X App
At-A-Glance
New users on X often feel lost. This case study shows how a guided discovery system and a smarter bottom‑nav reduce cognitive overload, help users unlock key features sooner, and keep them engaged.
Redesigning Onboarding & Navigation for Better Discovery
Role
Type
Timeline
Tools
UX research, user flows, wireframing, interaction design, high-fidelity UI
Case Study
13 days
Figma
FIgjam
Framer
01. Discovery & Research
1.1 The brainstorm
Well, it was a brainstorm.
Let me explain !
I generated three questions. Each question came up with three answers.
Those answers have been questioned again to provoke ‘deeper answers’.
Then from the ‘deeper answer’ it came the impact statement or REAL problem.
Where finally I’ve driven on the ideas to work on !!
idea
What specific frustrations do I face as a new user?
6 buttons in bottom nav is confusing
Icons are not labeled or intuitive
Users get confused, take time to learn the app
Add clear labels or an onboarding tutorial for navigation buttons
idea
Actionable news
Want content to drive decisions
Users stop engaging
Add tags for content credibility
What goals or expectations do I have when opening the app?
impact
idea
What would increase my motivation to return and engage with the app regularly?
Visible progress and a sense of achievement
Motivation grows if progress and achievements are visible, not lost in chaos
Doom scrolling to X app as another social media will feel waste of time
Introduce a guided discovery system with milestones (e.g., “1/5 features explored”) to boost motivation and direction
Samples :
why?
answer
answer
answer
Question
Question
Question
why?
why?
impact
impact
Home (icon)
Familiar, but no onboarding. Instantly shows a chaotic feed with mainstream news that feels overwhelming.
No intro, no guidance.
Notifications (icon)
Looks familiar, but empty.Feels like a dead end for new users.
No suggestions or hints.
Powerful features like Spaces are hidden in a flat side menu, with no context or guidance. New users don’t know what they are or why they matter. Without timing, progression, or reward, discovery feels overwhelming instead of exciting.
Search (icon).
Generic icon, vague purpose.
Opens Trends without categories. No cues on where to go
or what to explore.
This screen assumes users already know X’s value — but new users are still exploring. Showing payment options too soon feels pushy, like being upsold before trying the product.
Grok suddenly opens a separate AI interface with no context, asking new users to download another app. This breaks their flow and trust, with no clear reason why it matters.
1.2 Observing the App
Twitter began as a microblogging platform known for concise, real-time text updates. Over the years, it evolved into a more chaotic space blending memes, news, and opinions. Since rebranding to “X,” its vision has shifted toward becoming an all-in-one “everything app.” However, this ambition has come at the cost of clarity and purpose, especially for new users seeking value.
A short history on the App
1.3 User Research
Key insight: Users repeatedly cite overwhelming UI, confusing navigation, and irrelevant noise — confirming the need for a more guided, purposeful first-time experience.
Summary :
"Users feel lost upon first opening the app."
"Content feels random and lacks professional depth."
"Navigation is unintuitive and requires guesswork."
"No onboarding or helpful guidance for new users."
😵💫
1.4 Competitors Audit _ research
To explore how other platforms handle onboarding and user experience, I analysed four relevant competitors: LinkedIn, Reddit, Bluesky, and WeChat. Each serves a distinct audience and purpose, but all offer valuable insights into how digital platforms guide engagement, discovery, and user motivation areas where X currently struggles.
X aims to become a Western WeChat — blending content, communication, payments, and services into one platform. But unlike LinkedIn or Reddit, it lacks a focused, unified entry point. This makes onboarding especially critical. New users need more than a sign-up — they need clarity, motivation, and guidance to explore X’s full potential without feeling overwhelmed.
Analysis
&
Takeaway
Overlay formal for casual or personal discovery
Interactions often feel self-promotional
Feed tailored to career goals and industry relevance
Minimal distraction compared to entertainment-first platforms
Feed tailored to career goals and industry relevance
UI can be confusing for newcomers
Weak onboarding structure, potentially overwhelming new users
In-depth, focused discussions
Onboarding through subreddit selection
Early-stage product with minimal onboarding
New users may feel unsure where to start
Discovery lacks direction
Lightweight interface eases first-time experience
Small, tight-knit communities encourage authentic interaction
Built for China’s infrastructure and cultural context — hard to replicate in the West
Designed for users already familiar with its ecosystem
Onboarding is intuitive due to widespread adoption
Seamless integration of diverse services
1.5 Problem statement
New users arrive on X expecting an intelligent and purposeful platform — but are instead met with an overwhelming feed, unclear navigation, and no meaningful onboarding. It feels like being dropped into a loud, chaotic room with no map or guidance.
