Hidden by Design: Disaffordances and User Communication on WeChat

This qualitative study examines how the intentional omission of certain features can limit users’ communication practices on WeChat. Drawing on data from 31 semi-structured in-depth interviews, follow-up discussions, observations, and voluntary post-surveys, analyzed through grounded theory, the findings reveal seven intentional design choices and their associated disaffordances. These include the omission of features of online status, read recipient, group invitation rejection, mutual deletion, post editing after publishing, comment deletion, and the hidden text-only posting feature. This study provides insights into the factors that contribute to these designs, and how users adopt, resist, and navigate them. It also demonstrates the power dynamics between platform design, cultural norms, and user agency, offering valuable theoretical contributions to affordance theory and empirical implications for researchers and practitioners interested in social media communication and design.