User Experience for Social Media Platforms

Growth marketing is in shambles. Paid is saturated and expensive. Building viral loops is near impossible. In response, Maven is going hard on community-led growth… I got my start in tech by doing highly data-driven, deterministic growth marketing. At Udemy, we started by hacking Facebook and YouTube to siphon users. Then, we heavily optimized our signup flow to encourage sharing. Next, we explored paid marketing and SEO. Ahh, the good old days. Today most of those channels are played out. AI is coming in hot but hasn’t yet emerged into a new growth opportunity (I did a talk with Andrew Chen and neither of us could come up with a great AI growth hack yet). So, Maven is investing heavily in community-led growth. It's a big shift for me. After spending years in data-driven marketing, I'm now a believer in "faith-based marketing." Community-led growth means investing in connecting your users to each other through informal and formal communities. - Informal: Creating pockets on social media where users talk about you - Formal: Building Slack or Discord communities for your users As connections between users grow, they feed off each other, get inspired, and feel stronger affinity for your brand. This transforms them into ambassadors. At Maven, our informal efforts happen by encouraging instructors and students to talk about us on social media. We create "themed" launches that instructors can rally around, provide assets to make posting easy, and coach them on how to succeed on social. Our formal efforts are two separate Slack communities - one for instructors and a new one for students - where we are slowly building a buzzing forum for people to trade notes and discuss their business needs. Why is community-led growth so attractive? It's incredibly efficient (minimal ad spend), scalable (networks can grow exponentially), and flexible (once established, communities can serve multiple goals). Out of our 5 go-to-market team members, 2 are focused on community-led growth. It's by far our biggest marketing bet. I’m also asking the team to take mallory contois’s Community-led growth course so they can learn the best practices of the space and then apply them to Maven. She leads community-led growth at Mercury, one of my favorite products and brands in tech right now. To join my team members in taking Mallory’s course, check it out here (it starts next week): https://bit.ly/4bz5bjZ This is a huge bet and shift in thinking for someone who used to live and die by data-driven marketing. I believe it's happening across the industry: community/brand/social marketers are gaining momentum, and I'm determined to make Maven best-in-class.

Consistency in community-led Go-to-Market (GTM) doesn't mean bombarding. After observing countless product communities, here's a revelation: To 10x your community-led GTM efforts, it's sometimes more effective to... focus less on frequency and more on quality. 1. Pre-launch co-creation ↳ Involve your potential community early. Co-create the product, from features to marketing. This builds ownership and excitement. ↳ Example: Figma engaged designers early through access programs, allowing feedback that shaped development, ensuring it met user needs. 2. Gamified onboarding ↳ Replace boring tutorials with engaging, game-like experiences. Points, badges, and rewards make learning about your product fun and rewarding. ↳ Example: Grammarly boosts engagement with "daily goals" and streaks, fostering a habit of good writing practices through a fun, rewarding system. 3. Micro-influencer partnerships ↳ Leverage micro-influencers within your community. Their genuine connection with followers can authentically showcase your product's value. ↳ Example: Ahrefs partners with industry bloggers and micro-influencers for tutorials and reviews, effectively expanding brand awareness and trust within the SEO community. 4. Community-driven knowledge base ↳ Encourage users to build the knowledge base. User-generated content and peer-to-peer support enhance engagement and collective wisdom. ↳ Example: Zapier leverages its community forum for users to exchange automation workflows and solutions, enhancing the platform's value through collective wisdom. This approach doesn't require daily actions but involves strategic, meaningful engagement that fosters a strong, vibrant community around your product. Remember, quality over quantity always wins. ❤️♻️ P.S. How often do you engage with your community? I think we should aim for meaningful interactions 4-5 times a week. __ 📌 If you found this helpful, reshare this to your network and follow me Joseph Abraham for daily Go-to-market insights, frameworks, tools, and tips

