How a Social Media Brand Transformed its App through Biometrics and Qualitative Research

One of the largest social media platforms wanted to re-design its popular app and better understand how people used the app (as it was currently designed), as well as see how they responded to new design ideas. However, quantitative research that the social media firm had done wasn't robust enough to answer these questions: They needed qualitative research with biometrics to see how people responded to the designs. To tackle these research needs, they turned to InterQ Research. 

InterQ designed a study involving one-on-one in-person interviews, with biometrics. Participants were hooked up to biometrics equipment that tracked their eyes, Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), and facial expressions. They were asked to go through the app design, as the moderator gave them prompts, observed them, and asked them to complete specific tasks. They went through a series of app designs, including the new options. As they were using the app, their biometric data was collected, giving InterQ a robust view into both qualitative and quantitative factors. 

The study yielded surprising and insightful results for the social media company. They learned that people were frustrated by some of the design layouts (as evidenced by biometric markers), which came as a surprise, because previous quantiative data only showed that people spent more time on these pages, without giving the design team the insights that it was because people were confused, rather than enjoying the experience. The research contributed to the new design rollout for the app.