Your daily dose of real life just became realer.

Revamping the authentic social app, BeReal.
New features, reimagined flows, & more connections!

Role

Product Designer

Time

6 Weeks, 2023

Team

Pooja, Dereck, & Bea

BeReal Redesigned

BeReal's Honeymoon Phase is over.

BeReal is a social media app, where users post unfiltered photos of themselves once daily. Being relatively new and fresh, the platform has captured the attention by emphasizing genuine posts, simplicity, and ease of use.

However, there are concerns about long-term interest, when BeReal is no longer a unique concept.

The app's success ultimately depends on its ability to balance authenticity with safety and scale up its user base.

Brooke Erin Duffy
Associate Professor at Cornell University
Department of Communication

User Research

We began the human-centered design process by reviewing journal articles, app reviews, data metrics, and blog posts. With our findings, we created surveys for and interviewed current and former BeReal users. 

Survey Insight #1

Survey Insight #2

Interview Highlights

Affinity Mapping

We categorized our insights into themes: post incentives, personalization, authenticity, features, & user engagement.

These themes helped us empathize with user experiences & generate problem statements.

GOAL

Design app features that improve long-term interest & maintain the app's value of authenticity

HOW MIGHT WE

1. Increase user engagement without resorting to addictive media practices

2. Create a more secure and safe space for authentic interactions

3. Encourage users to explore the underused Discovery Page 

ProBlem 1: Boredom

The daily act of posting and viewing friend posts became repetitive and uninteresting over time. How can we make the act of creating and viewing posts interesting?

Solution 1: BeReal Prompts

We can encourage users to add interest to daily life and invest in their friend's posts.

Mid-Fidelity

What Worked

Users find this feature as an opportunity for more exciting content!

Most were interested in seeing how their friends would interpret their prompts.

What Needs Improvement

Visual Clutter causes cognitive dissonance

Button Functionality

"Reject" gives a harsh tone

Final Design: BEREal Prompts

Applying BeReal Prompts

BeReal or BeFun, why not both?

Design Choices

Users can participate in simple prompt challenges and post short videos!

• Promote user-to-user interactions
• Providing topics of discussion in comments
• Encourage users, who wait for interesting activities, to post on time

Creating Custom BeReal Prompts

Submit custom BeReal prompts for friends.

Design Choices

Users can also submit prompts randomly assigned to their friends!

• Encourage users to look out for their prompt submission.
• More onscreen time in app

Solution 2: MEmory highlights

We can encourage users to reflect on favorite memories.

Mid-Fidelity

What Worked

Users enjoy showcasing their favorite memories to their friends

What Needs Improvement

Bugs in uploading flow

Final Design: Memory Highlights

Save time digging through posts

Design Choices

Users can store and share their fondest memories within their profile by highlighting up to 10 memories.

• Promote an avenue for favorite content
• Provide more personalization and attachment to the app space

ProBlem 2: Posting on time

Posting within the notification can be difficult. How can we encourage users to post on time?

SURVEY INSIGHTS (50 ReSponses)

Solution 1: Bonus BeReals (ROAD BLOCK)

BeReal introduced Bonus BeReals in a new update. Users are rewarded with 2 bonus BeReal posts when posting on time.

Solution 2: BeCloser Circles

Some memories should be kept private.

Mid-Fidelity

What Worked

50% of users see themselves using circles for privacy reasons

What Needs Improvement

Unclear close friends icon
Bugs in editing flow

Final

Some moments aren't meant for everyone.

Design Choices

Users can create a close circle of friends to share their more personal posts.

Marked post will only be available for friends in Be Closer circle.

• Promote sense of privacy and safe space to be authentic
• Foster communities within the app

It's your circle.

Design Choices

BeCloser circles can be edited at any time.

Only close friends can view posts.

Does not notify friends

• Users can choose who sees certain memories
• Encourage users to post on time and frequently

ProBlem 3: Underused discovery page

BeReal users rarely or never use the discovery page. How can we make this feature attractive?

Solution 1: Build your own

BeReal introduced Bonus BeReals in a new update. Users are rewarded with 2 bonus BeReal posts when posting on time.

Mid-Fidelity

What Worked

Users found the flow more engaging and interactive than current Discovery Page

What Needs Improvement

Too many search options
Prefered original layout of Discovery Feed

final

Curate your own discovery page

Design Choices

Users can view global moments of their choosing through search or randomization

Users are limited to 3 searches a day

A discovery feed will be filled with searched locations and don't worry they can be sorted with the flag icons

If BeReal continues its discovery page, our solution will provide more options for users to interact with each other on a global scale.

Reflection

Empathy for users!

Heading into a redesign, there were plenty of times when my team and I wanted to add our own opinions. However, we took a step back and made sure to design for our users. Through in-depth user research and testing, we learned about user pain points and catered towards them.

Boosting Technical Skills

Throughout this project, I improve my technical skills in Figma, Illustrator, and User Research immensely. I learned how to organize files for efficient collaboration, design within an established design system, and review different accounts of data.