THE CHALLENGE
" How might we create an on-the-go vlogging app for beginner vloggers to make vlogs easily and faster, so they have greater mobility in daily activities while saving time?"
This problem emerged for the founders trying to create vlogs to share their journeys as it consumed a big portion of their time and efforts daily, despite trying different techniques and apps available.
Video recording and editing is a disconnected software and hardware experience. But as mobile phone cameras improved over time, people started using mobile phones for vlogging, yet there are no intuitive solutions to satisfy vlogger needs and goals.
THE PROBLEM
Tedious process to create vlogs on mobile as vloggers
Seamless access to recording and editing.
-
Simultaneous access to both recording, previewing and editing clips.
-
Quick and easy recording & editing.
-
Easily preview what you just created.
Simplified editing.
-
Easy single hand use.
-
Beginner friendly intuitive trimming, editing, and moving clips.
-
Access clips and get around the timeline with easy gestures.
Eliminating the need for editing.
-
Clips will be automatically edited while recording videos with lenses.
-
Ability to adjust and edit auto edited clips.
THE SOLUTION
3x faster vlog creation...
Smart lenses to get clips auto edited as you record
-
Magic cut
Allow users to record videos continuously and app will remove all the gaps or dead spaces in the video where you don’t speak.
-
Hyper-lapse lens
Allow users to record videos at two speeds eliminating the need to speed up videos later on in edit.
THE INSIGHTS & IDEATION
Existing solutions are not built specifically for Vloggers
We used affinity mapping to make sense of all the data we collected from our research and were able to identify these major insights.
-
Long hours ( minimum 1-2 hours ) of editing at the end of the task/day.
-
Lack of editing skills of beginners.
-
Pilled up videos on mobile.
-
The annoyance of finding nice royalty-free music.
-
Re-watching videos to choose certain clips.
-
Having to use multiple apps to record and edit vlogs.
-
Self-doubts and social challenges while recording videos
“How might we create an on the go vlogging app for beginner vloggers to make vlogs easily and faster so they have greater mobility in their daily activities while saving time?”
THE PROTOTYPING
Figuring out potential vlogging experiences
"I wanted to create a very familiar feeling like the user already know how to use Wibble. hence, the reason to use familiar yet improved functionalities, actions and micro interactions in Wibble app”
THE TESTING
Constant testing helped us to iterate and refine the experience
We tested the app throughout the design process to validate our solutions and to deeper understand user behaviors to iterate and improve.
THE FEEDBACK
Mixed feedback from analytics & the social media
Even though we see some app engagement, google analytics showed us we have a declining retention rate. However, It’s too early to come to a conclusion about a successful product-market fit as the product is still maturing. We are yet to figure out the retention and viability aspects of the app.
What I've learned?
I learned and grown so much from this project. Most of the things were learned the hard way. It's so unpredictable to work at a startup yet it was the amazing part of it. I observed something new each and every day and helped me to grow better and faster with multiple skills I never thought I'd learn. Here are some of the key things I learned.
Tools used
We used our social media to help with vlogger & vlogging struggles
Wibble
Vlogging made simple
A mobile experience which fits in your pocket that turns hours of video editing into seconds
We built an iOS app that allowed beginner vloggers to intuitively record and edit video content on the go, that is ready and easy to share on social media. Our usability test results showed us 3x faster vlog creation when compared to available solutions.
Giving users freedom to create content faster with lenses
The prototype made to communicate the idea to the team
Prototype + Video demo for testing with users
Sample video to show the outcome
Smooth experience for the user
Tool tips, micro interactions and indication were strategically used to onboard and guide the user on achieving their tasks easily.
As for research insight, we helped users with self development.
Everybody struggles. We used our social media platforms to boost confidence of beginner users and featuring them in our stories too.
Seamless onboarding to keep the user in control
Simplified video import
Matter of drag and drop clips in any place on the timeline with zero import times.
Video import systems in other apps, restrict users' flexibility in quick previewing and importing clips. Also, there are loading times that restricted the on-the-go experience of a vlogger. We enabled simple yet very intuitive video import in Wibble.
