Beyond the Trend: Unveiling Indonesian🇮🇩 Users' Fresh News Choices
How to utilize diary study to explore content preferences of Indonesian users regarding fresh news?
Overview
This is an exploratory research project I led at Helo@ByteDance. The research specifically aims to understand the perception of "fresh news" and browsing experience within the Helo app among users in 🇮🇩Indonesia, focusing on content visibility, notification timeliness, discussion atmosphere, and competitive advantages.
Some information is removed or modified due to confidentiality.
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Role: sole User Researcher
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Research Method: Diary Study + Interview
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Time: 3 months
Context
Helo is a social media app targeting the Southeast Asian and Brazilian markets. Through market research, it has been observed that the category of "fresh news" in the Helo app has a relatively low satisfaction rate among users but is considered highly important. This observation is made against the backdrop of our competitor, Twitter, being perceived to lack complete development of news content in the Indonesian market. Consequently, the team aims to gain further understanding in this area.
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The entire project is divided into three stages, each with distinct research focus and methods. Please refer to the diagram below for details.
Project Overview: Three Stages of Research Focus and Methods
This graphic provides an overview of the project's three distinct stages, highlighting varying research focuses and methods employed in each phase.
Due to space constraints, I will primarily focus on introducing the research objectives and methods adopted in the first stage.
Methods
After careful consideration, I chose Diary Study as my primary research method, supplemented by user interviews. To ensure the selection of suitable participants and mitigate potential dropouts due to the length and complexity of the diary study, I conducted the following attempts.
Diary Study. Why?
Considering my research background and the objectives of my study, it is crucial for me to observe my target audience over an extended period and gain a contextual understanding of their thoughts and experiences regarding specific content in their natural environment. Therefore, I have chosen diary study as the primary research method, supplemented by user interviews, to achieve this aim.
Recruit. How?
Considering the influence of user profiles on participants' news preferences and behaviors, we recruited users to ensure a comparison across different age groups, income levels, and educational backgrounds. To achieve this, we calculated the SEC (Socioeconomic Classification) total scores based on participants' income and education levels. This led to the formation of 3 user groups, with 5 participants in each group, 15 users in total. Additionally, to account for the extended duration of the user research, we also prepared a pool of 10 alternate participants.
Organise. How?
Participants were asked to share their most engaging news of the day and the reasons behind their interest either in a WhatsApp group or through private chats with our Indonesian team members. The team members summarized these inputs in a spreadsheet.
This approach was selected to minimize the time and participation costs for users, reducing the likelihood of dropouts due to the perceived burden of the tasks. The ideal goal was to enable users to complete the task within 5-10 minutes.
Example Excel Screenshot
This screenshot provides an illustrative example of statistical data visualization. Please note that the information displayed here is for demonstration purposes and has been adjusted for presentation.
​Iteration
After obtaining user data, I organized meetings with the content operations and algorithm teams. Through discussions, we identified the following issues and devised corresponding solutions.
Key Finding#1: Insufficient coverage of hot topics
Multiple users have mentioned that Helo's coverage of hot topics is not as comprehensive as Twitter's. As a newly established news app, it is understandable that Helo may have limitations in providing extensive coverage of hot topics. However, this presents us with a learning opportunity. To address this issue, I need to assess the priority of content that needs to be supplemented and determine how to enhance the coverage of these hot topics.​​
Solution - Adjust strategic direction for content supplementation
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More localized news: Based on interviews and comparisons among different user groups, we have found that, in comparison to our main competitor Twitter, Helo should prioritize more localized and region-specific news rather than focusing primarily on international news. This discovery has led to strategic adjustments within our content team, redefining the focus of content development.
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Traning content operation team: Furthermore, we have identified a discrepancy in the understanding of user preferences by our local operations team in Indonesia. Our diary study has become a valuable resource in cultivating their sensitivity to user content preferences. With the research results, we are able to provide insights to the operations team regarding the demands and preferences of local users for hot topics. This guidance enables them to better meet user expectations and deliver more valuable content.
For additional findings and learnings, please contact zhouquincey@gmail.com.
​Transition
After a month into this project, I've observed that the information obtained through the diary study is gradually reaching saturation, primarily because our initial questions have been adequately addressed.
However, this doesn't imply that the project has lost its value; quite the contrary, new requirements have emerged. Namely, how should Helo create a product mechanism to meet user demands?
​Thought Process
This chart illustrates how I adjusted my research methodology from a diary study to user interviews as the research phase evolved.
Due to the shift in the research phase, I transitioned my research approach from a diary study to conducting user interviews.
Following these adjustments, the project transitioned into a phase where the product manager specified concrete research directions, and my role evolved into conducting User Interviews focused on meeting these requirements. For instance, Helo needs to determine the design of content detail pages and various other intricate aspects.
I won't elaborate further here due to the complexity and granularity involved.
Impact
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Prior to the project, the entire content team was perplexed and uncertain about the direction of "fresh news." However, my research project provided clarity and guidance, establishing a clear roadmap for the team in the coming months.
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Through close collaboration with the content operations team, the project laid a strong foundation for future collaboration between the two groups.
​Learnings
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The earlier I involve more team members to participate in the project, the more likely they are to take action based on my research findings.
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In long-term projects, it is crucial to adjust work priorities and swiftly adapt different working methods based on the project's progress.