A design to improve usability with fake news on Instagram

Role: UX Researcher & UI Designer (Cooperate with 2 mentors from IBM)

Duration: 2 Weeks

Tools: Figma, Miro Board, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Docs, Google Slides

Problem Space

Fake news squeezes itself through newspaper articles, but most prominently, it pours through social media. The reason for this is because algorithms promote what generates the most excitement, regardless if it is credible information or not. Therefore, fake news is hard to detect, it incorporates misinformation, misinformation, or a combination of both. The biggest concern regarding rapidly spreading fake news online is that people will regard this information to be factual.

 

Persona

🧑🏻 Jack

Bio: Jack is a car salesman. He uses social media every day to reach out to his customers, and he needs some factual news to watch the market. Because of the amount of misinformation on social media, he needed to get accurate sources from each post.

Core Needs: He wants to view accredited news and factual information while using social media and accurate sources for each piece of information.

 

Requirements and Goals

  • A valid user authentication system

  • A content filter that can show verified content

  • Allow users to upward the best comment and downvote in order to validate the comment

 

User Flows

Brainstorming: Strengthening account management, Create a content filter, Create a page with all the verified posts, Misleading comments notification

 

Low-Fidelity Prototype

 

Usability Test

Methodology: one-on-one moderated usability testing

Participant Profile: frequent users of Instagram

Mode: in-person/remotely

Sample Size: 4 users per round, 2 rounds

 

Usability Test Round 1 Findings

 

Mid-Fidelity Prototype

 

Usability Test Round 2 Findings

 

High-Fidelity Prototype

 

Result

The design is clear and easy to navigate. Through 2 rounds of usability tests, the successful completion rate has increased rapidly. There are 90% of users were more certain that the information they saw was authentic.

 

Reflection

The rise of “fake news” and the proliferation of doctored narratives that are spread by humans and bots online are challenging publishers and platforms. We as future designers need to design technical and human systems that can weed it out and minimize the ways in which bots and other schemes spread lies and misinformation.