WebRecs
WebRecs transforms the Webtoon reading experience by offering AI-powered personalized recommendations to readers.
Product Experience
Problem Space
Problem Statement
How might we enhance the consumer experience of browsing online comics using AI to increase Webtoon’s revenue?
Problem Background
At the moment, users have the capability to buy Coins to view comic chapters, but there are very few enticing factors as to why they should purchase these Coins in the first place. Furthermore, there is also an overwhelming number of online comics to pick from, which can lead to a paradox of choice. The current AI-recommendation system is very simple since it does not incorporate a hybrid mix of content-based and collaborative filtering. Simple AI algorithms like Webtoon’s existing system often rely on basic metrics like popularity or recent activity. This leads to generic recommendations that may not align with individual preferences. To ensure that customers have enough comics to read to stay online longer and that the content they read is enjoyable to the extent of wanting to buy Coins to do Fast Pass or support their creators, they would benefit from us improving the way Webtoon provides recommendations.
Research Method
Respondents were North American young adults (18-35) who varied in usage of the Webtoon app. A concise survey was conducted due to limited time, gathering large-scale data efficiently and quickly, and providing a broader understanding of user opinions and preferences. Five demographic questions, three close-ended questions, and six open-ended questions were asked.
Research Insights
User Pain Points
During the research phase, conducting a survey with 21 respondents revealed the following pain points:
- Most Webtoon users do not purchase Coins to do Fast Pass (read new chapters ahead) or support their favourite creators.
- Most of the respondents said they would be interested in an enhanced AI recommendation algorithm that provides accurate and personalized recommendations based on what comics they have liked or recently read. Despite their stated interest, they shared that they would not be willing to buy Coins. Only one participant who has purchased Coins before would be open to buying Coins again if they enjoy the recommendations that the AI feature gives.
- Many respondents indicated that Webtoon’s AI recommendation system can be improved to meet their comic browsing and reading needs. At the current moment, they did not feel that the given recommendations on the platform were highly relevant.
Supporting Data
86% of respondents do not purchase Coins because of the following reasons: they don’t use the platform enough to feel incentivized to buy Coins or they find Coins too expensive to buy.
Out of three respondents who do purchase Coins, one participant said they would continue buying more Coins if the AI feature provides them good recommendations.
14 respondents felt that Webtoon’s recommendations were somewhat relevant to them, followed by three respondents who felt that the recommendations were irrelevant, revealing that this feature can be improved to enhance their comic reading experience.
52% of respondents state that they would not be willing to buy more Coins if an AI-recommendation algorithm was implemented. However, many of these same respondents share that they would be interested in an AI recommendation system within the app if it accurately suggests comics they might enjoy.
Feedback
My exploratory user research study to validate this problem space with young North American adults found that the current AI recommendation system can be improved to enhance user engagement on the platform. Having a simple recommendation algorithm that does not provide relevant comics to read continues to make the browsing experience overwhelming for users and potentially lead to high drop-off rates. Therefore, I believe this opportunity to enhance Webtoon’s AI feature is worth it because it would allow comic fan enthusiasts or repeat customers to find their favourite series easily and lead to a greater tendency to buy Coins to support Webtoon creators. Having an enhanced AI recommendation feature can streamline the Webtoon usage experience and make it more pleasant for users overall.
Landing on the Solution
Based on my target users’ pain points, I wanted to work on the following features to enhance Webtoon’s existing AI recommendation system:
- Add a personalized survey: Webtoon currently does not have any recommendation features that enhance user engagement. Without an AI-recommendation personalization survey, Webtoon risks several significant drawbacks, impacting both users and creators. For instance, generic recommendations can lead to user frustration and disengagement. If users consistently encounter irrelevant content, they are less likely to spend time on the platform. This can result in decreased user retention and a decline in overall platform activity. Furthermore, without personalized recommendations, popular titles may dominate, creating an uneven playing field for creators. The integration of AI-powered personalized surveys for comic recommendations on Webtoon aims to enhance both user experience and content visibility. This survey addition provides valuable data that can be used to refine its existing recommendation algorithm, ultimately leading to a satisfying experience for comic enthusiasts.
- Provide curated recommendations after users complete a comic series: Webtoon’s existing AI recommendation system is very simple and does not have enough sophisticated tagging and categorization of comics to build an accurate algorithm. To combat this issue, a hybrid mix of content-based and collaborative filtering shall be used to enhance the accuracy of the AI model. When users complete a series and rate it, the enhanced AI recommendation algorithm will provide comic recommendations based on their own comic browsing history as well as what other similar users have read. These recommendations along with an explanation of why a particular webtoon was recommended will prompt a question to ask them whether this given webtoon interests them or not. Depending on the user’s answer, it will provide additional data to WebRecs to improve its recommendation algorithm on the platform.
Explanation of Solution
WebRecs makes reading comics more fun and convenient by providing you with the Mini Comic Discovery Quest which is a short survey that asks you questions about your comic preferences. You can opt into the survey where WebRecs will only collect data on your comic preferences and name to provide you the best personalized recommendations. After you complete your quest, you will receive a list of comics that best suits your tastes.
You can also take advantage of WebRecs after completing a series that you enjoyed. After giving it a rating, WebRecs will recommend you the next comic to read based on your browsing and reading history, and what other similar users have read.
WebRecs is sophisticatedly accurate, intuitive to use, and tailored to fit your preferences. Carefully selected to provide a high-quality comic reading experience, it helps comic enthusiasts like you to find new and exciting content.
Before vs. After Hi-Fi Mockups
Future Steps
Do usability testing: Next steps I want to take is to conduct moderated usability testing with my hi-fi prototype to gain insights on any potential usability issues to address and iterate early on before developing the product with engineers. Doing usability testing can prevent costly revisions later in the development process and ensure that the final product is user-friendly and meets user needs.
Potential additional problem to address: Enticing users to click the survey feature on the homepage and reduce the WebRecs AI-recommendation survey drop-off rate is an important issue to address because I want to increase user engagement with the platform.
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Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Helen Chan
The Power of Business Storytelling: Storytelling is an important skill to hone in any tech career, whether it’s UX design, research, or product management. In a business setting as a product manager, I ultimately want to create a narrative that resonates with higher leadership executives. This means making information persuasive, memorable, and accessible in my PRD, so that everyone involved understands my motivations behind implementing an AI feature into my product and is aligned on common business goals. For example, the Product Summary, Business Impact, and Measuring Success sections in my PRD should add clarity and convey a captivating message to make the product development process purposeful for my team members.
The Importance of Keeping Up with Product Management Trends and Technologies: To drive innovation, gain a competitive advantage, and stay ahead of the game, I always have to stay up to date with the latest product management trends and technologies. The market landscape rapidly changes and evolves, which means I have to be ready to embrace it as a continuous learner and upskill myself.
Create Ethically: I have a social responsibility to create products using ethical AI that have a positive impact on society and the well-being of users. It matters to me that I am knowledgeable about ethics, so that I can demonstrate to stakeholders the importance of implementing responsible AI practices into the product while emphasizing the need for accountability.
There Is No Right or Wrong Answer in Product Management: As a product manager, there truly is no right or wrong answer with what kind of product I build or features I implement. Oftentimes, I have to make decisions with what I think and feel is best for my product. And most of the time, it is all about getting my hands dirty in the process by hypothesizing, building, testing, and constantly iterating.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.