-
Preview the video in the middle as you drag left / right
-
Simply drag it up and place it in the timeline to import
-
Tap on the clip you just imported to quickly edit
This is how I articulated one of the smart lenses to gather user feedback and validate our solution
We launched a minimal version where users can record at a certain speed enabling us to test and improve further.
ROLE
Sole Product Designer
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
-
Research
-
Define
-
Ideation
-
Prototype
-
Test
TIMELINE
AUG 2019 - FEB 2022
Introduction
Wibble is a USA-based startup company aimed at building an easy-to-use mobile (iOS) vlogging tool for beginner vloggers. I led the project as the sole product designer from its inception.
I also managed the development team, helped with team building and shaping culture, and task prioritization, designed and built the product website, and generated marketing content. Most importantly, wearing multiple hats whenever necessary to face start-up challenges🕵️
Due to unfortunate circumstances and low investment, the co-founders decided to discontinue Wibble. This led to the official closure of Wibble Inc, in March 2022.
LEARN MORE
*The App and website were taken down due to company closure.
PRODUCT VISION
An app that enables anyone with basic social media knowledge to become a great vlogger. Our goal is to build the simplest vlogging app with the easiest capturing & editing with quick sharing capabilities.
DISCOVERED USER PROBLEM
Lack of an intuitive app solution that allows beginner vloggers to create vlogs easily on the go.
Case study summary
OUTCOME
A mobile vlogging experience that allowed users to create content 3X faster. The best is yet to be explored.
THE RESEARCH
Understanding the problem space & users
Seamless recording and editing for an on the go experience
-
Simultaneous access to both recording and editing.
-
Instant recording & simple editing.
-
Quick preview of what you just created.
Quick and simplified editing
-
Easy single-hand use.
-
Beginner-friendly intuitive trimming, editing, and moving videos.
-
Quick access around the timeline with easy gestures.
Smart capturing
-
Capture on the go with auto-editing lenses.
-
Eliminating the need for editing.
-
Flexibility in adjusting and re-editing videos.
Design process
The process below is laid in a linear way to express the flow. We've applied the most practical and feasible approach whenever necessary to bring in results.
Our founders were our first users. To eliminate biases, I conducted interviews with 5 external potential users as well. I organized a body-storming session to further empathize and create a more user-centered approach.
Getting into users shoes
We used existing editing software to record and edit vlogs. We also posted them online to empathize and gather qualitative data of the entire user experience.
"It was quite the journey, the challenge is not only about creating vlogs, but it's also about your confidence, believe in your efforts, and keep going"
Remote user interviews
I conducted remote user interviews with 7 participants including our founders via google meets & zoom with the help of other team members.
Afterward, we generated empathy maps for us to make the analysis quicker and have a better overview of the information.
“Participants spent more time editing their vlogs and looking for royalty-free music”
Big gap to be filled in the market
The results showed that the competition had no intuitive solution for vloggers. We’ve used SWOT analysis + our experience + feedback from user interviewers to generate this chart to help visualize the potential market gap that Wibble would fit in.
“It became evident that many of the available solutions are only good at either recording or editing."
Getting the functionality right
I used wireframes to communicate the app's functionality. It helped us test user flow with high-level functions internally. This also helped the dev team understand their requirements and challenges to be researched and plan development efforts. Also, helped me to reiterate solutions with engineering limitations in mind.
Eliminating ambiguity, collecting feedback & validating our assumptions with mock-ups and prototypes
I made low, mid & high fidelity mockups to communicate and accommodate requirements like internal testings, convincing founders, devs, and design hand-off. I made intractable prototypes on more complex features like the “magic cut” and "hyper-lapse" features to remove the ambiguity of developers and also to collect feedback from users.
Wibble made vlog creation 3X faster
We integrated Smartlook to observe user behaviors. But this wasn't very successful as we realized it's not ethical to monitor all of our BETA users. But we used this technology to do unmoderated usability tests.
We gave one simple task to the initial 7 users we interviewed. Which is to make a typical vlog they'd make but using Wibble. Then remake the same vlog in the old usual way. They reported us back with the times they've spent making both the vlogs.
