ProveIT

"ProveIt" is a UI/UX concept for a social media app designed to tackle one of the biggest problems online: toxic, low-effort comment sections. This project documents its journey from a simple idea to a set of refined, functional mockups.

What Inspired Me: The inspiration for this project was born from pure frustration. Like most people, I was tired of watching passionate discussions on platforms like Twitter and Reddit devolve into tribalism and insults. This seemed especially true for topics I follow, like sports, finance, and politics.

It felt like the platforms themselves were part of the problem. Features like the "dislike" button or anonymous downvoting seemed to encourage instinctive, negative reactions rather than thoughtful discussion. I wanted to design a community that wasn't just against toxicity, but was structurally for accountability. The core question was: what if you couldn't just "dislike" a post, but had to "challenge" it with evidence?

How I Built The Project: This project was built through a process of iterative design and conceptual feedback.

Core Concept: The project began with a central "what if?" We brainstormed features that would "nudge" users toward better behavior, and the "Prove It" button—a mechanism to formally request evidence for a claim—became the app's core identity.

Initial Prototyping (Figma): I translated these ideas into a high-fidelity mockup using Figma. This first draft included the main feed, a navigation bar, and the basic post component.

Critique and Iteration: We then analyzed that first mockup. This critique was the most valuable part of the process. We identified several key problems:

Vague Icons: Icons for Preview and ✨ AI were ambiguous and didn't tell the user what they did.

Trust & Credibility: A post about federal politics used an image of a state capitol, which would immediately destroy the app's credibility.

What I Learned

This project was a massive learning experience in product design and behavioral psychology.

Your UI is your ruleset. My biggest takeaway is that UI elements are not just decoration; they are the "rules of the game." Simply removing the "dislike" button and replacing it with "Prove It" fundamentally changes the user's psychological framework from one of low-effort reaction to high-effort engagement.

Clarity is King. My first draft tried to be "clean" with icons, but it just ended up being "confusing." I learned that an explicit label like "View Sources" is always better than a mysterious icon. In an app built on trust, you can't have an ambiguous UI.

The Power of "Friction." Most apps try to remove all friction. I learned that for a healthier community, you sometimes need to add friction. Making a user stop, find an article, and link it as "proof" is a point of friction. It's a small hassle, but it's enough to filter out 90% of the low-effort, drive-by insults.

Built With

• figma