China Mobile – Migu App UX Research and Product Design
Short-form video community apps are gaining popularity among various age groups in China, with the globally renowned “TikTok” leading the way. These apps seamlessly occupy people’s brief moments of free time, such as during commutes, waiting for friends, or during breaks.
Our client, China Mobile, one of the largest telecom companies in China, introduced its counterpart to TikTok in 2018, specifically tailored to AGCN cultures (Japanese manga).
Company
China mobile
Company
China
Role
UX researcher, UX designer
Time
2018 – 2019
About the Project
Problem
After our client launched the product for half a year, the retention rate still remains low
The client owns lots of intellectual property (IP) licenses for famous characters, such as Disney, TV show stars, Minions, Marvel and so on. They’ve created video stickers and filters from these IPs. However, they are eager to explore how to maximize the financial profit out of IPs.
The client would like us to coach and train their in-house product team and optimize the product design workflow.
Achievement & Takeaway
The client provided positive feedback regarding our dedication to the entire project. The design revamp has been live since 2019.
As a UX designer, I was able to be the bridge between research and design, how to translate research language to tangible design language.
I worked closely with a fellow UX designer and mentored on the interaction design, e.g., information architecture, user flow, use case, wireframe, PRD, UI, etc.
Research
Research Method
User interview, field expert interview
Participant
16
City
Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xiamen
Research Objective
To understand video creators and consumers’ behaviors, values, often-used tools, etc.
To explore if there is any distinction among users in terms of city tiers
To validate if the client’s target audience is the right fit
To understand users’ satisfaction and run usability testing
Challenge
The holy grail of the user segment was video creators, aka. influencers. Reaching these people in the video community proved challenging. They were often elusive, occasionally misunderstood user interviews, sometimes associating them with TV interview shows. 😂 It occurred to me that a direct approach through TikTok might be effective in inviting them to participate in our interviews. The most daunting aspect was devising an engaging icebreaker to clearly convey our intentions and persuade them to join us for interviews.
Key Findings
#1 Our client’s initial target user segment may not be the right fit because they didn’t vibe with MIGU. Instead, they expect a platform with a potent AGCN culture vibe and knowledge.
#2 The operation of video content matters more than app features itself to users. Therefore, dedicated content would keep users engaged in the community.
#3 Not only IPs our client own but also the influencers on the platform are considered intellectual properties. The latter can also make a fortune for the client by driving traffic to the app.
Persona
Ideation
Co-creation workshop with the client
Pivot product strategy based on research insights
We presented four product strategies to get our client explore multiple business opportunities. Each strategy came along with a business roadmap, including business goals, company values, user values. We facilitated our client to ideate solutions to phase strategy and business goals while adhering to the value proposition. Moreover, we also enabled them to position the user persona. After four rounds of ideation, the client voted on the best product strategy taking into consideration market size, innovation and feasibility.
Product/operation ideas ideation synthesis
We hosted a workshop to facilitate the client to brainstorm ideas for product and operation, and afterwards sorted out those ideas by the market impact and the uniqueness. Just to name a few, the top ideas incorporate gamification design (level, badge, leadership board), tag, task, video editing, comment, and so on.
Look and feel exploration
There was a session to explore the direction of visual design. The client selected preferred UI references and emotional keywords. Those included user-friendly, trendy, happening, fun, delightful, and hooked.
Design
Provide immersive video watching experience
To address potential obstruction caused by the ‘notch’ on full-screen phones, we relocated the app navigation bar from the bottom to the top. Additionally, we streamlined the video interface by relocating less relevant information—such as video search, categories, and leadership boards—into slide-up and slide-down pages. This adjustment aims to enhance user focus on videos, creating an immersive experience for scrolling through and enjoying video content.
Old version
Revamp version
Revamp version
Foster the high-engaged and good vibe in short-form video community
Looking back at the user interview, several participants expressed diminished interest in using an app with only a small user base. This emerged as a significant factor leading to user disengagement. Consequently, we conceived the following design ideas to tackle this issue.
Add an auto-scrolling comment as a ‘real-time’ comment to form a good vibe of the community.
Display the number – how many people have used the same stickers, bgm (background music), topic hashtags and so on
Reinforce the interaction and connection between users
A noteworthy observation from the research was that users sought a sense of belonging within the community while using short-form video apps. They placed significance on how others responded to their videos or comments, as well as the possibility of finding individuals who shared similar hobbies or interests. Consequently, our aim was to strengthen the interaction and connection between app users, encompassing both video creators and consumers.
Other than “following” and “follower”, I created another relation tag – friend, if both users follow each other
Users will first see the newsfeed from friends, followed by another two; they can see which friend resonates with them by having used the same sticker, bgm and topic hashtags to create videos.
Design System & Guideline
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