Hive: Find Answers

Hive explored contextual search to answer our “unanswerable” questions

For Hive, I did everything a designer can do on this 0→1 project in a start-up environment. From the first proof of concept, through prototyping the architecture, the visual design of the UI, and the user studies to evolve the UX, and the implementation on iOS, Android, and responsive web. The Hive app evolved to become the first mobile app for Yahoo Answers which sees 80 million unique users a month (as of Dec 2016). Below are some of the features we used to generate growth and some insights behind the design.

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Paper prototype: Early on, I developed a clickable paper prototype to effectively coalesce and organize ideas.

UX wireframes: User feedback showed that sharing ideas increases support and teamwork. I made clear wireframes balancing function and user experience for easy, engaging interfaces.

Prototype 2: I collaborated with a cross-functional team to create a tappable prototype that aligned us quickly. For this proof-of-concept, I prioritized features to delight users over UI design.

Live Beta: For our beta to friends and family, I used a bootstrap UI kit to to learn fast and to update visuals and add engagement features. Things we learned: 1) Crowdsource answers—people enjoy sharing 2) Anonymous Q&A drives engagement but can invite trolling 3) Keep Q&A low friction 4) Use signals to highlight helpful answers

Branding: I initiated a redesign of the UI so it would be tailored for the new grads and started with a group exercise to discuss brand attributes.

Branding: To define the target audience we used polls, surveys, user studies etc and found that people wanted answers from “people like me”. We landed on new college grads as our first audience becuase they were tech savvy, had friends, and had lots of questions.

Branding: I created the identity to express intrigue and curiosity, the same feelings our users might have in the app.

UI refinement: I was aware of a design trend called “Complexion Reduction” that strove to minimize the overall weight of a UI to is barest parts. The result is clean, modern, and it maximizes the impact of the content. I was hooked and made some adjustments to our UI.

The Result: Introducing “Hive —a new platform for college grads to get trusted anonymous advice". Hive links users with similar peers in private groups, creating a safe place for open talks. Using community and anonymity, Hive lets grads ask questions, share stories, and get helpful answers without worry. This fresh way of peer support helps grads move from college to real life with confidence and good decisions.