Rebirth 10: I'm a Promoter at Tencent

Li Yue raised her head, her voice carrying a weary tone of racking her brains, "Boss, we've encountered an almost unsolvable contradiction regarding the goal of 'extreme simplification' of the login process, and this contradiction now seems unsolvable."

She pulled up the design diagram, which showed two versions of the login interface, along with a summary of operator data she had compiled.

"Your requirement is to 'complete registration and enter the chat list within 3 seconds.' Our approach is to use a one-click solution of 'phone number + verification code,' which is indeed theoretically the fastest path." Li Yue paused and circled several key data points in the presentation. "But the reality is that the current mobile network environment, especially the SMS gateways of operators, is a huge black box."

She began her detailed analysis: "First, there are the differences in service between the three major operators. China Mobile's 3G is the fastest, but its coverage is the least. Its 2G network has the widest coverage and the largest user base, but its SMS gateway response is the slowest. Our internal test data shows that the average delay from sending a request to receiving it is between 8 and 15 seconds, and even exceeds 20 seconds during peak periods."

China Unicom is aggressively promoting its WCDMA 3G network, and its SMS gateway response is slightly faster, averaging 5 to 10 seconds. However, 3G coverage is mainly in urban areas, and many users are still essentially using the 2G network. China Telecom has the smallest number of CDMA2000 users, and its gateway response is the most unstable.

Cheng Xiangdong added, "That's not the worst part. Currently, feature phones still make up the majority of the mobile phones on the market. Many low-end feature phones have extra delays when receiving SMS messages, especially dual-SIM dual-standby models, which can sometimes be more than 30 seconds slower. One of our test devices was a counterfeit phone, and the slowest it ever took was 47 seconds for the verification code to pop up."

Li Yue continued, "The second issue is user psychology and price sensitivity. Mobile data is still shockingly expensive. China Mobile's 5 yuan for 30MB and similar packages from China Unicom and China Telecom mean that most users are reluctant to use data. Many people turn off cellular data as soon as they leave the house, and only dare to turn it on when there is Wi-Fi."

She drew a comparison diagram on the whiteboard: "After receiving the verification code via SMS, the user needs to switch back to WeChat to enter it. On a feature phone, this switching process might mean exiting the SMS app, finding the WeChat icon, and reloading. If the user accidentally exits WeChat, reloading will consume data and time."

Previously, based on Light's research, over one-third of the test users showed significant anxiety at this stage. They were worried about data usage, app crashes, and the whole process being too cumbersome.

Lu Chuan interjected in a low voice: "My cousin back home uses one of those feature phones with a keyboard. He said that every time he installs a new app, he has to find a place with Wi-Fi to receive a verification code. Otherwise, if the app needs to be updated or takes a long time to load, he will exceed his data limit for the month."

"That's right," Li Yue nodded. "Boss, this is the reality that software releases have to face. Data is expensive, internet speeds are slow, mobile phone performance varies, and carrier service standards are inconsistent. In this environment, it's almost impossible to expect users to complete a 'perfectly smooth' registration process."

She pulled up the test data: "We conducted 500 real-world tests. From the time a user entered their phone number to successfully entering the chat list, the average time was 38 seconds. The fastest record was 22 seconds, on an iPhone 3GS with a China Unicom 3G network and full signal strength; the slowest reached 89 seconds, on a dual-SIM feature phone with a China Mobile 2G network and one bar of signal strength."

Based on these 38 seconds, we conducted further analysis, and the user churn curve is basically like this…”

屏幕上，出现了一条陡峭下降的曲线：「前10秒，流失率5%；10-20秒，流失率上升到25%；20-30秒，流失率飙升至55%；超过30秒还没完成，80%的用户会选择放弃。」

Silence fell over the room; the joy of the betting agreement being approved seemed to have been overshadowed.

Lin Shen listened quietly, his gaze shifting between the data charts and the presentation. In fact, he understood the limitations of this era better than anyone else, but it was precisely because he understood that he knew where there might be a breakthrough.

"The 3-second goal wasn't something I set out of thin air." Lin Shen stood up and walked to the whiteboard. "But you're all right. If we think within the existing framework, we'll never achieve 3 seconds. So we need to change the framework, and at the same time, we need to make some trade-offs for the users."

He erased the comparison drawing Li Yue had made and rewrote four words: "Free SMS".

"Sister Yue just mentioned the issue of expensive data traffic," Lin Shen's voice gradually quickened, "So let's bypass data traffic and go back to the communication method that users are most familiar with and has the lowest psychological barrier to entry—SMS. But SMS also has its pain points: it costs one cent per message."

