Proposed Feature: Instagram- Filter Post Visibility Feature Case Study
My challenge for this project was to analyze an already existing and highly adopted app and incorporate a new feature into the existing product. For this project, the app I chose to incorporate a new feature into was Instagram.
Timeline: 3 WeeksWhat is Instagram?
Instagram is a popular social media app built around sharing photos and videos. It was launched in 2010, and currently has 1 billion users. It has steadily risen in popularity over the years and continues to grow today, so I saw this as the perfect app to choose to incorporate a new feature into.
Research
My first step was to conduct Competitive Analysis. I chose to analyze Vero- True Social and Facebook. In my research I found that both Vero and Facebook have a way to control who specifically can see the post you are making, while Instagram does not. I also noticed that with Facebook and other social media platforms have a way to hide people from your feed without unfriending or unfollowing them, while Instagram does not.
After conducting some research, I made a survey in Google Forms and sent the survey out in multiple places. I received quite a few responses, a large number of them indicating very high interest in the proposed features. I moved on to conduct interviews with Instagram users and see how they would feel about the proposed features. From both the survey and the interviews I learned very valuable information.
Analyze
So far I had learned a lot from my research, survey and interviews. My next step was to organize all this information. To do this, I first created an affinity map. This really helped show the clear direction to head in, and from there I made a User Persona, using what I had learned.
Defining The Problem
To help me more solidly define the problems I needed to solve, I made a few jobs to be done statements. This made it clear, there were two directions I could move forward in. I decided, based on my research and interviews, that I should focus on the feature to filter post visibility. This would not only solve the main pain point of not being able to control who sees your posts, but it would also be more convenient for users who currently need multiple accounts for privacy.
Now that my direction was clear, I made a user flow chart for my new feature.
Prototyping- Mid-Fidelity
For this prototype I used the Atomic Design method for the first time. The atomic design methodology was inspired by chemistry. Just like how all matter is made up of atoms, which then combine to form molecules, which make up more complex organisms, Atomic Design breaks up a website or app into its more basic components, and then you work up from there to put together a site or an app. I personally love how much more organized it is and how easy it is to make a prototype with all of my different atoms and components. After I finished creating my components I put together my mid-fidelity prototype very quickly and was able to move on to usability testing.
Usability Testing
The usability testing was a huge success. Everyone was able to accomplish the given task without any issues. I learned that the feature is easy to find and in a logical spot, and that adding a search bar would make it much easier to find specific people to select, especially if you have a large number of followers.
High Fidelity Prototype
It was time to move on to the high fidelity prototype. I decided to implement a small change and add a search bar to my feature after my findings from usability testing. I finished my prototype and performed a few more usability tests, all of which had great results! The next steps I would take from here would be to continue with usability testing, and presenting all of my findings to a stakeholder.
In Conclusion
During this project I learned that organization is key, especially when following the Atomic Design methodology. I also realized the importance of attention to detail, and making sure to be thorough when creating all my icons and components. I am eager to use Atomic Design for future projects and endeavors.