Imagine scrolling through countless WhatsApp messages, desperately trying to find that one important text buried in the chaos of group chats and potential spam. We’ve all been there, right?
Although the PIN Message Feature is quite useful and tries to solve this problem, it’s a headache when you’re juggling to prioritize messages from more than 3 contacts.
The Problem
WhatsApp pro users often find it challenging to quickly spot and access important messages in the midst of a daily flood of chats, group messages, and potential spam. With the current setup lacking an organizational feature, users end up spending a lot of time scrolling and, understandably, feeling frustrated.
The Goal
To make the experience smoother and more enjoyable by addressing these issues and helping everyone effortlessly find what matters most to them.
The Hypothesis
When a user has the power to neatly organize chats into folders, it will not only increase efficiency but also make it a breeze to dive into those essential conversations, and having priority folders right at the top will give the user’s messaging experience a sleek makeover, making it more organized.
By adding a delightful new feature called “Chat Folders” on WhatsApp can really make a difference in how users find important messages.
Before we go into the seamless process of how this feature works, here is what I considered a crucial part of the potential design solution:
In crafting the Chat Folder Feature, I understood the fact that this might not be an issue faced by an average regular users, hence why I didn’t make the feature prominent on the main screen. Instead, I aimed to tackle the overwhelming influx of messages on WhatsApp in more subtle but highly effective way.
So how does it work?
Starting with a seamless swipe on iOS, the ‘More’ option lies our gateway to additional functionalities for simplified chat organization.
The ‘Add to Folder’ feature helps the user to categorize conversations effortlessly, offering flexibility to choose existing folders or create new ones.
This design emphasizes a visual hierarchy by placing the chosen folder at the top of the chats, serving as a constant reminder of an organized digital space.
After designing, the most important part of this project was to validate this idea with the end users
For this I decided to go with a more qualitative approach using a User Satisfaction metric to validate my solution. I sent out a video of a fully prototype version of my design and asked the participant if they feel that the Chat Folder feature will make it easy for them to find and access important messages?
Here are some of the responses I got:
- “This is exactly what I need to categorize my WhatsApp chats seamlessly.” -Reeah
- “Love it! Finally, I can separate my high-priority DMs into folders.” -Nyquist
- “Solves my problem of chat organization. Sign me up!”-Mustapha
- “Implement this please, and I won’t dread opening WhatsApp anymore.”-Wuraola
To further validate this hypothesis, I employed a quantitative approach by making a poll and asking 14 users if the Chat Folder feature will make it easy for them to find and access important messages
The feedback was an outstanding vote of 100%, showing that the Chat folder feature will make it easy to find and access important messages
After getting valuable feedback from Users, as part of the iteration process, I added a new option that allows users to select a particular colour of their choice when creating a specific folder, this not only allows for more flexibility but also helps to prioritize the choice of the user down to the smallest detail.
And now to the BIG Question
Do you find this feature useful, and would you give it a try if implemented? Make sure to leave your comment
On a final note, I’m genuinely excited about the prospect of the WhatsApp Chat Folder Feature finding its way into the hands of users. I hope that this innovative feature resonates with the WhatsApp team as much as it has with the users who’ve already glimpsed its possibilities.
Here’s to the hope that this feature becomes a seamless part of the messaging experience, offering WhatsApp users a newfound sense of control and delight in their digital interactions. 🥂
Would you like to view the full Case Study? Click below https://www.behance.net/gallery/186891823/WhatsApp-Chat-Folder-Feature-Case-Study/modules/1056826999
