#009 The Design Insider: Digest
Zoom unveils new in-meeting app integration, Youtube expands creator monetisation efforts, Venmo undergoes major design overhaul and much more
🗞 In the news 🗞
Zoom unveils new in-meeting app integration
With this latest update, Zoom users can now access third-party apps directly in meetings. The move aims to make the experience of video conferencing mo more engaging, productive, and fun for the growing number of teams now adopting a fully remote or hybrid work model. The integration will initially support 50 apps, including Asana and Dot Collector, with more apps becoming available very soon.
Twitter reveals several new updates
Twitter testing revamped version of Tweetdeck: Twitter has begun rolling out a revamped version of its social media dashboard, Tweetdeck, to a limited number of users. The updated version has several new features, including a full tweet composer, advanced search options and new column types, which users can organise into clean workspaces. In addition to this, the dashboard also has an updated UI, with tighter columns, smaller images and fonts.
Apple and Google sign-in integration: According to App researcher Jane Manchun Wong, Twitter has begun working on Apple and Google login integration. However, confirmation and the expected rollout timeline remains unknown.
Voice transformer: A UX researcher from Twitter's Spaces team, Danny Singh, shared a video showcasing a new feature where users can toggle between different filters that mask their original voice. Again, there are no updates on when this feature will be made available to all users.
Testing downvotes: Twitter is now testing upvote and downvote buttons. Unlike Reddit, Twitter's version won't affect the ranking and way tweets are displayed. In addition to this, dislikes will only be visible to the account holder, while upvotes will be included as part of the "Like" tally.
Youtube expands creator and eCommerce monetisation efforts
Youtube is doubling down on creator monetisation and eCommerce with the epic unveil and pilot of two new features.
In-stream shopping: Currently in beta testing with selected creators, this feature will allow users to browse and purchase any products they see in videos directly.
Superthanks: This feature will allow viewers to donate between $2 - 50 dollars on their favourite creator’s videos. In exchange, they’ll get a highlighted comment that stands encouraging creators to interact. The feature is currently being tested with a select group of creators and is available in 68 countries on both mobile and desktop.
Tumblr working on paywall
Tumblr has slowly fallen out of favour in the last decade, with both creators and users jumping ship to rival platforms. However, in a bid to win them back, the microblogging platform unveiled POST +. A premium product that allows creators to charge users a monthly subscription fee to access their exclusive content. The company has high hopes of this; however, the initial response from Tumblr users has been overwhelmingly negative.
Venmo undergoes a major re-design
The redesign focuses on improving the apps functionality and UX in three key areas. These are;
Privacy: The update will give users the power to block other Venmo accounts and add/remove contacts from their friend's list. In addition to this, the global transaction feed, which shows payments made by all users, will be replaced with a feed where you can only see transactions made by friends. Users can also adjust these settings to control which friends can see their transaction details and history.
Navigation: The new-look Venmo app will have bottom navigation allowing users to navigate between their profile, social feed and products easily. They can also see all account activity and settings from their feed.
Commerce: Transactions marked with a "Goods and Services" tag will now be eligible under Venmo's Purchase Protection Program. This means that both buyers and sellers can recover or keep their funds if anything adverse happens during the sale.
Clubhouse opens up
After initially launching as invite-only, the social audio app is finally opening to all users. While they always planned to open up, the decision is likely due to its declining popularity. As it has gone from one of the most talked-about and downloaded apps earlier this year to slowly fading away from the limelight.
Instagram adds anti-harassment feature
Instagram is currently testing a feature that will allow users to limit certain accounts from sending messages and leaving comments on their page. Statements you should consider blocking are identified and recommended by Instagram, likely because they have been previously linked with harassment like behaviour.
📖 Recommended Reads 📖
How to share your UX research: When sharing your findings, you must keep things concise, digestible and make sure they’re easy to read at a glance. It’s important to remember that it takes some trial and error to finalise the methods of presenting information that work best for you and your team. This article provides a brief overview of the critical things to consider and several techniques you could employ to present your research findings properly.
A guide to emotional journey mapping: A typical journey map is a visualisation of a person's process to accomplish a goal. An emotional journey map is pretty much identical, the only difference is that it considers the user's emotions and feelings when they're completing tasks. In this article, the author provides an in-depth guide into creating an emotional journey map that will help you better find and empathise with a users pain points and needs.
What is UX writing?: UX Writing is designing with words to make the conversation between the product and its user meaningful. When done right, it can help you craft a microcopy that captivates a users attention, enables them to understand better and easily use your product. In this article, the author provides a brief overview of UX writing and why it's so important in designing engaging digital products.
Designing persuasive banners that don’t ruin your UX: Like in the physical world, banners are used in digital interfaces to land users to desired end goals. However, the life of these poor banners is not easy. They are often the shiniest element on the page and get the most clicks, which is why they are overused and abused on digital platforms. In this article, the author dives deep into banners, covering what they are, the different types, best practices and tips to keep in mind that will help you create banners that yield an effective outcome.
Ultimate guide for designing UI cards: Cards play a key role in a user interface. They hold all the important content and elements such as text, rich media, buttons and much more. It’s therefore vital that they're clear and designed correctly, as getting them wrong can have an enormously negative impact on the UX. In this article, the author shares some best practices, tips and tricks you should keep in mind to create cards that are engaging and have positive impact on the products usability.
User Personas - A Complete Guide: Although first popularised in marketing and advertising during the ’90s, user personas are an integral part of a user-centred design process. This article will guide you through what user personas are, why they are essential, how to create and effectively apply them to design products people love.
🛠 Useful Tools and Resources 🛠
Book of the Week: The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair
InstaHues: Browse an extensive collection of colour palettes and gradients to find the the perfect one for your project.
Pattern Collect: Explore this curated gallery of inspiring patterns & illustrations available in over 40 different categories.