challenging, but I feel increasingly prepared for what’s to come. Thank you!
