ADP: Application Design Proposal Project
A Heuristic Evaluation of the BeReal Mobile Application
Background
The viral mobile application BeReal was first unveiled in 2020 and has been gaining a lot of traction in the last year (Bursztynsky, 2022). Users are sent a notification once a day at a randomized time and they are given 2 minutes to take a photo with both their front and back cameras. Once their photo is uploaded, they are able to view their friends’ photos and comment or add reaction images to their posts. Users can upload a photo after the 2 minutes have passed and their friends will receive a notification that they uploaded a “late BeReal”. The goal of the app is to serve as a less “fake” social media because users cannot upload from their camera roll or apply any filters and they are encouraged to be candid. The BeReal app has around 10.7 million installs globally in 2022 and continues to grow in popularity, especially among Gen Z (Bursztynsky, 2022). However, because of the rapid increase in users, the app has been reported to have had many glitches and crashes in the past.
The app has caught the attention of bigger social media companies. The popular video app TikTok released a feature very similar to the main idea of BeReal called TikTok Now. This feature allows users to post a video of themselves once a day and the videos are shown in a separate feed that is only visible to those who have posted. BeReal’s simple premise will likely be explored further by other platforms as well as improved upon by its own developers.
Method
I conducted a heuristic evaluation of the BeReal app to determine how well it follows UX principles. For this evaluation, two evaluators spent 10 minutes exploring the mobile application and writing notes on each principle. After the evaluation was complete, I read through the evaluators’ notes in order to summarize the results.
Conclusion
Simple and natural dialogue
BeReal is a very simple app with limited features which conforms to the principle of “simple and natural dialogue”. The landing page of the app is the users’ feed and pages such as “profile” and “friends” are accessed through the top menu. By simplifying what is shown to a user on their screen at one time, the user is not overwhelmed and can complete tasks or explore easily. Keeping information such as settings and account details hidden initially means that the interface does not overwhelm the user and is easier to navigate and retain information (Lidwell et al., 2010). Also, the app only has three main pages, making it very simple to navigate and avoids users getting lost.
Speak the users’ language
The BeReal app conforms to the principle of “speak the users’ language” well through the use of icons. Good iconic representation in UX design increases users’ memory and understanding of information and how a system operates (Lidwell et al., 2010. The icons within the interface are simple and commonly used such as a comment bubble shape for the button to leave a comment. Within the setting page, the icons are less recognizable so they are accompanied by titles to avoid confusion. The overall choice of icons is effective and aids in the usability of the app.
Consistency
The application is consistent with other social media apps such as Instagram by including a feed as the landing page. This scrolling feed is populated with the users’ friends’ posts which can be interacted with by leaving comments just like most social media platforms. Consistency between different interfaces allows users to transfer their knowledge and skills across platforms (Lidwell et al., 2010). Therefore, the app is likely easier to use and understand because of its similarity to other social media apps.
Overall, the BeReal mobile app meets the UX principles well and is easy for users to use. The past complaints users have had about the app have seemed to be fixed or improved. The app is a good example of a simple interface that accomplishes its goal by following the guidelines of the UX principles.
References
Bursztynsky, J. (2022, May 30). Bereal is the latest Buzzy Social Media app trying to go mainstream. here's how it works. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/30/bereal-is-the-latest-buzzy-social-media-app-trying-to-go-mainstream.html
Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2010). Universal principles of design, revised and updated: 125 ways to enhance usability, influence perception, increase appeal, make better design decisions, and teach through design. Quarto Publishing Group USA.