I've seen so many posts being shared recognising and celebrating International Day of Persons/ Disabled People. Which is amazing! But sadly the vast majority of the content being shared is inaccessible. A day reflecting on equality and equity, but yet we're creating barriers that Disabled people. It's ironic, on a day of inclusion so many of us are excluded So please, if you are posting make your content accessible! Here are some tips to get you started: Image Description: Content Checklist. Six sections with tips read: 1. Message Body. Write in plain English. Use short paragraphs. Avoid using acronyms and jargon. Left align text where possible. Do not use a font generator, they are inaccessible for screen readers. 2. Images. Add Alt Text. Remember to keep Alt Text short and factual. Add an Image Description. Image Description is more descriptive and includes things like colour, texture, backgrounds etc. Any Text on a graphic or image should have sufficient Colour Contrast. 3. Video. Always use Closed Captions. These should appear at the bottom of a video. Use accessible Sans Serif fonts like Arial, Calibri or Helvetica. Include an audio description to describe what's happening in the video. Always manually check captions. Automated captions aren't always reliable. 4. Emojis & Hashtags. Don't replace words with Emojis. Don't overuse Emojis. Do use Emojis at the end of a sentence. Do use a capital letter for each new word in a hashtag. #camelCase or #PascalCase. 5. Check Colour Contrast here: https://lnkd.in/ecQAWnR4 checker. www.contrastchecker.com. www. userway.org/contrast. https://lnkd.in/exj-tFeV. 6. Add Captions Using:Youtube Online. CapCut Online. Adobe Premier Pro App. MixCaptions App. AutoCap App. Automated Social Media Apps. #DisabilityInclusion #IDPWD #DiversityAndInclusion #Accessibility

✂️ User Task Canvas: Gather User Needs and Activities (+ PDF/Miro templates) (https://lnkd.in/eKSUnZg3), a lovely workshop activity to gather user needs and understand the task, dependencies, objects, tools, decisions and pain points. Kindly put together by Stéphanie Walter, Julie Muller, Geoffrey Crofte. 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 User Task Canvas (Miro template): https://lnkd.in/eFaD3Rmu User Task Cards (PDF + Workshop materials): https://lnkd.in/et5U48Na 🤔 Gathering user needs can be hard in complex products. 🤔 User needs aren’t only goals, tasks, actions and context. ✅ We uncover dependencies, tools, decisions, pain points. ✅ First, set up a small workshop with 2–3 users (1h 30mins). ✅ Bring 2 designers, arrange cards by column or row. 📋 Task ← a specific job / set of jobs that users must do. ✂️ Actions / decisions ← steps to take, decisions to make. 🗂️ Tools / objects ← products, services, devices they use. 🔋 Dependencies / interactions ← legacy, 3rd-party, people. 🔴 Pain points / blockers ← irritating, confusing, frustrating bits. ✅ First, we ask users to start by completing Task cards. ✅ Then we listen to them and attach notes to these cards. ✅ We attach duration, severity, priority, frequency to them. ✅ Users continue with tools, dependencies and pain points. ✅ They can suggest “Magic changes” to address blockers. Good design always starts with user needs. Of course every team has hunches and assumptions, but to map the complex, contradictory, evolving and not fully knowable real world into problem space, we need to understand the domain, observe behavior and learn what users are trying to achieve, and why. Personally, I've never used User Task Canvas before, but I love how simple and straightforward the approach is. Ah, and the numbers on some of the photos in the post are a way to prioritize user needs by their occurrence — e.g. by attaching number of times by day and the duration of the task. ✤ Useful resources: How To Run Task Analysis https://lnkd.in/eeVkFBPR What Really Matters: Focusing on Top Tasks, by Gerry McGovern https://lnkd.in/eWBXpCQp Task Analysis: Support Users in Achieving Their Goals, by Maria Rosala https://lnkd.in/ePmARap3 How To Optimize UX and Improve Task Efficiency, by Ella Webber https://lnkd.in/eKdKNtsR What Is Task Analysis, by Dovetail https://lnkd.in/eX-NUfXw --- ✤ Useful Books: ⌾ Top Tasks Methodology: A How-To Guide, by Gerry McGovern ⌾ Everyday Information Architecture, by Lisa Maria Marquis ⌾ Content Strategy for the Web, by Kristina Halvorson, Melissa Rach ⌾ Information Architecture, For The Web and Beyond, by Peter Morville, Jorge Arango #ux #design

