Ethical Social Media Design

for Adoloscent Self-Disclosure

UX Prototyping • iOS App MVP Design • Research  • Ideation

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Overview

Process

Solution

Imagine you're scrolling through your favorite social media app, wanting to share pictures from your recent vacation at Italy.

Now, imagine a platform designed to make every interaction feel meaningful, a space where sharing isn't about likes or highlights, but about true connection

Process

Research

Relationships are built through bids for connection, wherein individuals seek engagement with others. In our design approach, we consider 3 distinct user responses to these bids, each with a unique impact on the user experience:

These micro-interactions important as they're like the building blocks of emotional connections, shaping the nature of relationships, either strengthening trust or eroding it.

How do adolescent users currently make and respond to bids on social media? How does the design of a platform shape these patterns?

In the online world, connections are formed through various avenues: sharing updates, photos, comments, likes, and direct messages. But what truly piques our interest is self-disclosure. It's the act of opening up to others, a fundamental pillar of human relationships. For adolescents, self-disclosure isn't just about sharing; it's a path to peer validation, emotional release, and finding support. It fosters introspection and, most importantly, deepens bonds beyond shared interests.

Key Findings

In Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), prior studies have explored how design elements enhance bid-making online. We provide an overview of features and affordances that facilitate bid-making in adolescent interactions on social media.

Preliminary Survey

Co-design Study

We selected 22 participants based on diverse criteria and recruited 20 for the study, with 19 completing all procedures. Participants, aged 13-18, were recruited through targeted social media advertising across the United States.

REDEFINING THE Problem

Based on the findings from the co-design sessions, interviews and surveys we highlighted areas relevant to the bids for connection framework. The problems highlighted are:

Pressure to Curate Highlights

Culturally normalized to share infrequently and only post-life highlights, image-centric platform

Fear of Taking Up Space

Oversharing and overwhelming peers by spamming/clogging their feed

Concerns of Audience Scrutiny

Untrusted or distant social media followers can be the source for negative responses to bids

Unstated Expectations

Ambiguity surrounding the purpose and mission of mainstream social media apps

Lack of Restrictions

There is a need for moderation of hate speech and negativity. More nuanced responses that demonstrate active engagement with peers

Limited Instances of Conversations

Opening more instances to initiate casual chats-akin to corridor conversations in offline settings

Design Sketches

To investigate how platforms can better support trust and relationship building through making and turning toward bids for connection we sketched ideas generated in the co-design sessions. The features we identified were under the areas of
‍Control, Inclusivity, Positivity, Authenticity, Customization, Choice, Similarity, Restrictions, Low Pressure Sharing, Discretion, Contentment, Aesthetics, Reducing Hate, and Interaction Reminders.

High Fidelity Prototype

Note: Each feature is independent of the other. We chose not to link them together as it would be confusing to the users when we did the design evaluation survey.

Support for Making Bids

We identified two primary design ideas: casual sharing (Prompts) and unobtrusive bids (Low-key Posting) that can support teens in making bids more comfortably on social media. During the co-design study interviews, participants shared that they believe a culture where everyone shares might help individuals feel they are not oversharing, perhaps relative to other users.

Support for Reducing the Likelihood of Turning Against

We assessed 5 key design ideas aimed at reducing negative reactions and participants acknowledged the effectiveness of these features in addressing concerns related to negative reactions.

Support for Reducing the Likelihood of Turning Away

We introduced three design strategies to lessen the chance of bids being overlooked: eliminating quantified reactions (referred to as Hidden Like/Follower Count), encouraging interactions with nudges (Reminders to Interact), and enhancing viewer engagement through personalized feeds (Interest-based Personalized Feed)

Support for Reducing the Likelihood of Turning Toward

We presented two designs: Comment as a DM for initiating more private conversations and More Specific Reactions for offering nuanced responses to bids. Participants found both designs to be highly effective in encouraging thoughtful responses and turning toward bids.

Ideas that tanked! 

We looked at creating many ideas towards enhancing self-disclosure but not all of them were the most feasible. Participants frequently hesitated to make bids on social media due to fears of “oversharing” or overwhelming their peers. We designed a feature called My Space where users can overshare without being worried about being judged for casual sharing.

We proposed creating personalized, interest-based spaces tailored to each user's preferences, catering to niche communities (e.g., K-pop). Adolescents often fear oversharing or taking up space on mainstream platforms due to the uncertainty of who will see their posts. This highlights how opaque social media algorithms hinder their ability to make authentic bids for connection.

Limitations AND FUTURE WORK

Instagram UI

Prototypes were based on Instagram's UI to facilitate the easy interpretation as the participants voted for the app to be the most used.

Geographic Limitation

Our study's participant base was limited to the United States, with an overrepresentation of girls and older adolescents. Online platforms usage can vary due to cultural norms.

Social Penetration Theory

We did not delve into relationship dynamics suggested by the Social Penetration Theory (SPT), which emphasize the importance of relationship closeness and stability in bid-making and response.

Other Issues of Social Media

Our research primarily focused on trust-building through bid-related micro interactions, leaving out considerations like betrayal or oversharing.

Future UX research should explore issues such as screenshots, privacy, and the impact of sharing content out of context.
Involving participants from a wider demographic and wider age group of adolescents would enhance the product adoption and feature design.

LEARNINGS

Role of Psychology in Design

Integrated psychological theories like "bids for connection" to foster meaningful and authentic user interactions.

Design for Behavioral Change

Created features that subtly guide users toward self-disclosure while respecting their comfort and privacy.

Balancing Usability & Novelty

Struck a balance between intuitive design and innovative experiences to engage users effectively.

Iterative Feedback

Refined features and improved usability by incorporating user feedback and iterative testing.

Ethical Considerations

Prioritized user safety, privacy, and inclusivity when designing for self-disclosure.

Data-Driven Insights

Used qualitative and quantitative research to validate design decisions and align with user needs.

Interdisciplinary Skills

Worked closely with stakeholders to translate theoretical concepts into actionable design features.

Human-Centric Product

Focused on empathy-driven design to create a safe and supportive environment for users.

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