UX/UI Design | Concept Case
Small Talk
Small Talk exists to empower people to become happier and more confident versions of themselves by improving their small talk skills
My Role
Research, Ideation, Wireframing, Prototyping, Testing, Visual Design
Duration
3 months
Platform
Mobile
Background
What is small talk?
Small talk is “polite conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial matters, especially as engaged in on social occasions,” as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary. In short, small talk is light, informal conversation. It's commonly used when you're talking to someone you don't know very well and at networking and social events.
Small talk can seem like the default type of conversation in a wide variety of social situations. Whether you are at the store, at work, or anywhere else with people you don’t know well, you are likely to be expected to make small talk.
Why do we need small talk in our lives?
Research shows that small talk is no small thing.
Small talk is an informal type of communication that serves as the best source of conversation between people who don't know each other well. The actual topics covered during small talk are generally not important, like the weather or sports; its purpose is not to convey information but rather to serve as an opening act to warm up the audience for the more substantial conversation to follow.
In short, being adept at small talk is an important component of your arsenal of social skills. It is mainly meant to serve the purpose of social bonding.
Even though you talk about unimportant things, small talk is very important. It turns out that 91% of people think small talk might turn into a real conversation. It is a fundamental skill that will help you establish relationships with friends or colleagues and build trust with people around you.
Research
Benefits of small talk
Conversation & Happiness
Source: The Science of Small Talk
1. Small talk makes us smarter
Researchers at the University of Michigan found that social interaction, such as a 'get-to-know-you' conversation, can help you focus, plan, prioritize, and organize.
2. Small talk makes us happier
According to a study by Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder, interacting with strangers results in a more positive experience than solitude.
3. Small talk makes us feel better
Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that daily interactions with casual acquaintances, like your local barista, contribute to feelings of "belonging and happiness."
Problems
Social anxiety
Source: The Lily
Opponents
Some people hate small talk because they perceive it as a waste of time and an impediment to meaningful conversation; others may hate it simply because they are not good at it.
For many people, especially those with social anxiety, being in a situation where small talk is expected can be deeply stressful. Thoughts such as “Everyone will think I’m boring,” “What if I make a fool of myself?” and “What if I make a mistake?” might go through their minds.
How people really feel about small talk
2 in 3 Americans think small talk is awkward. When respondents were asked if they would rather make small talk or sit in silence, 7 in 10 opted for peace and quiet.
As more social and professional interactions are mediated by screens and chat apps, people may find it harder to start a friendly, low-stakes conversation with new people. The pandemic and remote work have also changed how we connect, or disconnect, with each other, affecting young adults who report high levels of social anxiety.
Avoiding small talk
Source: Preply
2 in 3 people have used their phones to avoid making small talk. Younger generations are especially prone to this evasive tactic: Compared to Baby Boomers (30%), Gen Z (89%) are much more likely to check their phones instead of striking up a conversation about work or the weather.
Older Americans tend to be more interested in learning about other people when they make small talk than younger folks are. Nearly a quarter (23%) of Boomers said they make small talk to get to know someone, versus just 7% of Gen Z.
Less Talk, More Texting
U.S. teenagers' favorite way to communicate with friends in 2012 and 2018
Based on a survey of 1,000+ U.S. teens (ages 13 to 17) conducted in 2012 and 2018
Source: Statista
Silence for about 6 minutes...
it’s the degree of engagement in the college classroom
Affinity diagram
72.7%
of survey responders make small talk daily to several times a week.
54.5%
of survey responders think they are not good at small talk.
Key findings
Simply not good at small talk and lack of confidence.
Don’t have any interesting topics to start the conversation.
Frustrated with certain situations or contexts.
Selected quotes
Design Goals
01
Enhance the quality of conversation by offering various topics
Provide customized topics based on the different contexts.
02
Promote a more confident version of themselves
Encourage and support users by providing feedback to help them become more confident with their responses.
03
Facilitate social connections
Contribute to users’ social bonding by offering quick, on-the-way questions to warm up before meeting someone, fostering a positive and less stressful connection with friends and colleagues.