Gen Z and Millennials now make up 71% of B2B decision makers. And they trust creators more than your ads. Dan Frommer's The New Consumer just released their 2026 Consumer Trends report. It's a collaboration with Coefficient Capital based on surveys of 3,000+ US consumers. The findings reinforce what eMarketer has been tracking: Gen Z is the fastest growing demographic on LinkedIn (13.6% YoY). Time spent on the platform is up 10.9% since 2021. But this report goes deeper into 𝘸𝘩𝘺 that matters. 𝟭) 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗱𝘀: • 42% trust creator recommendations more than traditional advertising • 50% believe creators are being genuine when they post • Only 10% of Gen X and older feel the same way    𝟮) 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹: • 63% feel personally connected to their favorite creators • They describe it as feeling like "they might be friends" • This emotional connection drives buying behavior    𝟯) 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹: • 45% consider themselves content creators • 38% published to Instagram in the past month alone • 75% view content creation as a viable career path    𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: These aren't just consumer trends. These are the people now sitting on B2B buying committees. LinkedIn's own data backs this up: • Gen Z engages with B2B creator content 11% more than other generations • 87% of B2B buyers prefer content from trusted industry voices • 79% engage with B2B creator content monthly    𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆? Trust has moved from institutions to individuals. From polished ads to credibly voices. B2B brands still relying solely on traditional advertising are speaking a language most of their buyers don't find as trustworthy. Ultimately, the brands paying attention, investing in B2B/LinkedIn creators now will own the next decade. Check out the report here 👇👇👇 https://lnkd.in/gEQxsAuX --- Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network & follow Brendan Gahan for more. Interested in LinkedIn Influencer Marketing? Reach out to us Creator Authority.

Google is no longer the first stop for product discovery. New data from PartnerCentric confirms what many of us in e-commerce already feel happening: TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit, Inc., and Discord are reshaping how people discover, evaluate, and buy products—especially among Gen Z and millennials. Here are the shifts worth paying attention to: 1. 1 in 10 Gen Z shoppers prefer TikTok over Google for finding products 2. 50% of Gen Z use Discord for shopping—often in private, loyalty-driven communities 3. 2/3 of U.S. consumers use Reddit in some form, with younger shoppers turning to it for trusted reviews 4. TikTok Shop users now spend ~$40/month—$50 for millennials And while Google still plays a role, it’s being edged out during the most influential parts of the funnel: discovery and validation. This is the rise of social-first commerce. For brands and marketers, it’s not just about ads—it’s about being part of the conversation where it starts. Your future customers aren’t searching. They’re scrolling, watching, and asking strangers on Reddit.

Hedonist branding, answer to uncertainty? Hedonism is about maximizing pleasure while minimizing pain. Today, society is embracing this mindset in a new way, seeking brands that deliver ultra fast emotional reward, self-expression, and memorable experiences. What does this shift mean for your brand today? >CRISIS FUELS HEDONISTIC BRANDS. In times of uncertainty and crisis, society places higher value on lived, emotional experiences. Pleasure becomes a coping mechanism, and brands play a central role in delivering it. This hedonistic mindset fuels impulse buying, especially online. In beauty, brands are no longer just product providers; they are platforms for identity, community, and self-expression. +55% Gen Z prioritize price, expecting value without sacrificing quality. +43% prioritize activities and purchases that provide pleasure and fun. >SHORT ATTENTION → SHORT STRATEGY. Gen Z sees thousands of brand messages daily and gives you under 8 seconds to matter. No instant emotion, no attention. Branding today must be clear, immediate, and emotionally charged. Their focus doesn’t vanish, it compresses. Brands have to be bold, intuitive, and frictionless, delivering impact through instant visuals, tone, and feeling. Brands that deliver pleasure fast win. The rest get skipped. +First impressions are formed in under 3 seconds on digital platforms. +Bite-sized content outperforms long-form in engagement and recall. +Brands with instantly recognizable identities are remembered more than those relying on explanation. >BRANDS FOCUSING ON EMOTIONS. Branding today is about building worlds, not just visuals. For Gen Z, brand identity must go beyond logos and color systems, it must create emotion, engagement, and immersion across every touchpoint. +74% Gen Z spend their free time online. +55% use smartphones for more than 5 hours daily. +54% spend over 4 hours a day on social media platforms. >VISUAL and EMOTIONAL DESIGN. Design codes are rooted in brands that feel yummy, fluid, soft, and bubbly. They respond to warm palettes, bold color choices, and dreamy gradient transitions that create an effortless sense of flow. Brands that feel immersive and sensorial, through motion, sound, texture, and digital interaction, win attention and loyalty. >KEY DESIGN codes ON TREND: +Yummy +Fluid +Bubbly +Warm +Bold +Gradients Concluding. If you’re building a brand, design for pleasure first. Reduce friction, amplify emotion, and center your brand around dreams, identity, and experience, not just functionality. Below, my curated selection, hope, they inspire your next hit. Featured Brands: Biim Bubble Cathy Dol Curame Friends of Ours Hello Sunday Neom Luna Bloom Luly Lush Rinsed #beautydesign #branddesign #branding #beautybusiness #beautyprofessionals #GenZ