While X is evolving into an “everything app,” this ambition leaves curious users disoriented rather than intrigued. They don’t want another feed to scroll — they want a more personal, engaging entry point that rewards curiosity and builds confidence from the first tap.
“Everyone’s talking about how X is trying to be the ‘everything app’… I’m curious if it actually feels that way.”
2.1 User Persona
02. Empathize
Name :
Age :
Occupation:
Location:
Background
Helena
34
Project Manager
Berlin, Germany
Helena, 34, is a Project Manager from Berlin who’s curious about new platforms that offer meaningful, professional content. She’s tech-savvy but impatient with cluttered interfaces.
Signing up for X, she hopes it’s more than just another feed—but instead finds herself overwhelmed by chaotic content and poor guidance. Helena needs an onboarding experience that feels smart, intentional, and rewarding—something that helps her explore the app
with clarity and purpose, not confusion.
See if X can offer something smarter and more meaningful than other social platforms
Explore professional
and intellectual content without noise
Connect with professionals and communities aligned with global progress
Feels dropped into a cluttered app without real guidance
Finds feeds chaotic, with unclear purpose
Doesn’t know where to start or what’s worth her attention
An onboarding experience that guides her, not overwhelms her
Clear categories or markers that help her explore intentionally
Subtle rewards for discovering features (like progress or achievements)
GOALS
FUSTRATIONS
NEEDS & EXPECTATIONS
“If this is just another feed to scroll, I’m out.”
Hears about X as the everything
App
Enters Home feed
Lands in chaotic, high velocity timeline
Step
Action
Thoughts
Emotions
Pain
Points
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Taps through sign up flow, selects interests
Maybe this is
finally something smarter than Instagram or TikTok.
Curious, open minded
No real onboarding - dropped straight into noisy feed
Wait, what is all this?
Overwhelmed, disoriented, unclear next step
Content feels very similar to other platforms
Explores Nav bar
Taps icons: Grok, Spaces, Communities
Why is Grok here? Should I download something else?
Confused unsure
Icons are vague, features lack context or onboarding
Opens side menu
Sees Lists, Monetization, Tips, Jobs, Analytics
This is way too much for day one
Wait..am I already being upsold?
Distracted, overloaded
Suspicious, disengaged
Features not prioritized or staged for new users
Too much reading, unclear why she needs any of this
Clicks subscription options
Bounces or disengages
Scrolls briefly, then exits
If this is just another feed to scroll, I’m out
Let down dissapointed
No clear value, no rewards for exploring or
staying
Sees Premium tiers, crypto tips, long descriptions
🔍 Key Journey Insight :
Helena’s experience is not just unstructured — it’s cognitively exhausting. She arrives with purpose but is met with noise, ambiguity, and premature monetization. There’s no intentional “starting point” or onboarding arc. She doesn’t need hand-holding, but she does need smart guidance and momentum.
2.1 Journey Map
Cleaner visual hierarchy
Intentional discovery of features
A smoother, more guided first-time experience
Improve the first-time experience of new users like Helena by introducing guidance, clarity, and motivation right after sign-up helping them understand X’s value without feeling overwhelmed.
Scope:
• Redesign the first 5–10 minutes after sign-up:
• Improved bottom nav clarity/ reduce visual noise.
• A smart onboarding overlay or guided walkthrough
• A “discovery progress” system that makes early actions
feel meaningful
Success Criteria:
• Users feel in control within minutes of signing up
• They explore at least 5 meaningful areas (e.g. communities, lists, Spaces)
• Clear drop in early abandonment and confusion
Goal: Reduce cognitive load and visual noise during onboarding.
Instead of showing 6+ icons at once, a smart nav button expands only
when needed, helping users like Helena focus on one action at a time.
Based on the idea that X App tries to be the everything App I came up instantly with the concept to design one Command Button to rule them all.
Low Fidelity original bottom nav design from X App.
03. Ideate
3.1 Project Brief
3.2 Bottom Nav Exploration
First I’ve changed the bottom rectangular bar
to a curved one in order to introduce flow and elegance
Then I decide to hide even the post button inside one Command Button.
Variation of the Command Button expanding from the middle
The Command Button with the X logo couldn’t work because the idea was that when the button collapses it shows the last icon picked (home, communities..etc)
I felt that it is geting to cluttered and decided to change the design into a swap function within Command Button and Post Button. Also I wasn’t sure if to hide Post button or not.
