It’s the big reset. The World has changed and it’s time for a fairer and more equitable society. Humanity and the environment are in dire straights. We have an emergency on planet Earth. New social values and imperatives call for a new solution. The old guard was created in a bygone era and is no longer suited to overcoming the challenges ahead. It’s time for a new social network that works for humanity. It will take all of us to change the trajectory of humankind. Our mission is to promote social harmony and environmental sustainability ethically.
Responsibility
As a UX/UI lead, I collaborated with Orlofus to design their social platform, prioritising equity, safety, and values. Drawing from our expertise, I offered strategic insights on gamification and community-building, resulting in engaging features. Our holistic approach ensured a strong foundation for continuous growth within the social media sphere.
Assessing the environment
Understanding what’s really happening
Taking time to properly investigate current social media offerings, typical user behaviour and needs, as well as the state of the industry allowed us to gain an informed perspective rooted in knowledge. For example the exercise of assessing platforms based on the pyramid of needs, to include among others physiological needs, safety needs and esteem gives us the ability to compare and contrast via a scoring or rating system. Along with wider desktop research we are able to build up a bigger picture of the social landscape.
Why is this happening?
Users often use social media either as a main channel for an interaction or as an entry point to other channels. For example, users might browse social media for new recipes and, if they find a post they like, they could visit the company’s website to get the full recipe. Users tend to rely on social media as their channel of choice if they find it to be more efficient or easier to use than the alternatives.
The likes, comments and posts we share on social media can often seem inconsequential, but they matter. They tap into some of the very elements that make us human, our addictions, desires, anxieties and joys.
A new social fabric
The building blocks
In order to understand how people relate and engage with social media, we have to know how many types of users exists, their personality, how they engage and their styles.
Understanding the functional building blocks provides a framework that defines social media, including seven functional distinct categories: identity, conversations, sharing, presence, relationships, reputation, and groups.
Where we want to end up
Everyone benefits from increased accountability and more harmonious interaction - nudge good behaviour.
Influencers can build and broadcast to their communities on a platform that delivers financial benefits to the causes they support.
Brands can advertise and enhance their reputation
People can manage their privacy and consume advertising with a clear conscience.
Society benefits from the flow of money to social and environmental initiatives.
Sustainable engagement
Community at its heart
Through a mix a brainstorming and ideation sessions we were able to start building the Orlofus platform, keeping in mind the close inter-relationship between brand, user and the community.
Users can approve or offer support for a campaign they are passionate about, whilst having the chance access rewards on certain eco products. Over time users can become ‘heroes’ through a simple and effective points system. Companies and brands can in turn also achieve certified ‘hero’ status through mass engagement and support from users.
This interplay particularly between brand and user was central to our approach, having identified it as an area to focus on for better execution and to achieve higher engagement rates.
Our card eco-system
Working towards a successful social platform
Working towards a successful social platform
Addressing the fundamental journeys that users could take was inevitably the next stage of the process, covering successful log in, dashboard customisations and key content card interactions. This was all supported with prior journey mapping or diagram flows to highlight how each area of the platform could interact or lead the user to another section of the app.
With each iteration of the flows, we were able to streamline and cross-check how effectively the user could navigate, as well as make assessments of certain layouts and features to be prioritised for the initial version of the app.
Central to one of the early concepts was the idea of a mosaic grid of content, with a series of cards stacked and arranged in such a way as to encourage discovery and to replenish curiosity. Users can more easily customise their dashboard of content through the categorisation of topics and their priority.
The beliefs and futures of our users are contained in personalised cards…
Cards are treated according to the type of content or intent. Cards are the essence of navigation as well as interactive and actionable communication. For users, brands, and organisations, cards are the currency to create change.
Socially responsible
Inspire through design
True engagement, the right way
A picture is worth a thousand words
By utilising clear and simple language as well as intentional visual techniques, we achieved an effective balance between community-driven actions and consumable content.
Additionally, we incorporated gamification elements and personalised recommendations to foster a sense of belonging and encourage active participation.
This thoughtful design approach not only resulted in a visually appealing app but fostered meaningful connections among users, ultimately contributing to the app's unique and effective social community ecosystem.
By infusing elements of gamification such as points, badges, and leaderboards, we transformed user engagement into an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
These gamified features incentivized users to interact more frequently with the app, driving higher levels of participation and fostering a sense of competition and achievement within the community.
Moreover, by incorporating certifications, campaigns, and leveling systems, we encouraged users to explore various features and activities, thus deepening their involvement and investment in the platform.
This gamification strategy is intended to grow and retain users and facilitate the growth of a vibrant and active social community, establishing Orlofus as a go-to destination for meaningful connections and interactions.
