Copy and paste are commands used daily in our phones, but they have not been updated for decades. Clipboard is a native expansion exploring a new way we could be saving and sharing information in our phones.
Clipboard:
Copy & Paste
in iOS
Copy & paste has become limited as the use of smartphones grows. The need for sharing multiple pieces of information in smartphones calls for a richer version of copy and paste.
As a New Yorker, I'm often on the go and using my phone for complex tasks, which can become frustrating. I created this native product to explore how sharing could be expanded to meet the needs of current user trends.
Process
1 | Research
2 | Solution
3 | Design Iterations
4 | Prototype
Skills
UX
UI
Visual Design
Prototyping
1 | Research
Storyboards / User Flows / Interviews / Diary Studies / Academic Research
Creating a product intended as a native feature means considering broad demographics and designing a highly adoptable solution. To begin, I researched thoroughly to understand and analyze the limitations of copy & paste.
Empathizing through user flows. Here we see the inefficiencies of current copy / paste behavior.
Task: Sharing a quote + the URL of an article in mobile via text
Whiteboard user flow exercise
Same task as above
Research method plan and participants
Findings
- Users never follow the same paths to share information. Inefficiencies in copy & paste along with share features built into various apps lead users to many different ways of sharing.
- Unintended workarounds are common when doing complex tasks. Users don't have a singular app for sharing or storing information easily.
- Users still want the existing, simple copy & paste behavior, but would also be receptive to a restrained expansion of copy and paste that could do more.
- Existing copy / paste requires repeated app changes, costing users time. The changing of app screens is the primary problem to solve for.
2 | Solution
Currently, copy & paste only allows for single item data management - its main limitation in phones. Since touch screen gestures and app views prevent easy transfers of content, our design solution must include multiple item data management.
Clipboard is a new feature built into the native iOS UI that enables users to save and manage multiple items, dramatically reducing the need to change apps so frequently.
User flow demonstrating the benefits of an expanded feature using multiple item management
Content sharing possibilities with Clipboard
Clipboard content management example
3 | Design Iterations
Constant feedback from users was key in refining a version of Clipboard that could be adopted by a diverse user base. Each of these iterations was refined through prototyping and testing with users.
My goal was to create a highly intuitive feature that also inspired users to easily think of additional use cases not shown by the prototype.
Here are all the iterations of the Clipboard product:
Early concept for a new copy & paste UI.
UI iterations - removing cluttered buttons in preference for a clearer option for users to click.
Early iterations considered three 'clipboard' fields that could be opened from the highlight UI. Testing showed this was confusing, leading to a clearer solution.
The clipboard field followed Apple notification design systems at first, but the need for more manageable space led to using the overlay text message designs.
This current iteration offers generous room for content editing along with a toggle for three different clipboards to save utilize.
Current iteration:
Clicking Clipboard opens the content management field where text, links, and images can all be added together. When pasting, Clipboards 1,2, or 3 can be clicked to paste content from that field together.
Prototype
Shown: A user saving a quote from an article, saving the article link, and then sharing both together with one click.
User Responses to Clipboard Tests
4 | Conclusion
An intelligent and dynamic expansion of copy and paste could dramatically affect our day to day experience using smartphones, making sharing far more efficient.
Expanding a native feature requires many considerations and thorough testing, but multiple item management is the clear solution for better sharing in mobile. I can see how useful this would be for many users on the go doing complex work in their phones.
Looking forward:
I would love the resources to test Clipboard with a larger audience and work with engineers to create a functional MVP. Still, this study served to show how a native UI could offer better ways for sharing and organizing information.
