Improving Search and Organization
DATE
March -
May 2025
CONTEXT
As part of my ongoing design practice and job search, I chose to work on improving an app I use regularly, tackling a real-world problem to strengthen my portfolio.
PRODUCT
OUTCOME
TIMEFRAME
5-10 hr/wk
over 3 months
Product Design
User Research
ROLE
Marco Polo is an asynchronous video chat app designed to bring the warmth and nuance of face-to-face communication without the need to align schedules.
Simplified the app structure and cut 2 redundant screens
60% of users said they would adopt tagging to organize their videos
100% of users said dynamic search would save time and frustration finding videos
User Pain Points
Users often struggle to locate specific video messages within Marco Polo.
To rewatch a video, they have to remember roughly when it was sent and scroll back through the chat history, which can be time-consuming and frustrating. Currently, there’s no built-in system for organizing or searching video messages.
Business Impact
Marco Polo may be missing out on a significant number of users to other platforms.
Users likely use searchable solutions like email or Slack when they need to be able to find messages again, or video chat apps like Zoom or FaceTime when the nuance of facial expression and voice inflection is needed.
Existing Solutions & Workarounds
Downloading videos
Some users download videos they may want to rewatch to their phone’s Photos app for easier searching, creating a fragmented experience.
Bookmarking videos
Marco Polo offers a bookmarking feature, but many users I spoke with weren’t aware of it or found it too limited for their needs. Most weren’t sure where to access bookmarked videos once they were saved.
Topic-specific groups
Some users create separate chat feeds for specific topics, but this workaround requires them to remember to switch feeds, adding unnecessary friction.
Objectives
For the business:
Grow Marco Polo’s user base, increase paid subscribers, and extend the time users spend on the app by improving message retrieval and organization.
For the user:
Give users confidence that they can quickly locate specific messages, making the app feel more intuitive and essential for deeper, ongoing conversations.
My hypothesis:
If users feel confident that they can easily find past messages, they’ll use Marco Polo for more meaningful conversations.
This will motivate them to upgrade to the paid plan to retain message access, similar to why teams upgrade to paid Slack plans.
Once invested, users are more likely to share the app with others, expanding Marco Polo’s network effects.
Initial Ideas and Testing
Initial ideas came from real conversations with other frequent Marco Polo users.
HEADER
From user flows mapping out how a user would be able to add tags to a video message, manage their tags, and search using tags, I created wireframes to test with a Marco Polo user.
Key findings:
Users want to jump directly to specific points in long videos without scrubbing through the entire message.
Users want to add and manage tags while recording and watching videos.
Some users want to see the tags friends they chat with use, to create a more organized, collaborative experience.
With these insights in mind, I identified a few key design challenges:
How might tagging be introduced without adding unnecessary complexity for users who don’t need it?
How might users add a tag to a timestamp?
How to make tagging intuitive when recording and watching.
How will users manage their tags and tagging preferences?
How to incorporate shared tags without confusing the chat experience.
With these insights in mind, I identified a few key design challenges:
How might tagging be introduced without adding unnecessary complexity for users who don’t need it?
How might users add a tag to a timestamp?
How to make tagging intuitive when recording and watching.
How will users manage their tag and tagging preferences?
How to incorporate shared tags without confusing the chat experience.
Once we finished rounds of iterations and reached a design we felt met our users goals, I designed a pitch deck with the content the founder prepared to communicate the potential of Scout to investors.
NEXT STEPS
My work with Scout is ongoing; we plan to build a prototype for comprehensive user testing to assess product design’s efficacy and gather feedback for how we can improve the experience. Stay tuned!
TAKEAWAYS
This project was my first chance to practice product design with real-world experience. I’ve learned so much and can’t wait to dive more into research and user testing as the project continues. I’m looking forward to growing and learning more from an experienced team in my next role.