He underlined the words "free SMS": "It's normal for an average mobile phone user to send dozens to hundreds of SMS messages per month, and SMS fees are a real expense. So, could we position WeChat like this: an application that allows you to send free SMS messages? And the process of registering for WeChat would be the process of experiencing your first free SMS message."

Li Yue quickly followed up: "You mean... to package the verification code SMS as 'the first free SMS sent by the user via WeChat'? That way, the time spent waiting for the verification code won't be 'boring waiting' anymore, but rather 'experiencing the free SMS feature'?"

"Yes!" Lin Shen's eyes sharpened. "And we're going to go even further. Users enter their phone numbers and click 'Register.' What happens next isn't 'waiting for a boring verification code,' but 'sending a greeting text message to this number via WeChat.' The verification code itself is the content of the text message, but we'll package it to look more like a real message."

He began rapidly sketching the process on the whiteboard, while incorporating elements from 2010:

"Step 1: The user enters their mobile phone number. Here we need to perform intelligent recognition to automatically determine whether it is a China Mobile, China Unicom, or China Telecom number segment, and optimize it according to the gateway characteristics of different operators. For example, for China Unicom numbers, we can use more lively copywriting; for China Mobile numbers, we need to preset a longer waiting time to give users psychological expectations in advance, and the same applies to China Telecom."

Step 2: Click "Send Free Verification SMS". The button's text should emphasize "free", as this is the word users are most sensitive to.

Step 3: The system immediately displays "Message sent" on the interface - this requires extreme optimization. Our server must achieve millisecond-level response. Even if there is actual latency in the carrier gateway, the front end must make the user feel that the message was sent instantly.

Step four: Here's the key. The text message users receive on their phones can't just be a cold, impersonal "Your verification code is 123456." We need to create differentiated designs for different carriers and phone types.

Lin Shen explained in detail: "For smartphones, especially iPhones and high-end Android phones, the text message content can be designed to be more elaborate: '[WeChat] Hello! I am your new chat partner. Verification code 123456. Enter me to start sending messages for free, which is cheaper than text messages~. Then click the link to automatically verify.'"

For feature phones, especially those with small screens, the message should be concise: 『【WeChat】Free chat tool. Code: 123456. Reply with this code to start using. (Link: m.wechat.com/v/123456)』

For CDMA mobile phones, many models don't support long SMS messages well, so we need to split them into two messages.

Sun Hui pondered the technical implementation: "This means we need to cooperate with at least two SMS service providers, one focusing on China Mobile and China Unicom, and the other specializing in China Telecom channels. Furthermore, we need to determine the device type for each SMS message and dynamically select the appropriate template. The technical complexity is very high."

"We will do it even if it's high-end," Lin Shen said firmly. "This is one of WeChat's core value propositions: we want to tailor the experience to their needs."

Li Yue has already started sketching interactive designs on her notebook: "Then the waiting interface also needs to be redesigned... It can't be the traditional spinning daisy. We can make an animation of a text message bubble flying out, with the bubble displaying 'Flying to China Mobile/Unicom/Telecom network...'. This transparently informs users of the reality of the delay from the operators, while turning the waiting into an interesting visual experience."

"Then," she continued, getting more and more excited, "when a user receives the text message, that message itself should become WeChat's first 'product tutorial.' Especially for feature phone users, many of them don't even know what an 'application' is or what 'back' is. So we can write in the text message: 'Enter the above 6 digits in the WeChat interface you were just in. If you can't access WeChat, click the link below to reopen it.'"

Cheng Xiangdong raised a key question: "But what about the user experience after clicking the short link? Many feature phones have very basic browsers that may not be able to open our page. Moreover, clicking the link requires data, which users may be reluctant to do."

Lin Shen was prepared: "So we designed a three-layer solution. The first layer, ideally: the user switches back to WeChat to enter the verification code. The second layer, the user clicks the short link, and if the browser supports it, redirects to a minimal verification page—this page should be less than 10KB, completing the verification with minimal data usage. The third layer, if the page cannot be opened or the user is concerned about data usage, the verification code number is clearly stated in the text message, and the user can enter it manually."

He further explained, "More importantly, this solution actually addresses a deeper issue: many people are still unfamiliar with the concept of 'application.' They understand 'sending a text message,' but not 'registering for a chat application.' By designing the registration process as 'sending a free text message,' we are using a familiar concept to guide them into an unfamiliar territory."

Zhao Cheng scratched his head: "But this would require adjusting the entire technical architecture... We need to cooperate deeply with SMS service providers, we need device identification services, we need three different SMS templates, and we also need to ensure the success rate of sending messages under different operator networks. A week is too tight."

