Combating Fake News on Social Media

False news has taken over and thrived on social media. As COVID-19 spread around the world and U.S. elections neared, the rapid spread of news caused uncertainty in the population. It has become a pervasive part of life for many people on social media, especially around important topics like COVID-19 and political elections. It’s challenging to discern facts in a society inundated with false news on social media.

My goal for this project is minimize the effort to read reliable news online and help users spend less time figuring out the authenticity of news on their social media.

Share of People Who Have Ever Accidentally Shared Fake News on Social Media in the United States (December 2020)Source: Statista

As the solo designer for this academic project, I was responsible for both UX and UI design. This project was completed over six months during the pandemic of 2021.

How Might We:

Help people reduce the effort to find credible news online.
Enable users to check the authenticity of news shared by friends and family on social media.

Solution

Research

Most US Adults Experience and Partake in Fake News

Conducted a systematic investigation to understand existing research efforts and identify knowledge gaps. This helped design screen surveys to find the target audience for participant user interviews and testing.

60% of US adults who prefer getting news through social media said they had shared false information (PEW Research Center).

More than half of US adults encounter fake news at least once a day (Institute for Public Relations).

Over half of survey participants have been involved in fake news.

Survey and Interview:
‍After confirming assumptions through desk research and surveys, selected 6 participants from 50+ survey responses based on their news reading habits for deeper insights.

Focus Areas:
‍How do people experience news online?How do people experience and react to fake news?

Affinity Diagram Findings:
‍
Three key patterns emerged:
News with Sources:“My family and friends often share news with me on social media. I would get a better understanding if the news included their source.”

News Affecting Themselves:“I’m tired of reading news every day because nothing changes. I just want to know what really affects me now.”

Time Concern:“I want to be able to get answers quickly because I have no time.”

How Might We:
Make it easier for people to tell if they’ve read fake news on social media.
Keep users informed about current affairs that really affect their lives.
Provide fact-checking in a fast, safe, and trustworthy medium.

Define

Research

Personas:
‍To better understand the users, implemented Alan Cooper's technique to create personas.
Two main clusters emerged:

‍Pain Points:Don’t want to waste time on fact-checking.Fear of being informed by fake news on social media.Overwhelmed by reading all kinds of news.

‍User Goals:Read news with multiple reliable sources.Be informed if they read potential fake news on social media.Stay informed about news that affects them.

‍Requirements:Based on user goals and needs, the app should be:

‍Reliable: Users trust the app to help them fact-check news on social media.
‍
‍Effortless: An easy way for users to fact-check news and stay informed with reliable news effortlessly.

Design

To create understanding and empathy with users, used stories from personas as a north star for ideation and iteration.

Key Features:

Select News from Social Media to Fact-Check:
Get news verification status immediately.

Quickly Get Informed with Relevant News:
Read news with multiple reliable sources.
Get informed through a daily news podcast.
Check news around designated areas.

Conveniently Get Answers Quickly:
Follow news pending verification status.Get updates on news verification.
Access news with sources and explanations.

Testing and Improvements

Usability Testing:
‍
‍Conducted three rounds of usability testing, setting 3 red routes for participants to complete. Observed participants, took notes, and identified usability problems. Iterated design based on testing results.

Mitigate User Anxiety During Onboarding:Provide clear and accurate status of what the app does and how it handles information.Use trust-building icons, like eyes and locks, to remind users the app is safe and reliable.

Make Fact-Checked News Easy to Find:
Categorize fact-checked news into four main clusters, avoiding information overload.

Improve Readability:Use descriptive subheadings to give users a frame of reference, making it easier to scan the text.

Style Guide

Key Takeaways

Reframe Issues as Opportunities:
Learned to view usability testing failures as opportunities for improvement, inspired by Don Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things.”

Design Experiences, Not Rectangles:Shifted focus from how the product looks to the human experience, leading to better solutions.

Collaborate with More Designers:Recognized the value of diverse perspectives in creating effective solutions, something missed in a solo project.

What's Next?

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