FInally I had my design. One Command Button expanding both the Post Button and the rest 5 Core Feautures. I had to stick to the idea of One-Button-To-Rule-Them-All
Command Button collapses to the last icon picked.
Core Strategy
Not redesigning the features of X App — I am guiding Helena to explore them gradually.
Show Helena where things are.
Reward her for trying.
Calm the chaos.
Helena’s 5-Step Discovery Progress
Explore Communities
“Find a community aligned with your interests.”
→ Task: Tap the Communities icon and join or view one.
Try Grok (AI Chat)
“See how X’s AI assistant can help you explore ideas.”
→ Task: Open Grok and ask one question (can be prompted).
Visit Spaces or Lists
“Discover live audio or curated lists of voices.”
→ Task: Open Spaces or Lists and explore one.
Update Your Profile
“Make your presence yours — just a quick update.”
→ Task: Add a bio, photo, or select an interest.
Make a Post
“Say something that matters to you.”
→ Task: Tap post button to make a post.
3.3 Discovery Progress/Guided Walkthrough
SUBSCRIBE
COMPLETE
REWARD
STEP 12
STEP 10
STEP 11
STEP 9
STEP 7
STEP 8
STEP 6
Pop up welcome card. Tap anywhere to dissolve.
Blurred background for contrast and first strong impression
A light onboarding overlay pop in, anchored, like a tooltip or helper card.
Helena taps the Explore X
button. The screen blurs softly
Soft glow to stand out
Instead of get premium I changed it to Explore X.
Why?
Feels like Paywall Pressure Too Soon
Creates Confusion About What’s Free vs Paid
“Explore X” invites curiosity, not commitment.
Smart menu button
Expanded menu button
Helena taps Communities icon in bottom bar menu
Landed into Communities page
Smart menu button shrinks to the icon selected last to showcase content page.
After Helena taps Continue, the rest of the remains blurs and a small card directs her to Communities button.
Helena by now knows the functionality of Explore X button. Tap to continue.
In case she decides to carry on it pops a card to continue progress from where left.
After completion a new button ‘Reward’ appears in the place of Explore X
Claim Reward persist on the home screen till claimed
Pop up message confirming achievement
When tapped it changes to Premium
After a week the button changes to Get Premium
WARNING !!!
Ideation and design reasoning below goes a bit wild.
Helena browses freely - no forced guidance, no overlays.
Now Helena is getting familliar with the smart nav button so she learns how to return home
Once she follows/join a community apop up confirmation appears at the top
Tap anywhere tp dissolve card of achievement. soft blur remains anddirecting her to smart nav button for home page.
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
STEP 5
04. PROTOTYPE
4.1 Lo-Fi Command Button
4.2 Hi-Fi Command Button
4.3 Hi-Fi Guided Walkthrough
Carcoal Bar
Silver Bar
What I’ve Learned?
Next Step
05. REFLECTION
#1. Designing for Clarity in Complexity
#1. Refine with Feedback
#2. Expand the System
#3. Micro-Moments of Delight in Hi-Fi Mockups
#3. Design with Empathy and Storytelling
#2. Scoping realistically as a solo
designer was a key challenge.
Redesigning a platform as broad as X (formerly Twitter) taught me how essential it is to simplify without oversimplifying. Users don’t need everything upfront — they need context, clarity, and a sense of progression. By applying Hick’s Law, I recognized that too many visible options can overwhelm and slow decision-making. Reducing visual noise and introducing features gradually helped streamline the experience and guide users with confidence.
If I had more time, I’d conduct user testing with a focus on onboarding clarity and navigation behavior. Gathering real-world feedback would help validate assumptions and refine micro-interactions.
This case study focused on first-time experience, but there’s potential to extend the design system to retention features and more professional personalization — making X more useful for specific user segments over time.
If I had more time, I’d enhance the UI in the hi-fi mockups with subtle, minimal animations and simple interactive elements during onboarding. These micro-moments of delight would make the experience feel more engaging and polished, while staying true to X’s clean, straightforward style—helping new users feel welcomed and motivated to explore.
It was tempting to over-design or dive too deep into visual polish too early. I learned to prioritize clarity over complexity and to set realistic goals within the available time. Following a structured UX process — from discovery to prototyping — helped me stay focused, make informed decisions, and maintain confidence throughout the project.
Building Helena’s persona and journey map gave the project emotional depth — a clear voice to design for. This storytelling layer helped me stay grounded in real user needs, not just features. It gave structure to decisions and added a sense of purpose, turning a complex UX challenge into a relatable, human-centered experience.
DESIGNED FOR Desktop
PREVIEW
🖤