Reimagining WhatsApp’s Star Feature
Making message-saving more meaningful and seamless.
Category
Product Design
Scope
Micro-interactions
Feature Redesign
Visual Prototyping
Industries
Communication, Social Media
Date
November 2024
Premise
This project builds on a prior experience audit of WhatsApp exercise, where I explored how subtle features can carry emotional significance. One standout was the Starring Messages option — a tool people use to save cherished or important messages. I linked this to nostalgia and emotional memory, especially when revisiting heartfelt conversations.
On iOS, starring a message requires a long-press and menu selection. In contrast, Android allows for quicker gestures and bulk starring. This redesign proposes ways to simplify starring on iOS, making it faster, gesture-friendly, and better suited for users who save messages for emotional value — not just utility.
Observations and Gaps
While revisiting my top three daily apps, I noticed an inconsistency in WhatsApp’s iOS experience — specifically in how the Starring Messages feature is accessed. Unlike Android, iOS doesn’t allow users to star multiple messages or use intuitive gestures like swipes or top navigation.
Recorded gesture behavior on WhatsApp iOS to examine available swipe actions.
Walkthrough of gesture actions
I tested common gestures across WhatsApp and other apps like Spotify. Most interactions rely on swipe-based actions, but WhatsApp’s iOS chat screen doesn’t utilize left swipe on the recipient side. Right swipe enables the reply action, but the left remains unused.
This gap felt like a missed opportunity. Starring messages is tied to emotional recall, yet it currently requires extra steps through a long-press menu. That sparked my exploration into a solution more aligned with users’ habits and memory-driven interaction.
Process and Outcomes
This redesign was approached entirely within Figma, starting from mid-fidelity sketches and progressing to high-fidelity prototypes. Each concept explored how subtle microinteractions could enhance usability and emotional connection, while staying true to WhatsApp’s core interface.
Setting the stage
I focused on iOS to deepen my understanding of mobile experience design and explore creative problem solving within a familiar system. Staying within WhatsApp’s native environment helped ensure platform alignment.
To maintain visual accuracy, I used the CSS Peeper Chrome extension to extract the app’s font and color styles. This made the prototypes feel realistic and practical — something I could confidently pitch in a professional setting like Meta.
Showcasing the progression from mid- to high-fidelity prototypes
Suggested Interactions
Each proposed interaction is designed to reduce effort while preserving WhatsApp’s familiar interface logic and emotional feel.
This prototype video demonstrates the three gesture-based interactions proposed via designs.
To Star
01
Swipe and Tap
Introduces a lightweight confirmation step, supporting more intentional use.
02
Direct Left Swipe
Allows for quick starring using familiar gestures, ideal for batch interactions.
03
Visible Single-Tap Star Icon
Makes the action highly visible and accessible for fast marking.
Then Not
This second video shows how each starring method was thoughtfully extended to support natural, easy unstarring. It supports a complete user journey by mirroring the same intuitive patterns used in starring
Showcasing the progression from mid- to high-fidelity prototypes
What We Achieved
This redesign introduces a more fluid and intentional way to star messages. By minimizing steps and building on familiar gestures, each proposed method offers a distinct balance of speed, visibility, and mindful interaction. The goal is to enhance usability without compromising WhatsApp’s conversational rhythm or emotional context.
Balancing Familiarity with Intent
Redesigning for habit-formed behaviors means working with what users already know, not against it. WhatsApp users, especially on iOS, rely on long-press gestures even if they feel slow. This redesign aims to evolve that experience through gestures that feel native while still supporting emotional intent.
Each of the three proposed methods explores how the underutilized left swipe on iOS could be repurposed. While all offer value, the swipe and tap interaction emerges as the most balanced. Though it involves two steps, it encourages thoughtful use, which is important when saving messages with emotional or practical significance.
The single-tap and direct swipe methods prioritize speed but may reduce precision. For users with motor variability or differing hand control, these gestures could lead to unintended actions. Additionally, the left swipe is currently assigned to another feature, limiting feasibility. These constraints guided my preference toward a solution that better supports intentionality, inclusivity, and platform alignment.