From Chatting to Organizing: WhatsApp’s Reminders

A concept feature case study

During my time in college I was a part of multiple clubs and chapters, finding myself added to over 30 WhatsApp groups. Navigating through the chaos of fests, daily meetings, and countless messages turned into a thrilling challenge. Keeping track of the chatter and crucial updates became my daily adventure.

This solution is very personal to me, it’s also one that most of my friends around me require and one that ultimately helped me take time out and publish this very blog.

🎯Problem Analysis:

In an era dominated by WhatsApp as the primary mode of communication, the platform has witnessed exponential growth in facilitating various aspects of our lives. From work-related updates to sharing crucial information, WhatsApp has become the central hub for exchanging tasks and important messages. However, the sheer volume of messages has resulted in a challenge: vital information often gets overlooked amidst the flood of incoming messages.

Recognizing the need for a more effective approach, there is an opportunity to design a feature that not only helps users stay up to date with their communications but also ensures that important messages don’t go unnoticed. The current landscape demands a solution that helps in more organized and efficient communication, accommodating the diverse range of activities people engage in on the platform, contributing to a better user experience on WhatsApp.

Let’s dive into it with some real life use cases…

The answer was simple- A feature where I could simply send, receive or convert messages people send to me into reminders, all in the app itself.

🧩My Process:

Before getting my hands on the solution I decided to break down the whole process into smaller chunks to avoid getting overwhelmed and to keep myself on track. Here is the design process I followed:

🧩Research:

I started my study by trying to figure out what people really want. I shared a small questionnaire containing a few open ended questions with my peers and fellow designers in college, and here are some of the responses I got:

I shared a google form with a few friends and acquaintances in college

🙋‍♂️User Persona:

The creation of user personas is a crucial aspect of my research for this case study. These fictitious users stand in for actual ones and shed light on their wants, needs, and pain areas. I can create a feature that meets their needs and improves their experience by learning about their personal circumstances and driving forces. These user personas are used as a foundation for all design decisions, making the process more user-centric.

“Har ghar ki kahaani Rajesh aur Deepika ki Zubaani”

During the process, I was able to identify some of the most important and prevalent needs and pain points of the user, including:

Defining needs of the user gave me a clearer idea of the solution

📌User Flows:

To better illustrate the feature’s ideal user flow, I whipped up a quick and easy user flow.

Sender’s flow

🪄Visual Design:

Having laid the groundwork for my solution through study, I was able to develop a user interface that adhered to WhatsApp’s design principles without disrupting the entire personal and group chat environment.

I designed the solution in both Dark and Light mode.

Here’s a visual walkthrough of my solution:

1️⃣Create a Reminder:

• To create a reminder, users can access the attachment button in the chat and select the Reminder option. This allows them to conveniently set reminders for important tasks or events.

• In addition to creating reminders through the attachment button, users can also convert messages into reminders by performing a long-press action. When converting a message, the message content is automatically filled in the reminder’s description field. Users only need to provide the remaining required details to complete the process.

• When creating a reminder, users are prompted to fill in essential details such as the date, time, title, and description. The description field supports the inclusion of links, enabling users to add additional context or relevant information.
• To provide flexibility and accommodate varying user needs in a chat, the sender will have the option to set a default remind before time for everyone, while individual receivers can customize the remind before time based on their preferences. This approach ensures convenience and personalization in setting reminder timings within the group/personal chat.

2️⃣View/edit Reminder:

• To access reminder details, the receiver can simply tap on View Reminder below the message. This allows them to review the details of the reminder and make any necessary adjustments, including modifying the Remind Before time if needed.

• As mentioned above, the receiver can now select a time before the event or task when they would like to be reminded about it or simply choose to go with the time set by the sender.

3️⃣View Past Reminders:

• Users can conveniently access their reminder history by clicking on Reminders in the chat info. This provides a comprehensive view of all past reminders, and users also have the option to search for specific reminders and directly jump to a particular reminder within the chat.

4️⃣Reminder Notification:

• Additionally, when the reminder notification time arrives, the user receives a distinct notification to differentiate it from a regular message. The notification displays a calendar icon, making it easily recognizable as a reminder. This visual indicator helps users quickly identify and distinguish reminder notifications from regular messages, ensuring they don’t miss important tasks or events.

👾Quick look at Dark Mode:

🔦Implementing reader feedbacks:

After publishing this case study, I received valuable feedback from readers, including fellow designers and users. One noteworthy suggestion was regarding the sender’s authority to set reminders for everyone, which raised concerns about potential misuse or spam.

Taking this feedback into consideration, I realized the importance of finding the right balance between user control and preventing inconvenience. To address this concern, I’ve iterated upon the feature, and now the sender no longer has the authority to set reminders for the receiver. Instead, each receiver can customize their reminder settings individually.

🏁In a nutshell:

I learned the importance of iteration, data-driven decision making, and user-centric design through this case study. I was able to improve the solution’s intuitiveness and user friendliness by incorporating user feedback at various stages. I was able to design a feature that gives users what they want and improves their experience as a whole because I went with my gut, double-checked my assumptions with data, and listened to their feedback.

I’m currently on lookout for Opportunities. Do reach out if you’d like to work with me or collaborate on some projects. Check out my portfolio website here.

You can also reach out to me on Linkedin or Twitter for any kind of feedback, suggestions or collaborations!