iMessage Events Case Study

Texting is a popular way to make plans, but important details often get lost in the conversation. This project explores a new iMessage feature to streamline organization and enhance user efficiency.

iPhone users are not given efficient tools to search for important information received via text in iMessage. For example, in group chats where numerous messages are exchanged, it's common for important texts, like details of making plans, to become buried in the conversation. This often results in endless scrolling in search of those crucial details

Introduce a feature to make it easy to locate information discussed in a text message, such as making plans or important events. The potential solution would encourage current iPhone users to continue making plans in iMessage, rather than choosing competitor messaging apps.

Reflecting back on the insights received from user research, participants do utilize existing iPhone features to organize important text messages. However, switching between apps and needing to keep track of information in two places can be a pain point for users.

When considering which features to add, I aimed to help iMessage users find an alternative method to keep texts organized without relying on another app.

Implement AI (Artificial Intelligence) to enhance the existing search bar on iMessage. This could include filters for dates or topics, along with suggested categories for frequently texted topics.

Pain Point Addressed: Using the search bar in iMessage to find text conversations, especially when you don't remember the exact keywords.

A bookmark function for important messages would allow users to select and categorize specific texts within the Shared With You screen. This feature would enable users to archive crucial information for future reference, ensuring that important details are readily accessible when needed.

Pain Point Addressed: Taking screenshots of text messages to remember or revisit important topics in the conversation.

iMessage will detect or allow the user to manually create plans within conversations. These plans will include details like name of the event, time, and place, that could be pinned at the top of the conversation for easy reference. The event will also be stored in the Shared With You screen to look back on when the date has passed.

Pain Point Addressed: Having to manually create a calendar event to remember details of a plan or event discussed in iMessage

The Pin function allows users to keep important messages prominently displayed at the top of the conversation screen. By pinning messages, users can easily refer back to critical information without the need to scroll through lengthy conversations.

Pain Point Addressed: Having to use the Notes App to keep track of important topics

I found all the ideas promising, making it difficult to choose a direction for this case study. The prioritization matrix served as a guide and highlighted Detected Events and AI Search as high-impact ideas. While AI Search would have the most significant impact, it would require a longer implementation time. But with the recent surge in added AI features, it would be a great idea to implement in the future.

With the decision made, I proceeded to create low-fidelity frames of the Detected Events banner and added them to a screenshot taken from my phone to begin visualizing banner designs

For the user interface, the banner notification would read as “Suggested” instead of “Detected” to add a user-friendly tone for this idea.

I wanted to visualize the full conversation flow and use case while designing the high-fidelity frames. I utilized Apple's Design Resources for developers to ensure seamless integration with the existing iOS ecosystem. The changes I explored between low and high fidelity included adding an icon and deciding on the best Call To Action button to communicate a detected plan notification.

To test the solution, I asked participants to complete the following three tasks during observed usability testing via Zoom call:

Accept the Suggested Plan Banner in iMessage

Edit the Plan by updating the Time

Unpin the Plan from the Conversation Screen

Testing Feedback: During testing, there was a mixed understanding of the action of the “X” button. The design intention was to remove the banner if the user did not want it pinned on the conversation screen. However, approximately 40% of testers assumed that clicking the "X" would delete the event entirely. The original design intended to simply remove the banner is detailed in the next iteration, "Adding An Extra Step".

To ensure clear communication, I updated the flow to allow users to select “Accept” or “Decline”. The Decline button now removes the user from the event, which will be documented in the group chat Shared With You screen. Additionally, I updated the calendar icon to align with the Apple User Interface.

Testing Feedback: Once users accepted the plan, users expressed the "More Options" button on the banner needed additional context to understand its functionality, prompting the action sheet seen above. Initially, options included "Edit Event" and "Unpin from Message," but it wasn't clear if unpinning or removing the banner would mean it was gone indefinitely. This lack of clarity during usability testing prompted a crucial iteration. Now, the action sheet includes text indicating that the event will be saved in the Shared With You screen, even if the banner is removed from the message thread.

This experience highlighted the importance of developing detailed task flows to envision various scenarios and interactions. Moving forward, there are still many possibilities to explore, which I will delve into further in the Future Considerations section.

Putting it into action, the Detected Events feature for iMessage was created, covering three flows: accepting the suggested event, editing the plan, and removing the banner from the conversation screen. Check out the prototype and full case study below!