Shahvir Sarkary

Clubhouse Case Study

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2022

Clubhouse
Clubhouse

Improving the browsing and in-room experience for audio rooms with live AI summaries.

Personal Case Study

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CONTEXT

Clubhouse's Bumpy History

Clubhouse gained a lot of steam with celebrity engagement and appearances from the likes of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Drake, and Oprah alongside a $4B valuation. Unfortunately, as the initial hype cycle died down after the pandemic, it wasn’t clear if Clubhouse had found its product-market fit as a social app and its retention rate started dropping exponentially.

Challenge Brief

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RESEARCH & METHODOLOGY

Two Pronged Approach

I started my research by joining rooms on Clubhouse to meet people I could invite to 1-1 convos for user interviews.

Additionally, I watched Youtube videos, accounted for app store reviews and constantly shared my work with designers who worked in the live audio space for feedback.

Image of coffee being poured into a mug
Image of coffee being poured into a mug
Image of coffee being poured into a mug
Image of coffee being poured into a mug

Live Audio Goes Mainstream: Can Anyone Crack the Code?

Simultaneously, live audio as a media format is still emerging – Meta, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter, & Spotify all throwing their hat in the ring by adding it as a feature to their existing networks.

Challenge Brief
Challenge Brief
Image of coffee being poured into a mug
Image of coffee being poured into a mug

VERSION 2

Long Term Strategy

Reflection

In this project, I discovered the importance of having a clear sense of design principles and using it as a guide for decision-making. I learned to separate meaningful signals from noise through research and conversations with industry experts, and I utilized lateral thinking to identify and explore a wide range of potential solutions. Through multiple cycles of iteration and a focus on craft, I experienced significant personal growth and developed a strong foundation for tackling complex problems.

There is a need for the user to find new ways in order to channel their interests through an alternative medium. Key to good recommendations is a strong interest graph and good input metrics. Clubhouse needs to be more proactive in collecting signals to give users a fresh set of recommendations.

Live Audio Goes Mainstream: Can Anyone Crack the Code?

Simultaneously, live audio as a media format is still emerging – Meta, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter, & Spotify all throwing their hat in the ring by adding it as a feature to their existing networks.

Image of coffee being poured into a mug

.

RESEARCH & METHODOLOGY

Two Pronged Approach

I started my research by joining rooms on Clubhouse to meet people I could invite to 1-1 convos for user interviews. Additionally, I watched Youtube videos, accounted for app store reviews and constantly shared my work with designers who worked in the live audio space for feedback.

Image of coffee being poured into a mug
Image of coffee being poured into a mug

PROBLEM BREAKDOWN & SCOPING

Breaking Down The Problems

#1 The static browsing experience is leading to user churn + low retention

The current thumbnail design fails to give good signals about the unique and dynamic nature of a live audio room. Participants could be reacting, laughing, having a heated debate, or talking about a subtopic within the larger topic of conversation.

Image of coffee being poured into a mug

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#2 The lack of continuity and difficulty orienting in a live room

Users often enter into a new speaker introduction, a sub-discussion, or an altogether off-topic conversation. They need a way to reorient themselves upon entering the room otherwise it leads to drop-off.

Image of coffee being poured into a mug

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#3 Clubhouse’s lack of content recommendation strategy

Since the hype has died down, less content is available at a given time or it may not be perfectly crafted to the user's interest graph. The pressure on the user increases to find content they like from what is live at that given moment.

Image of coffee being poured into a mug

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Image of coffee being poured into a mug
Image of coffee being poured into a mug
Image of coffee being poured into a mug
Image of coffee being poured into a mug

#1 - Starting from Core User Needs

Initial Attempt to Tackle Everything All At Once

My initial designs tried to tackle it through a single solution by trying to address almost all of those pain points at once → Result: A Messy & Cluttered Solution

Image of coffee being poured into a mug

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Moment of Reflection

I realized that I can’t solve everything the user tells me at the same time and that I had not found the solution to a fluid browsing experience, but rather made it cognitively taxing for the user to browse rooms quickly.

#2 - Landing on a 3 Step Framework: Glance, Preview, and Orient

Auditing Browsing Experiences

Upon auditing other browsing experiences, I learned the nuances of short form vs long form content. I noticed that short-form content often just plops you into it (TikTok) or even purposely keeps the information inside a secret for anticipation (IG Stories).

In contrast, platforms with long-form content like Youtube gave deeper signals, often even letting you interact with a preview on the browsing screen.

Image of coffee being poured into a mug
Image of coffee being poured into a mug

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Developing The Framework

Through the insights and inspiration I crafted a three part framework. (GPO) Glance-Preview-Orient.

Image of coffee being poured into a mug

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Image of coffee being poured into a mug

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Image of coffee being poured into a mug

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#3 - Testing and Refining

Putting The Pieces Together

Deciding at each stage which of the components makes the most sense to form a cohesive and fluid experience.

Image of coffee being poured into a mug

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Nailing The Feel

Finally, I spent time prototyping and nailing the animations in Origami to ensure it felt like a fluid experience end to end.

Image of coffee being poured into a mug

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FINAL SOLUTION

Crafting a Dynamic User Experience with Gradual Context

In order to create a seamless and effortless experience, I am gradually increasing the context provided to the user as they move through the three stages of the flow. The goal is to establish a smooth and continuous progression that empowers the user and helps them understand the dynamic nature of the experience.

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FUTURE THINKING

Long Term Strategy

There is a need for the user to find new ways in order to channel their interests through an alternative medium. Key to good recommendations is a strong interest graph and good input metrics. Clubhouse needs to be more proactive in collecting signals to give users a fresh set of recommendations. If I were to take this on further, I would look into how Clubhouse can use audio highlights as an outlet to enhance discovery on the platform aka updating users interest graphs.

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Reflection

In this project, I discovered the importance of having a clear sense of design principles and using it as a guide for decision-making. I learned to separate meaningful signals from noise through research and conversations with industry experts, and I utilized lateral thinking to identify and explore a wide range of potential solutions. Through multiple cycles of iteration and a focus on craft, I experienced significant personal growth and developed a strong foundation for tackling complex problems.

Image of a computer and keyboard on a desk
Image of a computer and keyboard on a desk

Shahvir Sarkary

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