A new and improved way to reach out and remain connected.
OUTDATED: Ancestry Message Center resembles AOL
NO REAL-TIME MESSAGING: Users want to connect instantly but can’t
MESSAGE STATUS UNAVAILABLE: Users never know if their messages were sent, delivered or read.
RESEARCH: We talked to 100+ users on why they came to Ancestry, how they use Ancestry and why they remain using Ancestry.
INSIGHTS: Many users came to Ancestry based on trees their parents or relatives created over the years. Majority of the users use Ancestry today to find connections, share stories and history of their loved ones that passed. They remain using Ancestry due to the enormous database that Ancestry has.
Within our research, we also found many users come through the message center in a variety of flows along with a routine they have set for themselves.
With the research we collected, I led a design sprint with my team to envision what the new Message Center could look like.
We explored a variety of ideas of what messaging could like on native mobile, web and a fixed messenger with floating windows.
For every message sent, users are now able to see if their messages have been delivered or read. Family relationship status is surfaced at the top to remind users who they are chatting with.
As the new message center evolved to real-time messaging, users are able to see when other users are typing in real-time along with web links.
Users were now able to see who was online, the ability to search for anyone on Ancestry and closing of chats.
The feature to close chats came at a later point in the research as users stated if they have not received a response from another user, they would prefer to not see the message shown in their inbox.
OUTCOME: Engagement spiked to 30%. Members send at least 10 messages per day.
LEARNINGS: Members wanted to send attachments. New members were more reluctant to send messages to new matches. Members wanted to be able to view another match’s profile within the message center along with their trees.
GROWTH: Add features such as sending photos and attachments. Include commonalities between matches such as different types of food based on DNA as a soft introduction. Have the ability to view a match’s profile along with other matches based on initial match.