AI Caption Writer

Helping Social Media Specialists With Caption Ideas Using OpenAI

TL;DR

Many content creators on social media often grapple with the challenge of coming up with unique and compelling captions for their posts. Leveraging OpenAI’s API, we have the power to train our system to create AI-generated captions based on topics that the user inputs. During the open Beta testing phase, we achieved an average feature conversion rate of 20.4%. With plans to expand this feature, we expect a higher usage rate as creators begin to integrate AI technology to their workflow.

  • The integration of a caption generator within the Later app will lead to time-saving benefits for users, enabling them to spend more time and resources into content creation. Consequently, we expect users to adopt the caption writer as a regular and integral tool to their posting workflow.

  • The lack of ideation features in the Later app is assumed to lead users to create content and captions through third party tools.

    Additionally, users are curious and wanting to use AI tools but have not found an established workflow on Later.

  • Task Completion Rate in First 6 Months

    • 20.4%

    Trial Starts, Attributed to Caption Writer in First 6 Months

    • 34%

  • This was a good first step into utilizing OpenAI’s API as users now have a way to get ideas for captions within the Later app. With the addition of the rephrasing feature, users are now empowered with a convenient and seamless workflow to publishing their content. This also eliminates the need to switch between different tools to brainstorm for ideas.

Released
04/03/2023

Platform
iOS, Android

Role
UX Designer

Key Activities

  • Shaping Session

  • Wireframing & Prototyping

  • Beta Testing

The Problem

Writing copy for social media post captions is a crucial stage in the scheduling and publishing process. However, coming up with a unique and compelling caption requires time and effort.

Identifying Opportunities for Machine Learning

In our commitment to provide our users with more recommendation functionalities, our research team conducted comprehensive studies, including surveys and user interviews. The findings revealed a distinctive pattern in user behavior. It was evident that our platform was primarily being used for the execution phase of their social media workflow, which involved tasks such as scheduling and publishing posts. However, there were noticeable gaps in other stages, such as content planning, research, and collaboration.

Based on these findings, the team aligned on features that would drive more planning in the apps. Leveraging AI tools, we set out to help users enhance social strategy, offering deeper research capabilities and helping them perform better on social media.

Caption Writer

Using OpenAI’s API, we implemented a caption generator tool to help users create and organize their captions within Later. My role was to design this feature on the mobile apps and integrate it into the scheduling workflow.

Phase 1: Generating Captions Based on Input Topics and Keywords

  • Users can generate captions using either keywords or topics.

  • Three caption ideas will be generated which users can tap to insert into the caption box for further editing.

Beta Testing

Upon implementation of Phase 1 of Caption Writer, we ran an open beta test for 3 months to assess the discovery and efficacy of the feature. At the end of the test period, the research team followed up with a survey to understand any problems users encountered.

What We Found Out

The follow-up survey found consistent dissatisfaction across the board in the quality of the captions that were generated.

  • Almost half the respondents expressed concerns about the lack of specificity or relevance in the generated captions.

  • Respondents expressed the need to expand on existing captions that they have written, in order to keep the tone and perspective of their brand.

  • Caption length also emerged as another issue, with many finding them too long to use for Instagram Reels and TikTok posts.

It was important to address these issues in the next phase of design, as just a caption generator did not meet the expectations of our users. We needed to offer further customization options when it came to tone, voice, and length.

Phase 2: Rephrasing Existing Captions

  • Any existing caption, whether generated through the Caption Writer or written by the user, can be rephrased with specific prompts, such as “Make it Casual”.

  • Users now have the ability to compare various captions and make informed editing choices.

Next Steps

The introduction of the Caption Writer was a great first step in leveraging OpenAI’s API to enhance the experience of the Later app. As we continue to accumulate data on the feature’s performance, we anticipate further expansion on the Caption Writer with even more personalization options.

Impact

The impact of this project has been very promising, setting a precedent for future iterations. We witnessed a strong user adoptions, with many expressing significant interest and engagement by offering valuable feedback during the testing phase.

Task Completion Rate in First 6 Months

  • 20.4%

Trial Starts, Attributed to Caption Writer in First 6 Months

  • 34%