Mojo - Live Stream Journalism App
Timeline & Platform
2 weeks for iOS
The App
MOJO is a live-streaming/live-mixing app for journalists that allows users to piece together professional stories within minutes and then livestream their stories on social media platforms.
The Problem
Users across industries from social media influencers to small/medium market journalists need a tool that allows them to seamlessly merge live streaming with live edited elements (B-Rolls, interview clips, etc) to create viewing experiences that feel professional and exciting.
The Solution
We want to help journalists solve the problem of missing stories due to a slow setup process when covering breaking news stories by creating a live broadcasting iOS app that allows them to store, access, and merge B-rolls, interview clips, and maps while live broadcasting.
Research
Our clients originally had an app named Venu that they weren’t able to launch yet, because the features weren’t functioning. They came to us for a re-design of the entire app and brand. We started our project in a discovery phase where we did a Heuristic Evaluation and of the original app Venu. We also did a Competitive and Comparative analysis of apps and social platforms that functioned similarly to our app.
Heuristic Evaluation
The heuristic evaluation gave us an idea of what we were dealing with in terms of the features that didn’t function. The chart below shows you a few of the highest violations that needed to be prioritized in our re-design in order for the app to function.
Interviews
Insight
Journalists constantly utilize social media to share news and acquire information throughout the process.
Quality is a priority.
Journalists want to have cloud storage so they can have a large quantity of content saved without worrying about overwhelming their phone storage.
Journalists want the option to share their projects and content on social media so they can reach a greater audience in a shorter amount of time.
“EVERYTHING IS MOVING TOWARDS THE PHONE.”
“THE STATION HAS VERY LITTLE PATIENCE WITH BAD QUALITY”
“WE DON’T USE NEWS VANS BECAUSE THEY’RE A PAIN IN THE ASS”
“OFTEN, PEOPLE AREN’T GOING HOME TO WATCH THE 6 PM NEWS ON THE TV. THEY WANT TO SEE A STORY, SO THEY CLICK ON THE STORY ON THEIR PHONE INSTEAD OF WAITING TILL 10 PM TO WATCH IT ON THE NEWS SHOW. GENERALLY, WE TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM BAD RECORDINGS. WE ARE A VISUAL MEDIUM. BUT AGAIN, GOING TO THE IDEA OF IT BEING BREAKING NEWS AND THE LIVE ASPECT OF IT, IF WE NEED TO USE A PHONES FOOTAGE, THEN YES.”
Surveys
We learned that journalists regularly use their phones for live broadcasts and that the time it takes to set up equipment does get in the way of their work.
We had 106 Journalists participate in our Survey
Persona
Journey Map
Re-defined Problem Statement
When journalists are out in the field, they need to be able to record, edit and access their gathered information to provide a seamless news report.
Journalists having trouble reporting and delivering breaking news in a timely manner, How Might We offer them a solution that streamlines this process while not compromising quality?
Feature Prioritization
These are the features, in order of importance for us to work on as we headed into the design.
Design
VOSOT was the name of the app before the rebrand.
Overlapping feedback:
On-boarding walkthrough needs a next and skip button
Creating “autosave” as the project is being created
Should have a consistent “Stop Livestream” Button that is accessible throughout B-Rolls, Interviews, Maps, and Live
Each feature will have a first time walkthrough, with arrows and words annotating the features
10 users
Mid-fi Protoype
9 users
Overlapping feedback:
Add Photos feature
Different map options for maps
3 levels of volume for B-rolls: low, high, and off
Implement the ability to edit/trim clips
Add a section to save archived videos in a hamburger menu
Exporting files in different sizes (1080p - 480p) by quality
Have the option of looping b-rolls
Rebrand
Our clients were very open to a complete rebranding and renaming of the app. During our usability testing we asked the users (all journalists) how they felt about the name “VOSOT” for the app and here’s what some of them said.
“DOESN’T MAKE SENSE BECAUSE VOSOT IS VIDEO AND INTERVIEW AND THIS IS NOT IT”
“VOSOT DOESN’T ENCOMPASS WHAT THIS APP DOES”
“IT’S OK AND IS INDUSTRY FRIENDLY BUT FOR BRAND UNDERSTANDING, THERE COULD THERE BE CONFUSION BASED ON THE NAME THAT CAN PREVENT THEM FROM GROWING.”
The Solution
After researching, we decided that the word MOJO (which actually stands for mobile journalism) encompassed what the app actually does best and resonated with our users the most. We updated the brand to make it feel relevant and fresh.
Results
Before
The original app was called “Venu” and then “Vosot”. Only after conducting usability testing, we found that “MOJO” (Mobile journalism) was a name that fit the app and what it does best.
This is the original app that we started with.
After
This is the final result of the project and the clients were very happy with the results.
“You took what’s been in our head for 2.5 years and made it real”
Next Steps
Finish developing the app with the development team
Continue testing the prototype with journalists
Launch the app