LOOP
A Platform to Challenge Political Misinformation
Timeline April 2024
Role UX Researcher
The Problem
Misinformation has become a political problem, particularly when it comes to Facebook and Twitter. False information spreads like wildfire through users who are often consuming and sharing unchecked content and so it’s hard to tell fact from fiction. Our goal was to build a platform for real time fact checking, encouraging critical thinking without stepping on free speech.
Our Approach
As part of a design challenge at The Collective Studio, I joined a team with one clear mission: to create a platform that will help news organizations to tackle the spread of political misinformation by creating tools that empower users themselves to verify stories as they come across them.
At the heart of the project was this question:
How can we help users fact-check political content without disrupting their online experience?
Understanding the Landscape
I began by doing the competitive research around seeing how other platforms that were already out there, like Snopes, FactCheck.org, NewsGuard are able to solve misinformation. This is where they are fact checked, but I saw gaps in their approach. However, these platforms fell short in terms of real time capabilities, and weren’t equipped with interactive means for engagement with users while they went through the information. Additionally, community driven fact checking was also not emphasized.
Hearing from the Users
To really grasp the problem, I interviewed politically active people and casual news readers. What really struck me was: How overwhelmed folks were by volume of misinformation online. Some said they didn’t have the time to check out sights from many sources and this frequently resulted in their redistributing untruths.
Here are some key takeaways from our interviews:
“I wish there was a quick, built-in way to fact-check posts while I’m scrolling.”
“I see fake news all the time. It’s hard to know what’s real anymore.”
“Sometimes I don’t even realize I’m sharing misinformation until it’s too late.”
“Misinformation spreads so fast in my social media circles, and it feels like there’s no easy way to stop it.”
What follows are these insights that served as an illustration of how these users wanted better fact answering tools (integrated directly into (the platform they widely used). But they needed something fast and accessible and knew they could trust.)
Defining the Solution
Based on these insights, we held a brainwriting session to conceive a few possible solutions. This threw out several ideas like a browser extension with a flag for dubious content or a notification system when a news with fact-checks is coming. We soon figured out that the real solution should be incorporated into users' current behaviors.
Introducing LOOP
As we thought through the problem, LOOP became our solution— platform which enables users to check the facts of political content in real-time, while using their regular social media feeds. Our goal was to develop a tool that would not only tag misinformation, but also stimulate critical thinking from the user around the content they consume. In particular, LOOP differentiated itself with two key features: community driven fact checking and credibility indicators, making it transparent and making its users accountable.
Crafting the Persona
To ensure that LOOP addressed the real needs and behaviors of our target users, I created a user persona based on the insights gathered from our interviews and surveys. This persona became the focal point of our design process, representing the typical user who regularly consumes and shares political content on social media but often struggles with distinguishing fact from misinformation.
Mapping User Insights
I did affinity mapping to organize user interviews and survey data. Through this, I was able to identify common themes, like being able to quickly verify and provide built in tools to help their users from false content.
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AI tools for verification from reputable news forums
Positive reception of fact-check features like Twitter’s fact-check caption
Fact-checking pop-ups and source credibility ratings
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Transparent algorithms and educational resources
Belief that online platforms should be proactive in combating misinformation while respecting free speech
Opinions on misinformation as free speech and the need for user verification
High reliance on credible sources and fact-checking websites
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Community-driven reporting features
Calls for non-biased fact-checking and multiple perspectives in reporting
Importance placed on checking multiple sources and community discussions to verify news
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A preference for tools that clarify the source and date of information
Users express difficulty in verifying truth and a desire for platforms to provide clearer, unbiased information
Recommendations for websites that check and filter news
Devices Used for News: Smartphones dominate, followed by laptops and desktops, tablets are less common
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Majority have encountered misinformation, especially on social media platforms like Facebook and through various online news outlets.
Debates on the feasibility of classifying misinformation without bias
Education Level: high school to master's degrees
Gender Distribution: A mix of male, female, non-binary/third gender, and prefer not to say
Sources of News: A blend of mainstream news websites and social media being the most prominent
Engagement Level: Users vary from being fully engaged to passively informed about political news
Age Groups: Predominantly 18-34, some 35-60, few 60+
Geographic Location: International, such as Brazil, Canada, China, India, Netherlands, Taiwan, UK, USA
Bringing LOOP to Life
In the meantime, I worked on the research and very closely with the design team, ‘handing off’ as they implemented insights and conducting follow up sessions so that the research was applied to the design. The final high-fidelity prototype included:
Real-time fact-checking: While users scroll through social media, fact check alerts pop up instantly and help decrease the spread of misinformation.
Credibility Indicators: Engaging visual cues meant to help users determine the reliability of the content they consume.
Community Fact-Checking: A feature where users can share their own fact check and therefore make it more transparent and more trustworthy.
What I Learned
Working on LOOP was truly transformational. At first I believed it was just about fighting misinformation. Yet through ubiquitous user research I came to understand that the actual roadblock was: how people consumed information and how much of that information they trust. This led us to rethink our focus in design terms from just detecting misinformation to providing an integrated experience that works with the user’s existing behaviors.
Through trusting the research process, and being flexible, I learned the tremendous value of user driven insights in shaping a solution that actually resonates. With LOOP, we addressed a vitally important issue while simultaneously establishing a base for a platform to encourage critical and informational thought.