A Re-design Solution Proposal of Instagram
Timeframe - 2 weeks
Project Overview
The new Instagram layout of 2020, wasn’t well-received across the world. It dramatically changed the layout of the application’s home screen making it a little more confusing for newcomers to Instagram as well as hiding certain features and promoting features that users rarely use. From a business standpoint, this idea works well, however for the users no so great.
Objective
To come up with a less complex and more user-friendly layout that still promotes the Reels and Shopping features satisfying the business needs of Instagram.
User Research
Global User's response to Instagram's update:
Users are mostly 34 or younger. And according to a 2020 survey, this is true for the global Instagram users also.
Instagram Features Prioritization
"This new design sucks. Honestly, creating content is soo much harder now than viewing content."
29 users stated that they rarely ever use the Reels feature.
20 users said that they regularly use Tik Tok.
More than half of users, 28 out of 36 reported that they have never used the Instagram shopping features
Interview Insights
6 Users Interviewed
To get a better idea of how users felt about the new layout update, I spoke with 6 users over Zoom. During these interviews, I asked users to rank features based on importance, if they wanted the layout to change again and why. This is what I learned...
1
People would be open to a different layout (5 out of 6).
“Yes, I absolutely think it would be beneficial to change it to something else. To make it more relevant to what we use every day. I never use Reels, only by accident.”
2
People prioritize other features over both Reels and the e-commerce feature (6 out of 6).
"I tend to post photos every day of quotes, I have never uploaded a Reel. And I don't come to Instagram to shop.”
3
People feel that the new update was completely unnecessary (6 out of 6)
“I just feel like they really are trying to force Reels on us, and it's like this knockoff version of Tik Tok. People really just upload their Tik Toks to Reels...I didn't ask for it. It wasn't needed, at all.”
Personas
From a global standpoint Instagram's primary audience is users 13 years of age to 34 years of age. Like the four personas pictured here:
​
Aaron W.
17 yr old Blogger
Valerie M.
34 yr old Accountant
Zackery K.
26 yr old Traveler
Autumn R.
14 yr old Student
Here is a persona that represents a common demographic of Instagram's audience. It isn't the most popular user demographic and that is why I have chosen to include in this case study, because it is still quite relevant:
Autumn R., Washington, D.C.
Trendy - Mainly Mobile
Competitive Analysis
User Stories
User Stories
I figured that the biggest redesign challenge for a returning user might be the options feature for users to choose what content they want to upload. Here's that user flow:
Re-Branding
User-Centered
Familiar
Simple
Accessible
Empathy
People Oriented
Accessibility
Keeping in mind:
- Left & right handedness
- Thumb zone
- The natural zone
Testing Insights
I tested 6 users via Zoom
High Fidelity Prototype
1. Screens lacked depth and needed more realistic detail.
2. It was familiar enough for users to easily navigate.
3. Add more user stories to show more options with the change.
Conclusion