Projects
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WSJ Messenger Bot by Dow Jones

Introducing News Alerts and Market Data into Conversational Interfaces

Why

WSJ recognized that younger audiences in their 20s and 30s prefer short, interactive content over long articles. With the rise of messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger, WSJ saw an opportunity to engage this demographic by delivering news in a conversational format on a platform they already use, avoiding the need to build and promote a separate news app.

What

A chatbot integrated into Facebook Messenger that distributes WSJ’s editorial content, including breaking news, daily digests, and market updates. Users could search for news articles by keyword or check market performance by typing stock ticker symbols. The bot also supported interactive content like quizzes, opinion polls, and short-form video summaries to cater to the audience's preferences.

How

After researching similar chat apps like Slack and Quartz, I identified opportunities and challenges in delivering news through a chat UI. I designed flows that leveraged the advantages of text commands and interaction history while addressing their limitations. Wireframes and prototypes were created based on Messenger’s platform constraints, iterating continuously to ensure the bot provided a user-friendly experience. This included features like allowing users to submit live updates and photos, which could be vetted and shared by WSJ editors.

Project Context

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Context

Compony

Dow Jones, Facebook

Title

UX Designer

Role

As a UX designer, I led the design of user flows and collaborated on project concepts with other stakeholders.

Project type

Chat Bot, Innovation

Duration

Approximately, 2wk. discovery, 1mo. design, 1mo. development (ph.1). However, the ideation that led to the design solution took place long time prior.

Project overview

WSJ Facebook Messenger bot, announced at the F8 Developers Conference in April 2016, aimed to deliver news and market data to users through a chat-based interface within Facebook Messenger. The project explored the potential of chatbots as a tool for distributing editorial content, allowing users to receive breaking news, daily summaries, and market updates by typing stock ticker symbols or searching by keywords. This initiative focused on creating an interactive news experience tailored to a younger audience, integrating WSJ’s content into their everyday conversations without needing a separate app.

The Launch of FB Messenger Bot Platform:

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The WSJ Facebook Messenger bot was part of a confidential project focused on the early adoption of Facebook's bot platform. Announced at the F8 Developers Conference in April 2016, this initiative aimed to explore the potential of chatbots for delivering news and market data through Facebook Messenger.
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At the same conference, Facebook showcased several other innovative bot projects, including those by major brands and service providers experimenting with customer service and e-commerce. Notable examples included chatbots for booking reservations, interactive customer support, and personalized shopping experiences. These projects demonstrated the growing capabilities of chatbots and their potential to enhance user engagement across various industries.

WSJ was one of many launch partners for the FB Messenger Bot platform.
The screenshot is how user can view the transaction history with the MasterCard bot | Image source from TechCrunch

Benefits of Chatbots

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While current chatbots are still developing, major platforms like Facebook and Google have highlighted their significant potential. Here are the key advantages:

1. No App Download Required

One of the biggest benefits is that users can interact with bots within widely used messaging apps, eliminating the need to download a separate app. This reduces the need for extensive marketing and product efforts to drive app installations and user retention.

2. Cost-Effective Development

Chatbots can be more affordable and easier to build compared to developing a full-fledged app or website. The frameworks provided by major platforms streamline the process, enabling service providers to create functional bots with less effort.

3. Enhanced NLP Capabilities

Access to advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) through these platforms improves chatbot effectiveness. Unlike older IVR systems, which were often frustrating due to limited interaction capabilities, modern chatbots benefit from sophisticated AI, making them more useful and responsive.

4. Optimized for Mobile

Chat UIs naturally fit mobile experiences, aligning with the evolution of text-based interactions on mobile devices. This makes chatbots well-suited for delivering concise, interactive content.

Design Process

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Platform Constraints and Research Insights

The design began with understanding the limitations of the Messenger platform. As the real experience was unknown until a few weeks before the launch, much of the work involved studying other chat-based apps like Quartz and Slack to identify potential challenges and opportunities in using a chatbot for news distribution.

Exploring the Quartz news app helped uncover issues with chat UIs, while studying Slack revealed the broader potential of chat platforms. Two key advantages of chat UIs were discovered: the ability to issue text commands and browse interaction history. However, these also presented challenges, as users may struggle to remember multiple commands, and revisiting past conversations could disrupt the user flow.

At the time, the Quartz app was innovative for its chat-format interactions, allowing users to browse stories in a conversational style.
Instead of offering free-form text, Quartz provided unique call-to-action buttons, which were distinctive at that time. | Image from robosoftin

Creating a User Flow

To better understand the platform's constraints collectively, I collaborated closely with the WSJ team and Facebook to create user flows that clarified how the bot could function effectively. I introduced graphic stories in place of lengthy text to make content more digestible within the limited space, enhancing user engagement. Properly incorporating images also helped reinforce WSJ’s branding, creating a more cohesive and visually appealing experience.

We created approximately 20 different design versions to arrive at the final product for the launch.

Final Product

The WSJ bot delivered a daily news digest, featuring top headlines and market wrap-ups. To drive user engagement, push notifications were utilized, encouraging users to return to the Messenger platform regularly. This approach not only kept users informed but also fostered consistent interaction with the bot, ensuring that the platform remained a go-to source for quick news updates.

In addition to the news, the bot offered real-time access to stock data. Users could easily search for stock ticker symbols and receive dynamically generated stock charts, rendered in the backend and presented directly in the chat interface. This seamless integration allowed users to stay informed on financial markets, with timely insights delivered right within their conversation.

Takeaways and Next Phase

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Conceptual Idea: Participational Media

With the release of chatbots, there’s a new opportunity to transform breaking news apps into more interactive and engaging platforms. Chat UIs enable a participatory approach, allowing users to actively contribute to professional storytelling rather than just consuming content passively.

For example, with the WSJ bot, users can upload photos related to breaking news. The bot then asks a series of automated questions to filter out non-credible reports. Verified, credible photos are reviewed by editors and shared with all users, creating a more dynamic and participatory news experience.

This approach not only engages users directly with the news but also provides live updates from a variety of sources. By involving users in the reporting process, news apps can foster greater interaction and keep audiences more engaged with ongoing stories.

Get in touch

I'm excited to learn about your project.
Let's collaborate to turn conceptual ideas into concrete results.
takuma.kakehi@gmail.com
@tkakehi
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Experienced product and interaction designer, with diverse experience in web, mobile, VR, AR, and immersive experiences.