Project Insta
Introduction
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I spent 3 weeks conducting a survey to evaluate the experience of posting a photo onto Instagram.
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Data analysis
Data visualization
Journey mapping
Survey creation
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Adobe XD
Excel
Google Forms
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Hrishikesh Paul
Kaustubha Patil
Design Challenge
Designers use journey maps to measure and convey a user’s experience. However, these maps, like this example taken from Heart of The Customer, don’t include quantifiable data to reflect the user’s experience over time.
This is a common problem seen with many user journey maps.
Click on the image to view the source.
My teammates and I wanted to capture aspects of a user experience that are intuitively not quantifiable or easy to measure. So, we selected the experience of posting a photo on Instagram.
User Journey
The first thing we did was break down the process of posting a photo into four key phases so that we could identify changes throughout the user’s journey.
Research Strategy
Next, with my team I brainstormed different approaches to measuring the experience at each phase.
Work from our brainstorming session.
An initial concept was to use a 5-point Likert scale to rate different levels of emotions like happy, scared, or satisfied. The problem with this method is that it prescribes what the experience is for the participants. We wanted to know what the actual experience is and not what we think it is.
We realized we had to use variables which could calculate an experience.
That was our lightbulb moment.
We then narrowed down two variables which could quantitatively measure this experience: importance and difficulty.
Experience Matrix
After that, we developed a matrix to visualize the data.
Users can rate the level of importance and difficulty on a scale of 3 points.
Each rating makes a pair which falls on the matrix (for instance, 1 and 3 = not very important, very difficult).
We created a key for the experiential qualities at each point on the matrix.
This reflects the 9 possible outcomes we could get from the data.
By using this key, the results can be used to predict the experience. For example, the experience of a task that is not very important and very difficult would be frustrating.
Survey Creation
With a matrix created, it was time to collect data.
To do this, we conducted a survey asking participants to rate the level of importance and difficulty for each of the four phases.
To give participants context of each phase, we filmed short videos demonstrating the particular interaction and included this in our survey.
Each phase and their questions are shown below.
Phase 1: taking a photo
Phase 3: adding details and sharing
Phase 2: selecting and editing a photo
Phase 4: managing feedback
Survey Results
After sharing the survey with our friends who use Instagram often, we collected 71 responses.
So, what is the user experience?
From the data, phases 1 and 2 recorded a high level of importance and a moderate level of difficulty. This reveals that the experience of taking and editing a photo is fairly challenging but considered important to most users. We concluded that users are highly engaged with taking and editing a photo.
From the data, phases 3 and 4 recorded a moderate level of importance and a low level of difficulty. This reveals that the experience of sharing a photo and receiving feedback is moderately important and not difficult to most users. We concluded that users feel secure during these phases.
Journey Map
We measured the experience at each phase but wondered about the journey overall. Since the variables measured were consistent at each phase, I created a journey map showing the average results.
Reflection
Looking back, I’m happy with the work my team and I accomplished in just a few weeks. I developed an experience matrix, conducted a survey, and analyzed the results. It was a challenging and rewarding experience.
Here are four takeaways I learned from this project.
I realized just how complicated it can be to measure a user’s experience. We tried to use a numerical system to represent experiential variables (importance and difficulty). We then assigned descriptors to the numerical pairings to relate the data to a likely user experience. Upon reflection, we realized that our descriptors may not completely represent the user’s experience.
The experience matrix did not include all aspects of the user experience. More variables and values can be measured to make the matrix more nuanced and dynamic. For instance, we could have also measured the level of skill or amount of time it takes at each phase of posting a photo to Instagram.
An odd numbered scale is complex to interpret. I struggled to understand what a middle level of importance and difficulty represented. I also wondered if the middle value led participants to pick a safe middle ground.
There are multiple ways to measure user experience. Designers need to be creative and openminded when evaluating new user experiences.