Overview + Problem
Currently, users have a few options when it comes to selecting an emoji:
1. Hope the emoji they want is under "frequently used" or in the prediction bar
2. Dig through the many pages of emoji
3. Use the search bar
4. Use the suggested emoji replacement feature
This process isn't as speedy as it could be, and each of these options come with their own impediments. This leads to our overarching question:
How might we enable users to more efficiently interact with the emoji keyboard? 🤔
Research
I began by collecting insight on user's emoji habits in order to pinpoint where they were being slowed down and where improvements could be made. I garnered 87 responses from iOS users aged 15 - 50. Here is what I found:
Proposed Solution
After noting that users spent a great deal of time searching for emojis, I thought it would be best to put emojis specific to the current message right at the front of the line. Adding a "suggested emojis" bar in the emoji keyboard that recommends emojis based on the content of the message eliminates time spent searching for emojis, whether it be with the search bar or manually.
For example, typing “Hey! Wanna go out for pizza and drinks before we hit the club tonight?” would fill the suggested emojis section with a hand waving emoji, pizza emoji, drink emojis, and dancing emojis.
This would take the place of the current emoji suggestion system, where keywords in a message turn orange and users can tap to replace the keyword with a suggested emoji. The issue with this is that most users ignore this feature, and keeping the keyword in the message requires the user to re-type the word. Through my research, I found that most people don't speak in pictograms like the emoji replacement system seems to encourage.
The word prediction bar has a similar functionality, but a downside of it is that it only suggests one emoji at a time, rather than the multiple emojis that the suggested emoji bar recommends.
Revising the Task Flow
The revised task flow with the suggested emoji bar makes it more likely that a user will choose a quicker route to their preferred emoji (selecting it directly from the first page of emojis, either under "frequently used" or "suggested"), instead of spending a few extra seconds searching for it.
Why replace the current emoji substitution feature?
1. It's not being used often. 66% of those surveyed rarely or never tap the orange keywords to place emojis.
2. An overwhelming majority of users (98%) place emojis at the end of phrases rather than in place of words like the current feature suggests.
Current vs. New Interaction
Design Decisions
I prototyped two options for this addition to the emoji keyboard, pictured in the image below. Many of those surveyed mentioned how much they like the frequently used section, so I went with option B as to avoid hindering access to a well-liked feature.
Results
Overall, the concept was well-received by users, with 89% of those surveyed finding it useful. 72% of this group found the concept "very useful".
The next step in testing the concept's feasibility would be to conduct an experiment to measure the efficiency, frequency of use, and speed of this method versus the current emoji selection methods. Since the concept I created currently isn't functional, I wasn't able to conduct such an experiment.
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