Sanmax: Social Network Application
Role
Product Designer
Tools
Figma
Notion
Maze
About
Sanmax is a mobile application that helps expats in foreign countries connect with people of similar backgrounds. When founder Max first came to the US to study, he noticed how hard it was to find friends who speak the same language. Later, after talking with many international students, Max realized that he was not the only one with this problem. And hence a social networking application to connect speakers of the same language and of similar cultures was born.
Define
Problem
For people who have just moved to a new country, there is no easy way to find friends who speak the same language as they do. People seek support from those who understand them and have had a similar experience in moving abroad.
Solution
Create a mobile application (iOS) where foreigners can easily find friends and support from those who speak the same language or are from similar backgrounds, based on their location.
Target audience
International students and foreigners who have moved abroad.
How I got to this solution:
Competitive analysis
I began by doing a competitive analysis of three different companies and their features. This helped me identify potential features that could be added to Sanmax. I also contemplated how I could improve upon these features for Sanmax.
Although there are many groups and forums on the Internet where people discuss their lives abroad, there are currently few apps that help people find friends who can speak their language based on their location and interests. Bumble does have a feature that can help with this but overall, the application is focused more on meeting new people in your area. Bumble does not allow you to chat with a group of people or find information about a new place to reside as Facebook groups do and as Sanmax does.
Business opportunities
40 million foreigners in the US
1 million foreign-born students
Today, more than 40 million people living in the US were born in another country, accounting for about one-fifth of the world’s migrants. Approximately 1 million foreign-born students were enrolled at US colleges and universities, representing 4.6% of the total US student population. This is a large number of potential Sanmax app users.
User interviews
To help me understand what problems people face when they move abroad and how they solve these problems, I conducted 9 interviews with folks who have lived abroad or migrated to another country at least once in their lives. I was especially interested to understand if people were looking for friends who speak their own language. If so, I wanted to learn the main reasons for this and why it was important for them.
Why do expats look for friends who speak their native language?
1. Culture shock
People find it difficult to adapt to a new culture. They feel closer to people with whom they share a similar background
2. Language barrier
Foreigners feel insecure when speaking another language and sometimes find it difficult to express themselves and understand others
3. New information
Relocating abroad might be overwhelming. Foreigners often have many questions after they move and are looking for answers and support from those who have experienced the same challenges
“When I moved to another country, I did not immediately look for local friends. I didn't speak English well and didn't feel confident. I had so many questions: how do I open a debit card, which SIM card do I buy, and how do I complete important paperwork? All these questions made me look for people who had the same experience as me and spoke the same language.”
— Deniz from Turkey
Let's get to know a user persona
During the interviews, I realized that it doesn't matter if people move abroad for study, work, or family reasons, they all have the same fundamental needs and frustrations. The valuable insights from people who lived abroad helped me to create Luisa's persona.
Ideate
App architecture
The team and I co-created four design principles that served as the core values of the Sanmax design: accessibility, user-centeredness, cultural awareness, and trust. Based on these design principles, we have considered potential features to solve the problems users face. For the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), we made the decision to concentrate on the most crucial features: chats, location-based connections, and forums.
Changing the original idea
The original idea of the client was to include a map with people who are near you. While this is an interesting feature, I was concerned that people may feel uncomfortable sharing their location on a map with strangers.
I conducted an additional seven interviews to understand how people would feel about the map feature. 100% of the participants did not feel comfortable revealing their location on a map but felt fine sharing their distance to another user. Based on the results of the interviews, the client changed his mind, and I created med-fi wireframes that only showed the distance between users.
Designing wireflows
I created wireflows, taking into account the user persona and the architecture of the application. I created five main flows to show the app's functionality and to use for future usability tests.
1. Sign up process
2. Forums
3. Connect
4. Chats
5. Profile
Logo & Design guideline
The logo represents the connection between people and gives a sense of trust.
The design guideline will help the developer create the application and will also be useful for marketing purposes.
First prototype
Sign up process
Once sign-up is complete, users need to fill in their personal information in order to use the app. This will help them find people and join local forums based on location and native language.
Connect with People Near You
Users can search for people who speak their native language based on the location they choose. They can also filter people by gender, distance, or country.
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Explore local forums
Users will be added to local forums based on their location and native language. This will help them learn more about their new place of living and get support from the community.
Private and group chats
Users can have private chats with their new friends and also have group discussions with several people.
Testing the design
Conducting usability tests
For this, I asked 7 participants to complete tasks and verbalize each step through Google Meets or in person. I also conducted an unmoderated Maze test with 13 people to gather additional data.
20 participants successfully signed up and created a profile, spending ~ 3.6 seconds on each screen
20 participants successfully completed the task of searching for a specific forum post and sending a message
18 participants successfully completed the task to find a new friend from Colombia near their location
What can be improved?
Adding a brief introduction about the app and main features
There are two types of users — brand new users who have never used the app before, and returning users who might be reinstalling the app after having deleted it or purchased a new phone. To satisfy both types of users, I've added a Call To Action (CTA) at the bottom of the screen so that they can skip the introduction if they want to.
Clarifying the page's subtitle and including the forum's most recent activity date
I've added clearer explanations for Forums and Connect. Even after closing the brief explanation pop-up, users can be reminded what the page is about. Additionally, I added a timestamp of the most recent forum activity to keep users updated.
Adding a short bio before opening the profile and additional information inside the profile
Before opening the profile, users need to learn a bit more about the people who are near them. Profile photo, language, and country of birth do not offer enough information for people to feel compelled to connect with others. Furthermore, during the interview, people mentioned that it is important to see more information on user profiles.
Adding online status and audio message feature
Adding an online status could compel people to communicate with each other. Also, the app should have an audio message option in case people can't type or use the app on the go. It will help improve accessibility.
Reflection
Key takeaways
When I started the project, the founder of the app already had an idea of what features should be included and had a couple of mockups. Therefore, I decided to conduct thorough research to test his hypothesis and understand which features should be included or changed. Competitor analysis and interviewing have become powerful tools for this product. I found that users are concerned about sharing their location on a map. Based on the results of the interview, the founder agreed to change his original idea and implement a different feature. I enjoyed shaping the product based on interviews and usability tests.
Next steps
My next step is to work with a developer to modify the design and implement it. Our primary goal is to quickly launch the MVP to validate the product. After testing the MVP, our next goal will be to iterate the design considering all feedback.
Testimonial
“ Working with Maria was a great pleasure - she was very polite, kind, and a true professional. Before even starting her work, she discussed with me the work plan:
- to get more detailed information about my project
- to conduct initial interviews to find out more about the demand, potential customers, and potential competitors
- to do the design of the app
- to conduct more interviews involving the new design
I liked that Maria was so organized, which showed how dedicated she was to the project. During the whole process, Maria was very responsive: it was always very easy to reach her to discuss the app, receive updates, etc. I was happy not only with the process of working with her but with the results as well. The information received from the conducted interviews was very useful. I definitely intend to use Maria’s design, because it is very appealing. I look forward to continuing working with Maria. She has done a terrific job with the design and research.”
Max Sanin,
Founder of SANMAX, MS in Civil Engineering, MBA
