Ask a Clear Question and Evaluate Answers
Design a question and answer flow that helps people provide context, assess credibility, and recognize the most useful response.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
Open question platforms are useful only when questions include enough context and answers can be evaluated beyond popularity. Topics may also have different standards for evidence.
User context
Jules is caring for a difficult houseplant and wants to ask why its leaves are yellowing. Several similar questions have conflicting answers.
Product problem
The platform needs to reduce duplicate questions, encourage useful context, and communicate why an answer may be trustworthy without implying certainty.
Objective
Design the question creation and answer evaluation experience for a community knowledge platform.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Duplicate question suggestions during composition
- Context-rich question detail
- Answer evidence and contributor context
- Accepted or resolved answer state
Screens and states
- Question composer
- Similar questions
- Question detail
- Answer evaluation
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Jules writes a question and selects a topic
- 02
The system surfaces similar questions before publication
- 03
Jules adds requested context and a photo
- 04
Community members submit answers with sources or experience
- 05
Jules marks one response as useful while preserving other perspectives
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Prompt for topic-specific context without forcing irrelevant fields
- Explain the difference between votes, expertise, and accepted answers
- Allow answers to cite sources and declare firsthand experience
- Keep edits and moderation history understandable
- Provide a way to report harmful or misleading guidance
Constraints
- A popular answer may still be incorrect
- Some questions have no single definitive answer
- New users have little reputation history
Reality check
States worth considering
Finish line
What to deliver
- Create four responsive screens for asking, checking duplicates, reading answers, and resolving conflicting guidance.
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.
Open Sans & Libre Baskerville
Clear interface writing gives people the confidence to understand what changed and decide what to do next.
Open Sans & Libre Baskerville
Clear interface writing gives people the confidence to understand what changed and decide what to do next.