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EXISTING PRODUCT FEATURE IMPROVEMENTS
Just like all of us, I use many different applications for various purposes. Below is my 2 cents on how some of these applications can be improved basis my observations and experiences.
Discovery
I discovered this when I interacted with many of my friends as well as while watching memes based on this. People are habituated in clicking on reels whenever they open Instagram. Reels start playing at phone volume even in a public place or at work. This is embarrassing as well as lets the people know you are using Instagram when it may not be socially appropriate to do so (in office/ hospital/ waiting for an appointment etc)
Suggestion for Improvement
Introducing Quiet mode as a new feature -
1. Option to enable/ disable this feature
2. Option to schedule quiet mode for a specific time each day
3. All reels will be automatically muted in quiet mode
4. Reels for which background audio is irrelevant / not necessary for understanding the reels will be predominantly shown to the user
5. If a friend has shared a reel, it will also be muted on click.
6. When silent mode is disabled, a notification should appear- “You received reels from X, Y, Z during quiet mode. Do you wish to view them now?” and guide them to chats page.
Case for Improvement
This feature will allow users to tailor the feed to their usage. Instead of users spending time on other apps while waiting or in other places where silence is a must, we can increase their activity and time spent on Instagram.
Original Version
Improved Version
Quiet Mode
UDEMY
Discovery
I discovered this when I clicked on a Udemy course and was asked to login to access the same. I didn't remember having logged in to the platform before. When I tried to Sign Up and entered my email id, I kept getting the error as shown in the picture above. I was unable to figure out what was wrong. I turned to Google for help and found the answer to my problem on a Reddit thread. Someone else who had experienced the same issue had commented saying this error equates to having an existing account with Udemy. I was able to login after resetting the password.
Suggestion for Improvement
In case an account already exists, Udemy should display the appropriate error message such as "There is already an account associated with the email id. Please try logging in".
Case for Improvement
As a product manager, a wonderful customer experience is the most important objective one should have. A wonderful customer experience translates to greater customer retention. Error handling is one of the most important ways we communicate with the customer and guide them in case of any issue. Hence, putting the correct on-screen message for specific errors leads to less grumpy customers and increases the likelihood of them returning to the application.
Original Version
Improved Version
There is already an account associated with this email id. Please login.
READERA
Discovery
I love to keep my books handy so that I can read them on the go whenever I get a bit of free time. Since I read in short bursts, I often bookmark my pages so that I can return to it later. However when I mark a page as bookmark in Readera, I get a pop-up like the one shown in the image above on the left. The Delete button is in grey and for a long time, I assumed that the Delete button was inactive and wouldn't work. That is until I tried it one day and found it was active.
Suggestion for Improvement
I understand that "Save" being the primary button here is highlighted in yellow. Delete is the secondary button and must be highlighted in a different color. However, that color shouldn't be grey since anything greyed out implies that the button is disabled. It could have been any other color depending on the gradient used in the app (Eg- Blue/ Orange/ Teal)
Case for Improvement
As a product manager, usability is the most important goals of the product that I build. The more time a user requires to decode what the button does and how it behaves, the less usable the product becomes. Hence, it's important to keep best practices in mind while designing the UI.
Original Version
Improved Version
DELETE
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