GenZ is often lumped into a single generational group, where the assumption is that c.14 million people behave in similar ways. Of course, the reality is that there are many different shades of preferences and behaviours within any generational group. But perhaps none quite as diverse or paradoxical as GenZ. Growing up through successive periods of rapid upheaval, Gen Z are the first mobile-first generation, raised on smartphones, social platforms and digital payments. Their formative years have been defined by a pandemic that rewired shopping overnight, a cost-of-living crisis that redefined value, climate anxiety that influences brand choices and now the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), all compressed into their teens and early twenties. Our latest research with RSM focuses precisely on the many sides of GenZ behaviour when it comes to shopping and their varying outlooks on life. And also just how much variety there is between the late teens and the late twenties. This group is already hugely important. They account for around £26bn of non-food spending today, which is expected to rise to £38bn by 2035 as their commercial significance grows. But the habits being formed now will shape how brands need to evolve. Take ‘search’ as an example. While Google remains the #1 avenue of discovery for 25-28 year olds, 18-24 year olds rank social media higher. In essence, TikTok and Instagram are more influential channels for the youngest consumers. They value creator content and peer validation which is driving their choices. Shopping happens while scrolling. Take BookTok as an example. It's driven real book sales and pulled younger shoppers into physical bookstores. Social discovery generates actual footfall, not just engagement metrics. The numbers back this up: UK Gen Z will spend £3.4bn through social commerce in 2025 alone. And discovery doesn't stop at checkout as one in three Gen Z use social media for styling tips after they've already bought something. Many them will also post their positive experience, becoming brand ambassadors and while widening the discovery funnel for new customers. Key data points worth knowing: ➡️ 68% of Gen Z prefer shopping on smartphones – mobile is their gateway to everything ➡️ Only 28% are brand loyal – the rest mix brands (33%) or actively experiment (25%) ➡️ 34% of Gen Z regularly shop pre-loved items  ➡️ 47% have resold an item within months of purchase – ownership is fluid, and resale is built into their buying decisions They are also in many ways paradoxical. The generation positioned as eco-warriors and caring about sustainability the most are the same consumers powering Chinese commerce and fast fashion. Indeed, our research showed that 59% admit their generation talks more about sustainability than they practice – there's a gap between values and behaviour. Download the full report here > https://lnkd.in/eHugCUAk Great to work with Lisa Alty & Jacqui Baker on this

I don’t think people realise how genius this Claude email is. Most welcome emails say “Hi.” Claude’s teaches you how to actually get value from the product. They know the #1 reason new users churn: People don’t know how to give good context. So instead of hoping users “figure it out,” they use the highest-open-rate email (50%+) to remove the biggest adoption bottleneck . This one section caught my eye: “How to give Claude context.” Who, what, why, how: broken down like onboarding for prompting. Why it’s smart: – Users get their first “aha” faster – Better prompts → better outputs → more retention – Support load goes down – The product becomes sticky on day one Most brands waste their welcome email. Claude turned it into a growth engine. If you’re building a product, ask yourself: Does your welcome email actually help the user win or is it just “Welcome to X”?

Last week, I coached a product team through a user interview debrief. They were excited! Users had shown enthusiasm for a new feature! 🎉 But when I asked, “What problem does this solve for them?” the room went quiet. 🫣 This happens more often than we’d like to admit. 🧠 The Trap: Mistaking Enthusiasm for Validation When users say, “That sounds great!” we often interpret it as validation. But here's the catch: - Users want to be polite. - They might not fully understand their own needs. - As product teams, we may hear what we want. This is why relying solely on user enthusiasm can lead us astray. 🔍 The Solution: Semi-Structured Interviews We need to dig deeper to understand our users truly. Semi-structured interviews strike the right balance between guidance and flexibility. Key practices include: - Start with hypotheses: Identify what you believe to be true. - Ask open-ended questions: Encourage users to share experiences, not just opinions. - Listen actively: Pay attention to what’s said—and what’s not. - Probe for underlying needs: Seek to understand the 'why' behind their behaviours. This approach helps uncover genuine insights, leading to solutions that truly resonate. 🌟 Imagine the Impact By adopting this method: - Teams build products that solve real problems. - User satisfaction increases. - Resources are invested wisely, reducing wasted effort. It's not just about building features—it's about delivering value. 🦾 Take Action Next time you're planning user interviews: - Prepare a set of hypotheses. - Design questions that explore user experiences. - Remain open to unexpected insights. Remember, the goal is to understand your users, not just confirm your assumptions deeply.