How to make your UI/UX Projects Go Viral

The purpose of good UI/UX lies in creating products that provide relevant and meaningful experience to users. This includes designing the whole process of acquiring and integrating the product, while integrating different aspects of branding, design, usability and function. But in the noisy social media-fueled world of today, it is more important than ever to be seen, to rise above the din and make your voice heard. To make your UI/UX design projects go viral not only ensures visibility but also reinforces that it has wide appeal and acceptability. But how does a UI/UX project go viral? What is viral, really?

The essence of Virality
Virality is probably the most efficient way for a product to be promoted amongst users. As the term ‘viral’ would indicate, it spreads like an infectious disease organically from one person to another – only it spreads much faster than a disease. And once something ‘goes’ viral, it requires no external support or push to continue spreading. And it circulates exponentially. Organic growth is achieved through sharing by users on social media. It’s the dream of any marketer to be able to achieve this level of shareability on social media platforms. It’s better than the most popular advertising campaign in traditional media.

There was a time when this kind of effect was attempted in the real world by professional marketers and advertisers, wherein they tried to encourage user advocacy through advertising and other complex means. But it is no longer the prerogative of the professionals now. Especially when it comes to web and app design, virality goes far beyond the marketing process. Research and practice has shown that there are some proven mechanics that a UI/UX designer might adopt to make their projects go viral, which effectively means organically promoted by users across platforms. Let’s look at some of these mechanics.

Pre-design Stage
The pre-design stage is almost as important – if not more – as the actual design stage. It is important to focus on not only the visual but the psychological aspects as well. It is a crucial stage but if the objective is to go viral, this stage requires all the more attention and deep-diving. These are the things one should keep in mind at the pre-design stage, in order to make a design project go viral:

1. Locate the key features and start with them
   A big mistake that many designers and developers commit is to try to solve too many problems at the same time. This may lead to half-baked ideas and poor solutions. This may even confuse the users. So, at the outset one must define the target audience, identify the primary pain point and focus on solving that. Once that is taken care of, other functionalities may be added, one step at a time. This would lead to a better-designed product and wider acceptability, an important component in ensuring virality.

2. Evaluate the target audience and their emotional response to the product
   Once the target-audience has been defined, the next important step is to make sure that the product resonates with the audience at an emotional level. It’s only then that they would talk about the product and promote it organically. One has to make them feel strongly about the product/ app. For this to happen, it’s crucial to evaluate their peculiar demographic characteristics and needs so that an emotional response could be evoked. Depending on who the audience is, the desired response can be very different. It can be shock, pleasure, awe, delight, even fear. It is only when the user feels emotionally connected will they be moved to talk about the project.

3. Develop an original and simple idea that binds people
   Simplicity lies at the core of virality in the Internet age. All the mighty apps which are used by billions of people across the globe all started off with a simple idea. Instagram began as a platform to share your life through images. Facebook was a place to connect with friends and family. Twitter started off as a platform to write what you feel in 140 characters or less. Today these are all large brands with a global footprint, but they all started off as simple ideas that solved a basic human need, which is common to all people everywhere. It is vital to find just such an idea that solves a common human problem that connects with everyone everywhere. That will make them spread the message.

4. Create a unique solution
   The designer has to make a choice: whether they wish to have long-term or short-term success with the product which they want to go viral. From a long-term point of view, the focus should be on creating something original and durable which solves a widespread problem. If short term success is desirable, it might make more sense to find problems or loopholes with existing products and plug them with a new solution. In either case, the designer has to focus on originality and be careful not to make just a copy of something that already exists. Uniqueness is the key to create an impact, and induce users to talk about it with others.

UX Design Stage
In order to create virality for a UX design project, it is of tantamount importance to create a positive and enriching experience for the user. This can be achieved by keeping the following things in mind:

1. Create the illusion of choice
   Users hate being forced to do things. Especially when it comes to app/website functionality, they want to be in control and make their own choices. So even if you feel the need to make a choice for them, you have to make them feel they have made it themselves. Users have to be navigated every step of the way, guided through the menu options and other steps, but at every stage they have to be made to feel that it’s them who’s taking all the decisions. This has to be kept in mind while designing the UX.

2. Heighten the feeling of “gamification”
   Every app has a gamified element in it, however subtle it may be. If the app is considered to do something “serious”, the gaming element is hidden within the layers. But every human being has a kid within them somewhere and these game elements appeal to them, even if at a subconscious level. This will go a long way in inducing the people to contribute to the virality of the project.

3. Infuse the product with your heart and soul
   It is said that UX designers have to put a part of their soul into the product they are designing. This is especially true if the product in question is intended to go viral. When the designer digs deep into the heart of the product and tries to solve the users’ problem as if it were his own, the end-product is invariably more genuine and it speaks to the users. And that makes them talk about it in hallowed terms.

4. Provide necessary functions where they are needed
   This is where a deep and fundamental knowledge of user persona and user journeys will help. To provide a feature or functionality, the designer needs to understand exactly at which stage of their user journey does the user need it. This leads to invariable positive UX as the user feels understood and appreciated. The importance of this cannot be overemphasized..

5. Social media connectivity should be seamless
   This is possibly one of the most significant points to be considered here. You want your project to go viral. You managed to impress the user and your design resonates with them. Their instinct will tell them to talk about it, share this experience on social media. But they can’t, because the social media connectivity of the app is not strong. The users have to be able to not only login through the popular social media networks, but also have easy access to share buttons whenever and wherever they need it.

UI Design stage
It is tempting to think that if you have covered all the above pointers towards a meticulous UX design, it is quite adequate for virality and UI is just visuals. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and there are just as many, if not more, points to be kept in mind while dealing with designing the UI of a project which you’d like to go viral.

Ensure that the product has substantial visual appeal
The interface has to be simple and intuitive
Go through a review and iteration process to obtain the most efficient solutions
Choose simple, clear and original UI elements
Create unique and identifiable visual properties such as icons, mascots and characters
Include interactive animation and transitions
Encourage natural interaction
Include high-quality graphic elements
Looks vs. functionality
There are two major pitfalls/ misconceptions the designer has to avoid, when it comes to designing the UI/UX for a project they want to achieve virality. One is to think that only usefulness is important for products to go viral, and visual appeal doesn’t matter as much. The other misconception leads one to believe that once you have managed to make an app visually striking, that’s all that matters for virality. As always, the truth is somewhere between these two extremes. Both functionality and looks are equally imperative for a UI/UX designer to meticulously work at, if they want their projects to be shared by as many users as possible.

In the end, virality is one of those things that just happens. A clumsy cat video made with the worst camera in the world garners more views than a high-end ad film made with state-of-the-art tech. It is difficult to replicate the idea of a viral concept, but it is not impossible. Authenticity and attention to detail are important. Everyone spends a major chunk of their lives online, sharing their thoughts and impulses. All you have to do is to ensure that your product resonates with them enough to talk about it.