Designing for authenticity, without losing growth
During my externship with BeReal so far, I have examined how product teams in social apps design for authenticity while fostering user growth. I benchmarked competitors, analyzed user engagement features, and developed a growth-oriented app feature, all while aligning with BeReal's mission of promoting genuine connections.
What I've accomplished so far
I produced a detailed end-to-end user journey map for BeReal that recorded users' thoughts and feelings, flagged the two-minute prompt as a common pain point, and identified the Connect stage as the most delightful moment.
Project breakdown
1. Mapping the BeReal user journey
I mapped the BeReal user journey from discovery to reflection, documented user thoughts and feelings at each stage, noted the two-minute prompt as a common pain point, and identified the Connect stage as the most delightful moment.
2. Benchmarking BeReal's Competitors
During the benchmarking project I listed key features for BeReal and TikTok, mapped how each drove retention, analyzed user sentiment, and produced a side-by-side comparison table showing feature descriptions, theme scores, and one-line interpretations.
To be continued…
This externship is still in progress, and this case study will grow alongside it. Next up: turning the journey map's pain points into concrete design directions, and prototyping the growth-oriented feature.
Case study in progress — the competitive analysis, feature prototypes, and usability findings will be added here as the work continues.