Testers loved the simplicity, clarity and intuitiveness of the app
We conducted moderated remote usability tests via lookback.io with 5 teenage users from the USA. These tests were very insightful and helped us iterate the app to a much better version.
We improved onboarding, icons and button states, user funnels, and the product website. We also implemented advanced features like magic cut. Finally, an overall improved app experience.
Key findings
-
3x faster outcomes for vloggers than their previous ways of content creation.
-
Reduced the unnecessary amount of pilled up clips in phones
-
Loved the royalty-free music in the app and they requested more variety of music.
-
People are using Wibble not only to vlog but to quickly visualize their bigger concepts and ideas in a short amount of time.
-
Using Wibble as a behind the scene capturing tool.
-
Failed to gain subscriptions but ads seem to be working for the current version.
-
Testers are willing to pay for advanced features
MVP scope
We used the impact-effort matrix to visualize the most relevant ideas. We focused on reshaping and iterating these ideas towards a product-market fit.
For easy implementation, it was important for me to provide broken-down versions of each feature for developers. This process took place before, after, and while development efforts were being executed.
Usability testing
We have a small community that followed us through our journey. With the help of our community and also the tons of mistakes we made, our team is learned and armed with experience, and knowledge and ready to adapt and reshape the app to a product-market fit.
Feedback from our engaging users
Available mobile music import solutions are impractical for vloggers
Inability to listen to music while watching the video isn't an option right now. We created a UX flow where user could preview the editing vlog with a selected music file before importing to the timeline reducing unnecessary complexity.
Intuitive music import
Adding trendy royalty free music
We mainly reached out to artists on Youtube and Soundcloud to integrate their music into the Wibble app. We integrated LuKremBo's and Gyvus's Lo-fi beats while giving them a shout-out in our app.
Intuitive music import
Available mobile solutions are impractical for vloggers
A user had to keep going back and forth from the music library to the video editing timeline,when selecting background music for vlogs. It's unintuitive and wastes our user's time. We enabled an intuitive music preview and import system.
-
Ability to preview the music with the vlog simultaneously
-
Ability to change the music import location on the timeline while browsing music
-
Integrated royalty-free music library that keeps growing
Taking initiative
At startups, things are indistinct at the beginning. It's up to us to reshape and make things clear as we go along. This made me go out of my comfort zone many times within and out of my given responsibilities. Not only does it help the company to grow but myself as well.
Beginner mindset
I love video editing. But when designing this app, I had to detach myself from prior experience to relate to the particular market segment. It was a bit of a challenge at first, but more I started to think like a beginner, more intuitive and practical ideas came to mind. Not only in design, but this also helped me to communicate better within the team as well.
Users assumed undo button is a back button to go back to the live camera. I redesigned the buttons to be meaningful and intuitive for users.
Iterate... Iterate... Iterate...
Communication
Clear and concise communication is really important. This is from updating your progress to handing-off designs. Use multiple mediums to communicate and eliminate ambiguity. Also, it's really important to ask as many questions to clarify something as well. More information I have, the better and more focused results I can provide.
Fail as quickly as possible
waiting for something to become perfect is a never-ending story. So, as they say, fail fast, in order to learn faster. Asking for feedback as early as possible helped me to design outcomes faster that resonate with the end-user. Not only that, this became a great practice where I test and discussed with the dev team on technical constraints and limitations that could restrain us from achieving the desired outcome.
Team
Anish W.
Co-founder
Tali O.
Co-Founder
Yamitha L.
Product Designer
_edited.jpg)
Dilara M.
Marketing
Wimansha C.
iOS Developer
Amila S.
iOS Developer
Rapid sketch iterations to get the experience of seamless vlog creation
I used paper and digital sketches to communicate the direction of the app with the team. It helped me quickly iterate and get to a sensible app flow before moving into wireframes. I used the same approach for each feature we developed. As it helped us rapidly iterate and dispose of ideas quickly to move on to further steps.
-
We've mainly used crazy 8's activity to generate new ideas and solutions.
-
Thinking using the SCAMPER technique, helped us look at the currently available solutions and explore new possibilities.