Expanding the Social Graph (Possible Friends)
VKontakte Friends is the oldest section, existing since the very beginning...
(Pavel Durov himself started the journey with this entity). Meanwhile, the mechanism of possible friends appeared relatively recently.
Foreword
Many may ask me why I decided to talk about the regular block when I've previously written articles about global changes to post attachments. It's quite simple – this block unexpectedly delivered some impressive metrics achieved through the redesign. However, I don't want to reveal all the cards at once.
The task was simple: increase the conversion from card views to clicks.
Solution path
In my initial research among competitors, I couldn't find a solution that could help address the set task. In most cases, our block didn't differ significantly, so I began thinking further and sketching out solutions that could expand the block's functionality, allowing users to choose based on their interests. There were various options, such as card layouts similar to Tinder for swiping, horizontal and vertical views, expanded choices, and so on.
After exploring the card-like Tinder-style option, I became interested in pursuing this direction further. I was particularly drawn to the idea that seeing a full-length photograph of a person feels more familiar. As it turned out, I was right.
After the initial experiments, there were promising metrics for this block. However, I wanted to push it even further. I think everyone knows that bright buttons generate more conversions than white ones, but I wanted to test this for myself and created several different variations. In the end, considering the previous metric results, the conversion rates increased even further from card views to clicks.
From a visual perspective, we also help users stay focused on consuming content in the feed, which positively affects their time spent on the platform.
Conclusion
Thanks to the multitude of different variations we explored, including varying block heights, our block became entirely unique compared to other platforms. We achieved significant figures in terms of conversions from views to clicks and an increase in all friendships on the platform. Naturally, I can't disclose the specific numbers, but I can convey the information differently.
It was only through the redesign of this block that I paid off for the company 10-15 years ahead and discovered the importance of not always looking at competitors, even those with audiences many times larger.
