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Leveraging Emotional Design for Improved Interaction

Enhancing User retention in Business Messaging App: A Research Proposal

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Yarden Ben Shushan | UX Designer

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Shay Mohar | UX Designer

Project Overview

This project was part of the "Quantitative UX Research" course's final assignment. The goal was to showcase the ability to design and present a thorough research plan, applying causal research principles using descriptive statistics from a B2B/SaaS product dataset, and demonstrating expertise in user experience research.

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The Product

The product is an instant messaging application designed for business use, similar to Slack. Its goal is to facilitate communication and collaboration among team members.

After conducting a thorough analysis of the product's dataset using the Mixpanel platform, we derived several key insights that guided the subsequent phases of our research.

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Key Performance Indicator (KPI): Improving User Retention

Preliminary Data Insights

Most Common Action: Sending messages.

Average Number of Messages Sent Per User: 1.2 messages in the last 30 days.

Drop-Off Rate (from Tutorial Completion to Message Sending): 85.63%.

Median Time to Send First Message: 24.8 days.

Identified Issues

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01 Discrepancy Identified: Between common action and actual message sent per user.

02 Extended Time to First Message: Users take a long median time to send their first message.

03 High Drop-Off Rate: Significant decline in user engagement post-tutorial completion.

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Theoretical Basis – Emotional Design by Donald Norman

Visceral: Users form a first impression based on the interface's appearance within 30 seconds. A positive impression increases the likelihood of continued use.

Behavioral: During use, users subconsciously evaluate how well the design helps achieve their goals. If the interface matches their mental model, they find it easy to use and are likely to continue.

Reflective: Users consciously evaluate the interface's performance and benefits. Satisfaction leads to continued use, emotional connection, and recommendations.

From this data, we infer that the tutorial process does not meet user goals as it causes cognitive overload by explaining less common actions (e.g., sending messages). According to the second stage of emotional design theory, users assess whether the interface helps achieve their goal (sending messages) easily. Currently, the tutorial is lengthy and unhelpful.

Research Question & Hypothesis

Question: How does the tutorial procedure impact users' first message-sending behavior?

Hypothesis: Making the tutorial optional will improve retention and increase the frequency of message sending.

Variables & Measurement

Independent Variable

Mandatory vs. Optional Tutorial

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Dependent Variable

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Nominal Definition: Rate of Message Sending

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Operational Definition: Average of 3 messages sent per user per month

Target Audience & Sample Size

Target Audience

New users who are about to start the tutorial

Sample Size

The study comprises two groups, each with approximately 49 subjects, drawn from an average of 98.7 new users in the last 30 days.

Breakdown by Usage Platforms

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38.83%

61.17%

Desktop (Windows, OSX & Linux)

Mobile (Android & IOS)

Breakdown by Tutorial Completion Time

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61.03%

38.97%

Users who completed the tutorial between 30-70 minutes

Users who completed the tutorial in less than 30 minutes

Research Methodology

Duration: 30-day A/B testing period

Tools: Utilizing Google Optimize for A/B testing

Aids: Mixpanel for data analysis and insights, and Emotional Design theory as the basis.

Research Mapping

Use: Natural use - users interact with product without researcher instructions

Study Type: Causal study focusing on the impact of making the tutorial optional.

Axis: Do - Say & Qualitative - Quantitative

DO

Qualitative

Quantitative

SAY

Purpose of the Study

Increase message sending through the interface

Key Focus

Changing tutorial procedure to improve message sending rates

Approach

Summative assessment to evaluate tutorial impact on message sending

Variant A

Variant B

Conclusion

We believe that the A/B testing we proposed, based on the theoretical framework presented, will demonstrate that making the tutorial optional rather than mandatory will lead to an increase in retention. This change will result in users sending more messages within the interface, thereby improving overall engagement.

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