UX frameworks that systematically reduce online hate.
My role
UX design intern
Team
Project lead
Editorial director
Wordpress development team
Policy expert
Legal expert
Timeline
January - September 2022
Data retrieved from ADL's 2022 Online Hate and Harassment Survey
Social media regulations are often created as delayed responses to online issues. These prolonged, sometimes intentional delays in rule enforcement allow individuals and groups to exploit platform features, which cause ongoing harm to victims of online hate, bullying, and harassment.
I created a storyboard to illustrate how 1 of the 52 patterns in the library can reduce online hate.
As the UX design intern on this project, I had the opportunity to be very hands-on in building the Pattern Library. I designed the UX and UI for 25 patterns, as well as successfully pitched expanding the Figma design system.
I designed the user flows and interfaces for these 25 patterns, which are all available on the project's official website.
As the library of UI patterns grew larger, I noticed that the new and more complex interfaces were outgrowing its original design system. As a result, I offered to refresh the design system for cohesion, readability, and scalability.
Before: Multi-step tasks were all made using pop-up boxes, which made the tasks difficult to follow.
After: I redesigned all multi-step tasks into pages with clear back, next, and exit options for clarity and consistency.
Before: Too many types of pop-ups and modals caused inconsistency and confusion in task flows.
After: I reduced pop-ups and modals to only 3 types so they are easier to understand and don’t distract from key features.
Before: There was little contrast between core interfaces such as Feed and Post, which made it difficult for the viewer to tell where in the social media platform the UX patterns were being implemented.
After: I added more contrast between the core pages so viewers can easily differentiate the interfaces. I also created a layout for settings and menu interfaces, which didn’t exist prior.
I created an ecosystem map of the Social Pattern Library to visualize its stakeholders and influence. The library has also appeared in news articles and used in ADL's congressional testimonials.
This has been one of the most interesting and most difficult-to-explain projects I've worked on. Explaining UX frameworks that mitigate hate and harassment on social media is not the easiest thing to do when you first meet someone :)
However, through this project, I found my passion for systems design and an interest in finding causality and order within complex systemic issues. My internship was also extended for 5 months to continue working on the Social Pattern Library, and hope to take on more projects similar to this!
Want to connect, collaborate, or just get coffee? ☕️
