The above screens represent the first time user experience of the new “Paper” app for iOS, created by Facebook.
The good bits:
- If a person already had a Facebook account set up on her iPhone, they aren’t asked to log in to Paper. Instead, the app pulls these credentials and automatically loads a personalized first run experience.
- Paper attempts to make its 3-screen intro slideshow a bit more contextual to the user, by showing up-to-date content from the person’s Facebook timeline in its screenshots.
- The setup of headlines as an additional element of the person’s Facebook feed is simple and interactive, and the transition to the real Paper feed after tapping “Done” helps explain some of the layout of the app.
- After the initial setup, Paper displays hints that are triggered as the user explores various aspects of the app. These work well as they are non-modal and don’t force auto-progression. Additionally, they are interactive and provide helpful feedback (such as displaying a checkmark and turning green when actions are completed). This all helps the user learn in the context of the activities they are currently participating in.
To be improved:
- The intro video that accompanies the first launch experience, while nicely composed, requires time investment that does not aid in advancing the user to the key interactions or setup of the app. There is the ability to skip the video, but only if the user taps the screen while it is playing and taps “Login”.
- While personalized, the 3-panel intro slideshow is still out of direct context, and Facebook may have been able to be further condense it so that only the last panel was necessary (as it sets the stage for the drag-and-drop setup).
- If a person downloads Paper as their first Facebook product on their current device, then they are forced to log in before they can go any further. It seems like a loss, as I imagine Paper could allow people to construct a feed of headlines without needing an account. While I understand that Facebook is in a unique position of ubiquity with most people having accounts, it is possible that Paper could be a person’s first interaction with their service.