The Challenge

WhatsApp lacks a feature to schedule messages for future delivery.

Users currently face difficulties with coordinating the timing of their messages, particularly across different time zones or work schedules. Without scheduling capabilities, they are forced to rely on memory or third-party tools, leading to frustration and a less seamless messaging experience.

Objective/Goal

Conceptualise, design and prototype a message scheduling feature for WhatsApp. This feature will enable users to schedule messages to be sent at a later time or date, providing more flexibility and convenience in communication.

My Design Process

Research

COMPETITIVE MARKET ANALYSIS

I conducted a competitive market analysis of other messaging apps like Telegram and Facebook Messenger, both of which have message scheduling features. The analysis focused on understanding the strengths and weaknesses of these features and identifying opportunities to create a superior user experience within WhatsApp.

User Interviews

To Gain a better understanding of user needs, I conducted user interviews

 I conducted interviews with 5 WhatsApp users, including professionals, students and general users. The interviews focused on their communication habits, the challenges they face with scheduling messages and their expectations of such a feature.

Key Insights

1. Time Management

75% of users expressed a strong desire for a scheduling feature to help them manage their communications without needing to remember to send messages at an exact time.

2. Timezone Differences

Users who regularly communicate with people in different time zones find it challenging to send messages at appropriate times, leading to messages being sent too early or too late.

3. Recurring Reminders

Many users, especially those in professional settings, need to send follow-up messages or reminders on a recurring basis. Automating this process would significantly ease their workload.

User Personas

With the knowledge and insights gained from the interviews, personas were created to understand the unique qualities, preferences and behaviours of the people most likely to benefit from the added feature.

POV

Points of View

Busy professionals and individuals need a way to schedule messages on WhatsApp to ensure timely communication without the burden of real-time message management. Their demanding schedules and the complexities of different time zones make it challenging to send messages at appropriate times.

HMW

How Might We

How might we design a message scheduling feature on WhatsApp that allows users to efficiently plan and send messages at appropriate times, reducing their mental load and enhancing communication efficiency without compromising the app’s real-time interaction appeal?

Project Goals

The feature set Venn diagram helps streamline decision-making in UX design by providing a clear, visual representation of how different features relate to each other and to user needs or market offerings.

User Flow

I created a user flow chart to show the ways in which users might interact with this new feature. Doing this would help me make sure I include all necessary key frames I would need as I created wireframes for my prototype.

Low - Mid Fidelity Wireframes

I went ahead with drafting annotated low fidelity frames that would help visualise how this new feature would fit in WhatsApp’s existing interface.

Click here to view Low - Mid Fidelity Wireframes in Figma

High Fidelity Frames

After figuring out how the feature could work as well as placement, I proceeded to design high-fidelity frames. It was imperative that this new feature fit seamlessly into WhatsApp’s interface. The same colours, fonts and graphics were used.

Usability Testing

I was able to test 5 users remotely. I sent them the prototype link, explained the project background and presented them with a scenario: 



Scenario: Schedule a reminder message for your partner to pick your son up from school at 15h00.


Sub-tasks

Open WhatsApp and select the partner’s chat (most recent).

Type a reminder message about picking up the child.

Schedule the message to be sent 15 minutes before school closes at 15h00

Task 1

All users were able to open the prototype and felt that the interface was very familiar. They completed the scenario independently and with minimal friction.

Task 2

All Users could easily type a message and spotted the scheduling tooltip prompt.

Task 3

All users could Schedule the message to be sent 15 minutes before school dismisses at 15:00

User Feedback:

“This is so simple to use. I was done typing my message and scheduling it in less than 60 seconds!”

“This is a great feature hopefully in the future it could schedule attachments too, such as photos, videos, and documents.”

“I would love to see predefined time Options like “Later Today,” “Tomorrow,” and “Next Week” to speed up the process.”

Iterations

Firstly, I added a detailed label that appears above scheduled messages so that users can distinguish between real-time messages and scheduled ones.

Iterations

Secondly, I added an extra step with predefined time options to the message scheduling feature. This enhancement simplifies the scheduling process by providing quick access to commonly used times like ‘Later Today,’ ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘Next Week.’ These predefined options allow users to quickly select common times, significantly speeding up the scheduling process. This streamlines the user experience and addresses the needs identified in user testing. By reducing the number of steps and decisions required, the feature becomes more intuitive and reduces the cognitive load on users.

The final design was a well-rounded solution that integrated seamlessly into WhatsApp’s existing interface while providing the much-needed scheduling functionality.

Key features included:

Message Scheduling: Integrated directly into the message input field for easy access.

Predefined Time Options: Quick scheduling options for common times, allowing users to set messages with minimal effort.

Custom Scheduling: A flexible calendar interface for users who need to set specific dates and times.

View Hi-Fi Prototype

Closing

Future Impact

For future iterations, I recommend adding more customization options, such as allowing users to set their own presets for recurring messages. This would give users even more control over their communication.


Secondly, I would recommend exploring the integration of the scheduling feature with WhatsApp’s existing functionalities, such as group chats and media sharing, could further enhance its utility and appeal.

Lastly, to ensure users are aware of the new feature, implementing tooltips or a brief onboarding tutorial within the app could help users discover and use the scheduling feature.

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