Prior to design, it is important to consider the purpose and context of the application. The main goal of an ecosystem analysis is to uncover potential motivations and examine where Session fits into a user’s overall flow of virtual communication, the different potential uses, as well as the societal context of the application. This acts as an anchor for the scope of the project. I chose to list out six different ‘WH’ questions (who, why, what, where, how, and when) and prioritized them by taking a hybrid approach from the User Centered Design Model and the Genius Model. 

Market Research

Based on market research, the three primary risks associated with performing any task on the internet include exposure to cybercriminals, the resale of information, or the risk of being unknowingly monitored by one’s own government or anyone who has access to the server where their data is being kept. While end-to-end encryption has risen as a potential solution, there are still vulnerabilities that may be exploited and it is still not a foolproof option for fully anonymous messaging or interactions. Along with an application that utilizes E2EE methods, a decentralized server would also serve to increase the integrity of the security protocols already in place. This coupled with lack of metadata collection would also be a selling point for demographics of users that have reported feeling watched by the government or an external presence, who feel that their information may be at risk, and who actively search for ways to increase their online privacy.

Demographic Analysis & Key Figures

The two subgroups of users most likely to adopt this technology are millennials between the ages of 18-35, specifically users 18-25 (early majority users), and 25-35 (early adopters). I began by analyzing numbers of Loki Session’s most direct competition including what statistics I could find on Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other social media numbers.

• About 88% of people between the ages of 18-29 use social media, with 78% of people between the ages of 30-49 following closely behind (Pew Research Center, 2018).
• Roughly 18% of US internet users between the ages of 26-35 use WhatsApp, which indicates a favoritism towards WhatsApp’s structure– what could be attributed to the app’s security protocols as well as accessibility and widespread adoption (Pew Research Center, 2019).
• 57% of 18-49 year olds responded that total online anonymity for certain tasks should be an option
• Only 13% of users responded with hard opposition, while the rest of the users surveyed were undecided
• Older millennials ( > 25 )were more likely than younger millennials ( < 25 )  to report that their online security had been compromised, as well as be more diligent about asking others to remove self-identifying and potentially incriminating or embarrassing information due to privacy reasons (Ibis World, 2019).
• In a study conducted by HMA (Hide My Ass!), a VPN service provider, millennials were also much more likely to make use of anti virus software (46% vs 42% for younger millennials), VPN’s (14% vs 12%), IP masking sites (12% vs 7%),  password managers (20% vs 17%), and privacy enhancing plugins (20% vs 16%).
• On the other hand, younger millennials were less likely than the older millennials to seek out additional layers of privacy to protect their personal information online, but 68% of younger millennials would alter privacy settings if they were made available to them (HMA, 2019).

Contrary to popular belief that younger millennials may be the first to adopt Loki Session’s technology, older millennials are an ideal demographic to target as early adopters because they are more likely to go out of their way to enact additional security protocols, whereas younger millennials are more likely to be the early majority adopters once the application has hit the mainstream. In terms of sensitive information and the users that Loki envisions using its app (whistleblowers, executives, people in positions of power), it makes sense that these figures would also likely be older millennials versus 18-25.

Key Takeaways

• Based on market research, users value safety, security, and privacy. It is also evident that convenience, ease of use, and accessibility play a large role in the adoption of advanced security methods.
• Younger millennials will be enticed to use a product that is easy to adopt right out of the box
• Older millennials will have to be swayed by the value proposition versus the application’s prestige or notoriety
• Older millennials are also the ones more likely to be early adopters, going out of their way to test the application if it proves that it can fulfill the user goal of enhanced security protocols
• Both are vital to the eventual mass adoption of the application, as well as getting late majority users to download and try the app as well. 

Competitive Analysis

The competitive analysis examined what Loki Session’s direct and indirect competition is doing, and helped ideate what features the company could incorporate that would set it apart from its competition in a significant way, while further capitalizing on its value proposition. Reviews from the app store were also taken into consideration. My competitive analysis produced the following insights:

Pains

• Lack of Decentralized Security Protocols
• Lack of anonymous Sign Up options
• Stored metadata
• Confusing and unattractive UI’s
• Inability to alter availability status
• Problematic onboarding
• Deceptive subscription models
• Lack of auto encryption

Pleasures

• Two factor authentication
• App Integration
• Cryptowallet functionality
• Full file sharing capabilities
• Enhanced group chat and channel functionality
• Zero cost