WhatsApp Voice Message Feature
Product Requirement Document
Overview
Consumers encounter frustration when recording a voice message in WhatsApp and they accidentally exit the app; the recording pauses where they left off, but they have no way of resuming the message. Additionally, while a voice message is in progress, it is very easy to cancel the message instead of sending due to the positioning of the cancel prompt.
This feature, as a whole, needs to be reworked. The enhancements I propose will:
Allow users to exit the app or lock their screen and continue to record seamlessly
Have the ability to resume recording when they reopen the app, and feel confident that they will not accidentally cancel the message they just invested time into recording.
Give users the option to change settings to either:
Continue recording if they exit the app
Resume recording when they return to the app
Move the cancel prompt to a more conducive position
One of the goals is to not only improve this feature, but also to increase the use of this feature and then, in the future, see if monetization can be implemented. The object is to demonstrate that user feedback has been considered; this will increase trust and lead to higher conversion/usage rates.
Target Users
Who: Customers in the age ranges of:
18-24 (college students)
25-34 (millennials)
35-44 (folks with older parents)
45-54 (parents/grandparents)
What: The feature will allow a voice message to be started, and then resumed, if the user exits the app or locks their screen. User will not have to worry about accidentally cancelling a voice message.
When: This will affect approximately 81% of users who said they use WhatsApp on a daily basis and, more directly, it will improve the experience of 27.5% of users who indicated that they use WhatsApp for voice messaging.
How: Via the desktop app as well as the mobile app
Core User Stories
As a college student, I would like to send voice messages to share my experiences with friends and family while I backpack through Europe. I don’t want to worry about accidentally cancelling messages.
As a college student, I want to send voice messages to my friends without the worry of exiting the app accidentally and not being able to resume my message where I left off.
As a daughter, I want to record a voice message for my mother so that she can listen and not have to strain her vision to read small letters on a phone screen.
As a parent who struggles with typing, I would like to communicate with my children and grandchildren via voice message, so that I don’t have to type on a small keyboard.
Competitors
iMessage- iMessages can be sent between iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac. Messages are sent and received using wireless data. The user has the ability to add stickers, share media, and more.
Core functions available: Text, Voice Messages, Reactions, Rich Previews, Digital Touch, Stickers
Pros:
Streamlined across all devices
Can be used without cell service
Lets user know whether a message was successfully delivered
Can react to a message with emoji
Rich previews- allows media to be viewed without having to visit actual webpage
Ability to share location
Cons:
Unable to send voice messages to Android users
Defaults to send read receipts
Messages to Android users have a tendency to not go through
Interface is different when sending to Android users
Difficult to discern whether message is being sent through iMessage or text
Group texts that include an Android user have significant reduction in the quality of the image/video being sent
Pricing: Free
Mockups
Here’s a reminder of what the goals are:
Allow users to exit the app or lock their screen and continue to record seamlessly
Have the ability to resume recording when they reopen the app, and feel confident that they will not accidentally cancel the message they just invested time into recording.
Give users the option to change settings to either:
Continue recording if they exit the app
Resume recording when they return to the app
Move the cancel prompt to a more conducive position
If a user navigates away from the app or locks their screen, the WhatsApp logo would would appear at the top of the screen and blink, indicating that recording is still in progress.
User can exit the app and, upon their return, they will be able to resume their voice message.
User will have the option of continuing to record a voice message upon exiting the app, or the ability to resume where they left off.
A repositioned cancel prompt will reduce the likelihood that the user will accidentally cancel their voice message, when they try to send.
Pricing
WhatsApp is currently free to all. Contingent upon the success of the newly developed voice messaging feature, the possibility for monetization is present.
The two tiers would be: WhatsApp Basic and WhatsApp Pro
Outstanding To-Dos
ꩄ Meet with sales team to see how viable the market is, what the prospects are
ꩄ Work with marketing to put together a campaign
ꩄ Work with engineering to scope and size the project
Please help me gather more research and iterate on this project by filling out my WhatsApp Survey!