Virtual Behavior
on Clubhouse
UX Research, Human Behavior, UI Solutions
Project Timeframe: 4 Weeks
Team: Shubham | Udhay
Faculty Mentor: Prof. S. Guruprasad, HOD, SDM, NID
External Mentor: Mr. Ashutosh Kar, Sr Consultant at WONGDOODY
Project Aim
To identify and study the social behaviors present, in and around the virtual platform of the clubhouse and address the deviant behaviors through proposed UI/UX interventions.
Deviant Behavior is a type of behavior that violates social norms, is unintended, is never thought of, and disrupts normal user flow.
Project Flow
Desk Research
Netnography
Flow Maps
Behavior Analysis
HMW Directions
Final Design
Heuristic
Evaluation
Wireframes
Interviews
User Testing
Secondary Research
Primary Research
Analysis
Design
The clubhouse is a social networking app based on audio-chat. Users can listen in to conversations, interviews, and discussions between interesting people on various topics – it is just like tuning in to a podcast but live and with an added layer of exclusivity.
What is
Clubhouse?
Cumulative Downloads (Millions)
Nov 20
Dec 20
Jan 21
Feb 21
Mar 21
Apr 21
Mar 21
Mar 21
Apr 21
Apr 21
80% of global downloads are from India only.
Their vision
A more human place on the Internet, where people come together for great conversation.
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Where users can communicate in voice chat rooms that accommodate groups of thousands of people.
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​The audio-only app hosts live discussions, with opportunities to participate through speaking and listening.
6.7 million downloads
Market Competition
Twitter Spaces | Facebook Hotline | Spotify Green Room
Desk Research
Understanding Clubhouse through Hooked Model by Nir Eyal
Trigger
If you follow someone on Clubhouse, you’ll get a notification each time they start a chat. (External trigger)
Cue people to action through emotions rather than pings and text takes time for users to incorporate into their own behavior(Internal trigger)
Action
Users don’t have to go looking for podcasts or try to figure out which episodes are interesting. With one tap, they’re inside a room. The action follows the trigger(reduce friction)
Investment
Every time a user creates or joins a club/ room, they’re investing in the platform: telling the app something about their tastes, the topics they’re interested in, and the kind of people they would like to hear from in the future. This is adding up to the stored value of the platform by strengthening the AI/ML algorithm.
Variable Reward
The platform must ensure there are always enough interesting conversations happening around the clock.
When users can’t exactly predict the outcome and want to know more, we pay attention, Fear of missing out(FOMO). Users scroll and scroll searching for that variable reward.
Understanding Clubhouse through Digital Body Language
Netnography
Conducted a thorough study of Clubhouse reviews and
Social Media Listening from Twitter and other social media sources.
Play Store reviews
Competitors In the market (Direct)
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Twitter Space
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Spotify Green Room
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Facebook Hotline
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Linkedin Audio Event
Competitors In the market (Indirect)
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Facebook
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Instagram
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Tick Tock
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Snapchat
Common Theams Ovserved
Knowledge sharing
Cyberbullying
Conformity Behavior
Confusion
Irrelevant Content
Bystander Effect
Distrust
Fake Information
Primary Research
User Interviews
Active users, occasional users, and new users (count=15) were asked questions about the use case of the service, their habits along with the platforms, what irks them, etc.
Shivam, 25 (Moderator)
Finding a good club needs research but it ruins the fun.
No option to search topics, only people and clubs can be searched.
In order to increase followers, speakers tend to speak a lot at the cost of quality content.
Radha, 19 (New user)
I don't want others to know which club/ session she is listening to.
Unable to connect with speakers when joined in the middle of the conversation.
Leave quietly is a good feature.
Moni, 28 (Casual user)
Inquire about genuine people, encountered fake people.
Stage fear in a virtual scenario.
Hard to figure out who's speaking.
Common Themes
Choice Paradox
Fear of Missing Out
Lack of Trust
Irrelevant Content
Analysis
To understand the platform better we conducted Heuristic Analysis independently to report misalignments between mental model and app flow.
User Journey: Onboarding
1. Request Clubhouse invite (Hunger marketing: Reserve your username)
2. Accept Clubhouse invites
(Hunger marketing: “I have an invite..”, “I want you to join..”)
3. Directly download from the app store.
User Journey:
Joining A Room
1. Join an existing conversation (One tap to join a chatroom recommended to you or Join a room your connections are in)
2. Start a new conversation (The big “Start a room” CTA at the center of the screen)
3. Invite Clubhouse connections to a chatroom (“Ping someone into the room”)
4. Plan to join a future conversation (“Upcoming for you”, “Events happening next”)
Behavioral Drivers
To analyze the data, a Behavioral Mapping framework was created which helped what behavioral driver leads to certain actions and its effect.
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UI/ UX Violations
Detailed UI/UX Violations mapping was done to understand what the user is thinking and taking certain actions based on the UI elements and UX features
Behaviors Identified
This distinction between Designed and Deviant Behavior emerging in the Clubhouse platform
Designed Behavior
Deviant Behavior
Research Insights
Design Directions
MIGHT
WE
HOW
1
Make users transcend from mere FOMO-triggered interaction to a meaningful experience?
2
Simplify the judgment and help users make an informed decision before entering the room to reduce the bouncing effect.
3
Increase trust in the moderators and the platform to participate and enrich the discussions?
4
Empower users to break the "bystander effect" call out fake information/ room/ moderator?
Wireframes
User Testing
I used the Gorilla testing method at the NID campus by presenting existing Clubhouse Members (10), with an improved Figma Prototype(V-1) and noted their reactions, emotions, and excitement and take on the new features added.
Proposed Design Solution
Interactive and Informative UI
Minimal Effort
Audio sample feature before entering a room
Room Online and runtime display feature
Know your moderators right from the hallway
Simplified Follow users suggestion UI
Speaker Highlight inside room
User Interface Revamp
Simple easy navigate UI de-cluttered down to what's needed by the user, creating meaning alongside. (Based on User Testing Feedback)
Home Screens
Follow People Cards
Customized User Experience
Room Card
Search
Start Room
Chat
Room Live Status
Audio Sample
Active Speakers
Search
Start Room
Chat
Most recent active room stacked on top
User Profile
Social Media Links for better networking
Profile page photo for self expression
CTA Button
Profile Picture with Blue Tick
Small Bio
CTA Button
User Profile Card
Audio Sample Modal
Chat Room
Speaker Highlight
Room Description Card
Speaker/ Talk Reaction
New Content
Search Bar
Already Following People at top
Search Bar
Search Bar
Secondary Filter Tab
People search cards
Join Club CTA
Green Dot Indicating Live Club Activity
Secondary Filter Tab
Club search cards
Already Joined Clubs at top
Reflection
We tend to act differently in closed groups than we do in open ones with strangers. Sometimes people adopt a persona that becomes evident without oversight. ​ Since the digital realm is so different from the real world, this has caused users to become deviant without any checks and balances in place. This has slowed down Clubhouse's progress as a social media platform, as many early adopters have been driven away due to their lack of ownership over the content they post and their lack of a clear path to success. UX has the power to derive business opportunities and bad UX makes a Bad business.
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This project helped me understand the hidden connections between Behavior, Actions, User-Experience, and Business and I'll try to leverage this in my upcoming projects.
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