X — Twitter
A new tweet analytics feature and 'X' logo concept
Color Palette
The Problem
Tweets contain a lot of data, yet the metrics presented to users are quite basic. People crave numbers, and the insights they provide about their posts. Moreover, businesses leveraging Twitter could greatly benefit from more robust analytics to optimize their engagement strategies.
With the recent launch of Twitter Blue receiving mixed reviews, there's an opportunity to introduce a paid feature that truly adds value.
Working at Twitter
My journey with Twitter began during a period of significant transformation following Elon Musk's acquisition of the company.
Joining Twitter felt like embarking on an adventure—a chance to work on a product of huge scale and perhaps even collaborate with Elon Musk himself.
A friend who had joined Twitter as an engineer invited me to San Francisco to lead the design of a new feature, and despite the absence of financial incentives, the opportunity was too enticing to pass up.
Overview of the analytics (Figma Prototype)
The Process
Our journey at Twitter commenced with the formation of a small team, fueled by brainstorming sessions and a relentless pursuit of innovative ideas.
I dove into the intricacies of Twitter's data ecosystem, seeking answers to how things worked and what kind of design would be feasible.
We set ourselves a challenging deadline of one week to not only conceptualize the design but also create a stripped-down, working MVP. After several iterations, we finally arrived at a design that met our satisfaction, and we eagerly sought feedback from fellow Twitter employees to refine our vision.
Analytics Key Features
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1. Expanded Metrics
Our design aimed to enrich the user experience by displaying a more comprehensive set of metrics, capitalizing on the real-time data that Twitter continuously gathers.
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2. Live Updates
While dependant on complex backend work, our concept prioritized live updating or, at the very least, periodic refreshes every few seconds.
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3. New vs. Existing Audience
We segmented most of the statistics into two categories—your existing audience and the new individuals your tweets reached, offering a nuanced view of engagement.
See a deeper view by tapping in each metric
An idea to show interactions on a video with time-stamps
Twitter rebrand
During our journey, Twitter underwent a transformation into X, a transition that raised questions about the iconic bird logo. Personally, I believed that Twitter possessed a strong brand, underscored by the mainstream usage of the term Tweet.
Though I can't speak to the full story behind the new logo, I found the it's execution to be less than ideal and somewhat lacking in creativity. While creating an 'X' logo of my own presented its challenges, I aimed to pay homage to the beloved bird by have it's essence into the letter.
My design for a 'X' logo with different variations. I tried to pay respect to the bird, but keep it a letter
Summary
While the analytics feature remains unreleased and faces uncertainties due to rapidly changing priorities at Twitter, the journey was nothing short of incredible.
Collaborating with the Twitter team introduced me to a group of brilliant, passionate individuals, and I extend my heartfelt gratitude for their warm welcome.