My Role: UI/UX Director
Duration: Sep 2017 – Present
Visit Website: arsbeta.com
BACKGROUND
About ARS Beta
- The talents and brainpower of society has been channeled into mindless consumptive platforms instead of creative production and community learning. Our clicks, likes, and swipes can be used for good.
- ARS is a new social media network — a revolutionary online learning community that incentivizes learning, sharing, and honest feedback through randomization, anonymization, and a fair algorithm.
- Inspire and get inspired from users based on individual photos, portfolios, and participation.
About the project:
I was the lead project manager responsible for executing the concept of ARS Beta, envisioning then creating the concept, visual design and ease of user flow. I engineered the user experience, created the brand identity, and directed user experience studies to increase platform engagement. I am currently continuing to conduct user studies to streamline the user experience.
EXAMINATION
The Problem:
There are several problems to overcome:
- How do you give and receive feedback online beyond “likes”?
- How do you provide a platform that places all users on a equal level given the chance to be seen?
- How do you incentivize people to give feedback and not just expect to receive feedback?
The Solution:
- Limit the feedback options to “keep” or “ditch”. A critique comment box is included to give the user more detailed information as to why their photo was voted “keep” or “ditch”.
- Only one photo is randomly shown per page. By having only one photo per page, the uploader has the viewers full attention. The viewer can not move onto the next photo without critiquing the current photo.
- A top users leaderboard showcases the ranking of participation points that are attained through voting on photos. By ranking higher on the leaderboard, users are given the opportunity to have other users see their portfolio.
Design
Branding:
The green ^ symbol mirrors the “keep” button. The ^ symbol encourages the users to improve their visual skill. Green is associated as yes, upward mobility, and go.
USER INTERFACE
Prototype:
Limiting the menu to the 5 essential features, reduces user friction. This encourages an increase of user engagement by rating more pictures and leaving more critiques.
CONCLUSION
ARS Beta gives users the equal chance to be seen and helped, regardless of popularity, previous standings, or posting time. ARS Beta was built to create a community that thrives on producing, rather than consuming.”
As an avid video game player, I was able gamify the platform in a healthy way, by incorporating teamwork and friendly competition to boost user engagement.
I am proud of this project and look forward to continuing the ARS Beta as an ongoing project. In the future, I will continue to add new features according to current user requests and incorporate further ways to incentivize rewards for having a high “keep” percentage of individual photos, overall portfolios and quality critiques.
Email: contact@byannettekim.com