Kojo - Designing a social computing application that solves social needs

Hero banner displaying 3 example screens of Kojo prototype This project is to investigate any issues in society and to create a social computing application to address that issue. This project was conducted as an assignment of Social Computing subject in Master of Information at the University of Melbourne.

Process of the project

  1. Market Research

    Researched on what issues should be addressed in this project by creating a mindmap. We have decided to make a social communication application targeting people recovering from social anxiety as there has been a significant increase in the number of people suffering from it due to long lockdowns.

  2. Literature Review/Research on the target audience

    Researched on what aspects of existing social applications have negative impacts on people with social anxiety. Got some inspirations and ideas from other social applications and research papers.

  3. Making Sketches

    Created a list of features based on research. Drew sketches for each feature and check if each feature can fit nicely on the application. While iterating sketches, we also discussed features that should be included and what should be excluded.

  4. Making a low fidelity prototype

    Made a low fidelity prototype and iterated to improve the UI on Figma.

  5. High-fidelity design

    After making the first high fidelity prototype, We conducted user testing to check the usability of our product. User interviews and think-aloud tasks were employed to gain meaningful feedback. We conducted semi-structured interviews to understand whether they felt overwhelmed when using social media, and how social media helped them to cope with loneliness. We were aware of the sensitivity of these questions and ensured that participants felt safe and felt comfortable to say they do not want to answer questions.

  6. User Testing

    Analysed the data gathered from user testing. Changed structures of the home landing page to make it less confusing and fix text message pages to achieve better navigation for users. Added badge functionality to motivate users to continue using this application and make this social community as active as possible.

We were able to meet all the requirements of the projects at a high level overall. We were also able to learn the whole process of making a new application from scratch and the importance of researching why existing applications are successful. We have learnt the importance of iterating and getting feedback from users to reflect their input on the application. I have learnt various skills shown below through this project.

High-fidelity prototypes

Chat room lists and check-ins

Text chat

Voice chat

Booking appointment with professionals

Reporting a user

Home page change and tutorials

User profile and reward system

Appointment booking

Think-Aloud Tasks

  1. You are interested in AFL and wish to find some people to chat about it; where would you go?
    • While in the room, you feel it is quite awkward and would like to start with a game called ‘Guess n Draw’.
  2. Now you want to check out the audio call feature, you have also heard that there is a voice filter feature and would like to try the alien filter once you enter the call.
  3. Your friend has suggested the ‘Gradual exposure 5-week program’ to you, and you would like to sign up for the workshop.
  4. You now wish to book an appointment with a professional psychologist, where would you go? (if you want your user to make an appointment, please tell them to book an appointment with Dr.Smith at 13:00 on 13:00).
  5. What would you do when you do not want to fit in your friend group and feel being away from them?

Semi-structured questions

  • Have you ever felt insecure/anxious when using social media? If so, can you tell us what feature of the application made you feel so?
  • What would you do when you feel overwhelmed/insecure when using social media?
  • Have you ever looked for help online to deal with your various kind of anxiety?
  • What is your first impression of the app?
  • How do you think about the design of the application? Is there anything else that you liked or disliked about it?
  • What do you think this application would help people to reconnect with society using this application?
  • How can we improve if you think this would not help people with social anxiety?
  • When you look at this application, are there any icons that you are unsure what you can do with?
  • Do you think gameplay with people of similar interests would help you release your stress and anxiety to start a conversation?
  • Anything you think could be improved in this application?