Writing Creative Letters with iOS Mail
TLDR
Overview and Result
Context
Despite Apple’s popularity among users, (with an estimated 1.46 billion active iPhone users) Apple’s Mail app is unpopular due to its outdated experience and lack of unique features, causing users to stick with third-party email services.
Duration
5 Weeks
Roles
UX Design
UX Research
Prototyping
Tools Used
Figma
Adobe CC
Google Forms
How might we use letter-writing features in the iOS Mail app to entice users to use it over third-party apps?
Opportunity
Recieving Letters
After a brief onboarding, users can receive custom and personalized short messages from their contacts.
Sending Letters
Utilizing the features already present in the notes and message apps, users can create custom letters to send to their contacts.
Initial Research
Insights from Surveys and Interviews
Of 15+ Surveyed Participants...
What kind of phone do you use?
What do you use to send emails?
Apple (92%)
Other (8%)
1 in 10 people have over 1000 unread emails in their inbox.*
From 5 Individual Interviews...
Interviews were focussed on why users preferred other email services over iOS mail, and what that user would like to see if they could add anything to the app.
“I like when emails have a custom little stamp- signature- icon, thing at the bottom, but I would want to make mine myself.”
“I’m just more familiar with gmail. I had made a Google account before I got a phone.”
“I used to have a penpal and we would exchange drawings, so I would want to draw.”
What do you mostly use your email for?
Gmail (78%)
Mail (14%)
Work (63%)
Yahoo (7%)
School (24%)
Sign-Ups (7%)
Other (3%)
92% of respondents use iPhones.
Yet, only 14% of respondents use Mail as their preferred emali app.
Dull and routine content makes most emails easy to ignore.*
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Sometimes setting up multiple email accounts within the Mail app, causes unwanted extra notifications.
Setting up an inbox within iOS mail for a different email service is difficult and takes users a long time.
1 in 5 users use iOS mail on their iPhone
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Usually, an email address is made prior to having an iPhone, and is not changed later.
Apple users would like to see more customization features in the mail app
The customization features users suggested were similar to the customization offered in writing letters, (Signatures, drawing, paper textures, fonts, etc.)
Initial Research
Card Sorting Activity
A list of 11 potential new features were drafted, and 4 participants were asked to rank them by interest in a card sort.
The features that participants were most interested in still emphasized customization and personalization. Features suggested like custom signatures and drawing would later be tested in prototypes.
Market Value Proposition
Competitor Analysis
Three apps for writing and sharing creative messages were analyzed and assessed for their strengths and weakness as they pertain to creating personalized and custom messages.
Assessment of these three apps reveal a demand for a creative message sending service, while Sincerely and Slowly fulfill this need, they exist in their own niche and are not widely recognized for their capabilities, nor are they accessible to a wider audience
Market Value Proposition
Unique Benefits
Rectifying the demand for creative message sending in tandem with enhancing the customization features of the mail app will allow Apple to:
Expand on uses for Apple Intelligence in the mail app
Collect valuable data on how users customize their individual experiences
Anonymized data on letter customization could improve Apple’s machine learning, enabling smarter design and formatting suggestions.
Behavioral data from implementation, can drive personalized recommendations, boosting satisfaction and retention.
Increase brand loyalty
Slowly
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The send time of letters are depend on the physical location of the sender and the recipient
Users are matched by interests so like-minded users can interact.
Emphasis on avatar creation and personalization.
This is a paid service by subscription
Sincerely
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Users can write anonymous messages and will appear on a feed that anyone could view.
Users can respond to the messages they see, but remain anonymous.
There is no way to customize your messages.
There is a direct messaging feature, but it is sparsely used.
Bottled
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The lack of curation allows unsavory messages to reach users who may not wish to see them.
Some features like the World Diary have little to do with letters, and can be overwhelming.
Users write messages that are sent to random recipients.
Apple users value exclusivity, and a unique feature in the Mail app strengthens Apple’s ecosystem by boosting loyalty.
Final Recomendations
Success Metrics and Other Opportunities
Within Six Months of Implementation
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15% of users report regularly using the Mail app
5% of iPhone users switch to iOS mail from other apps
CSAT of at least 75%
Increased NPS (Greater than 72)
Further Explorations
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Collaborative drafts in the Mail ppp
One-tap unsubscribe from mailing lists
Automatic sorting of emails by category in the Inbox
Prototyping and Testing
Paper Protoypes
Paper prototypes were used to quickly test usability and how well basic features were understood.
Launch
Open Letter
Compose
Testing Insights
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Navigation felt intuitive.
Connection the Mail app was unclear.
The interface does not match Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines.
Prototyping and Testing
Low Fidelity, High Resolution
Digital prototypes were then used to test interest in new features, as well as the look and feel of the addition.
Testing Insights
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Users felt satisfied with the offered customization features.
Experience is missing the anticipation felt when sending a real letter
Feels more like Apple, but needs refinement.
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Schedule Send
Notification