"Let's start with the simplest version then." Lin Shen made a quick decision. "Phase one: partner with a text messaging service provider that can cover all three major carriers, customize a dedicated channel, and give it the highest priority. Phase two: develop basic device identification, at least to distinguish between smartphones and feature phones, using two sets of templates. Phase three: the client-side animations must be smooth, and the waiting interface must honestly inform the carrier of the reality of delays, rather than hiding it."

He looked at Cheng Xiangdong: "Xiangdong, I'm assigning you the optimization of the SMS channel. I want you to reduce the time from when the user clicks 'send' to when the SMS actually enters the operator's queue to less than one second within three days. At the same time, you need to obtain the actual response data from the gateways of the three major operators. We need to dynamically adjust the prompt text on the front-end waiting interface according to the characteristics of different operators."

"Sister Yue, the redesign of the registration process interaction also takes three days. I want a complete experience that users can understand at this stage—starting from the understanding that 'I want to send free text messages' and ending with the understanding that 'So this is WeChat.'"

"Xiang Dong, you and your two colleagues still have a task. The client compatibility testing needs to cover mainstream models, especially those feature phones with high market share but poor performance. Waiting animations on low-performance devices can be downgraded to static images, but they cannot freeze."

"Zhao Cheng, you, Lu Chuan, and Su Man will design a complete test matrix to simulate various network environments. You need to test not only Wi-Fi, but also the performance under 2G and 3G cellular networks. You need to simulate users' concerns about data usage and test their patience threshold during the waiting process."

Lin Shen put down his marker and glanced at the team: "I know this is difficult. But this is the era that WeChat has to face. We have to survive this era of expensive data, inconsistent mobile phones, and inconsistent operator services. We can't pretend that these limitations don't exist. We have to design products around these limitations."

"If successful, users won't remember 'I registered for a new app,' but rather 'I sent my first free SMS message on WeChat, and it really was faster than a regular SMS message.' This difference in perception will determine whether they are willing to recommend WeChat to their friends—in an era where phone bills are a sensitive issue, 'free' and 'saving money' are the most compelling reasons for recommendation."

He paused, his voice deepening: "This plan also implies another value: educating the market. Although it's not a pleasant word, I still have to say it. Many users are currently hesitant to use mobile apps, afraid of wasting data or not knowing how to use them. We've designed the registration process like a 'free SMS trial lesson,' which actually lowers the barrier to entry for mobile internet use. This is meaningful for Tencent and the entire industry."

Li Yue had fully grasped the intricacies of it all: "So we were actually doing two things: first, solving the technical bottleneck of registration; second, overcoming the psychological barrier to use. That verification message was not only a verification tool, but also WeChat's first 'user education content'."

"Yes," Lin Shen nodded, "We want users to feel that WeChat is not a distant and unfamiliar 'data-intensive application,' but a thoughtful 'upgraded version of free SMS.' From the moment they complete registration, they should feel, 'I know how to use this,' rather than, 'This is so complicated.'"

Cheng Xiangdong has already begun to envision the technical solution in his mind: "We need a real-time decision engine to dynamically select the optimal SMS channel and template based on the user's mobile phone number, device type, and current network. We also need a monitoring system to track the health status of major operators' gateways in real time and automatically switch to backup channels when congestion occurs."

"All of these issues need to be resolved within the next week." Lin Shen looked at the countdown on the wall. "Seven days. We need to transform 'login is the bottleneck' into 'login is the beginning of the product's highlight.' We need to make users feel that WeChat's registration process is the one that understands them best among all applications."

"Because essentially," he concluded, "we're not getting users to 'register an account,' but rather inviting them to 'experience an upgraded version of free SMS.' When this shift in perception occurs, all the waiting and all the limitations will be reinterpreted as 'this app truly understands those of us who want to conserve our data.'"

The office was quiet for a few seconds, then the sounds of keyboard typing, discussion, and drawing began to fill the air.

After the short meeting, the nine people went back into battle mode.

Lin Shen sat back down in his seat and opened the code editor.

He knew this plan still carried many risks. The quality of operator services in 2010 was unpredictable, compatibility issues with low-end feature phones might exceed expectations, and user acceptance of "short links" remained uncertain…

But this is the risk that must be taken to innovate in 2010. If you wait until all the conditions are ripe, you will never be able to lead the times. You need to take the lead from the very first step.

He wrote the following in the footnote:

"WeChat 1.0 Registration Process Design Principles (September 2010)":

Honestly acknowledge the limitations of our time (carrier delays, expensive data plans, poor phone performance).

Turn limitations into product features (free SMS instead of expensive data).

Guide unfamiliar experiences with familiar concepts (newsletter -> application)

Provide different paths for different users (smartphone/feature phone, whether they dare to use data/don't dare to use data).

We are not verifying a phone number; we are sending the first WeChat message and completing the initial user onboarding process.

Save. Compile.