Define
Target audience
Small Talk is for:
Gen Z + Millennials
Who are trying to get out of their comfort zone
Introverts
Persona + Task flow
Kelly
Demographics
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Location: San Francisco
Education: Art History
Goals
Practice to have a more natural opening line with small talk
Get familiar with talking in different contexts
Gain more confidence in having small talk
Frustrations
Don’t want to look like a weirdo in a certain situations
Silence makes her feel embarrassed
Often freezes up during small talk
Kelly wants to practice her small talk and get familiar with it.
Kelly wants to receive feedback on her small talk, evaluate herself, and become more comfortable with it.
Geoff
Demographics
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Location: Portland
Education: Marketing
Goals
Discover casual and interesting topics other than the weather or weekend plans
Have more non-awkward conversations with his customers
Frustrations
Having small talk is okay, but sometimes there are not enough interesting topics to start with
Gets frustrated with reacting to others’ talk
Geoff wants to discover casual but engaging topics.
Design
User testing
Task 1
Practice small talk by selecting a customized topic
Key Conclusions:
Home Page: Users are unsure whether they want to see their progress first or start practicing immediately.
Practice Page: The topics feel improperly categorized or named, with the first category feeling disjointed from the others.
"Select a person to talk to": This is confusing. Users are unsure if they are selecting a character, a person, or someone they know.
Option to Edit Prompt: Users want the ability to edit prompts, not just tap for a new one.
Task 2
Receive feedback and evaluate himself
Key Conclusions:
Conversation Start: Users are unclear if they should ask the person on the screen a question or if the person will ask them. It is important to clarify who leads the conversation.
Feedback: Eye contact doesn’t always happen in natural conversation.
Tone Feedback: Providing feedback about tone could be beneficial, showing the progress of tone changes.
Recording: Users want to know if the conversation is being recorded.
Task 3
Discover casual but engaging topics
Key conclusions
Wording Issue: "Pick a character" suggests selecting a person to talk to. This is confusing.
Suggested Wording: Try "Spot a uniqueness" or similar.
One-Time Practice: It feels like a one-time practice. Users want to know what could happen after the practice.
Iterations
Based on feedback and key conclusions from user testing, start iterations to improve the user experience. Refine the user interface by addressing points of confusion, enhancing feedback mechanisms, and clarifying task flows.
Home screen
Add a ‘Recently Practiced’ section to enhance the experience by letting users know their last action within the app.
Add a personalized touch: handwritten name at the top of the page.
Practice page
Reorganize the categories and naming conventions.
Adjust the icon usage.
Add another category called ‘Start a Quick Prompt,’ which will allow users to start a random prompt immediately.
Add shadows to maintain consistency with other buttons.
Selecting options
Update the titles to lessen confusion and make them more conversational:
"Select a person to talk to" > "How do you want to practice?"
"Record?" > "Do you want to record?"
After completing the session
Update the loading page with the user’s progress to engage them more with the app while waiting for the summary result.
Flow at the beginning of the conversation
To reduce confusion, add an information pop-up before starting to let users know who is leading the conversation.
Summary page
Update the loading page with the user’s progress to engage them more with the app while waiting for the summary result.
‘Identify a Unique Trait’ page
Add a description to give a glimpse of this activity.
Move the ‘warning message’ near the Next button to make it more visible and clear.
Conversation page in the ‘Identify a Unique Trait’
Enhance graphics to resemble more of a real-life environment.
Final design
Home screen
The home screen warmly welcomes users with their name displayed at the top in a handwritten-style font, offering a personalized experience.
Returning users will also see their progress for the week. Additionally, a set of cards displaying 'Recently Practiced' topics enhances the experience by allowing users to quickly resume their last action.
Practicing screen 1
In this mode, users engage in conversation with an avatar. Recording is available for feedback.
Practicing screen 2
This mode involves identifying a unique trait while conversing with a virtual person.
Receiving feedback
Feedback is provided through different channels within the app.
Users receive real-time feedback during practice sessions.
On the summary page, users view the chat script and receive detailed descriptions of areas that worked well and areas for improvement.
