Web/Mobile App Critique: Instagram

The name of the mobile app I have decided to evaluate is Instagram. This app is a social media application that is one of the most popular platforms used globally. Once you download the app, IG allows users to create a profile, and it’s known for focusing on photos and video sharing. It also offers a variety of features like Stories, Reels, DMs, and shopping tools. In this evaluation, I’ll explore the app’s usability, design, and functionality, with some personal impressions, followed by three improvement recommendations. 

Usability:

The usability within IG is generally very user-friendly and intuitive, even for new users. The bottom navigation bar gives quick access to essential features: Home, Search, Reels, Shopping, and Profile on the far right, which will show your profile photo. The familiar swipe gestures (e.g., swiping left to open the camera or right to see DMs) make navigating more natural. When you open the app, you’re presented with posts from people you follow. Everything is designed to keep you scrolling or interacting, which becomes addictive. For instance, liking a post is as easy as a double-tap, and leaving a comment or sharing is only a tap away.

Design:

The Design of the application is straightforward, clean, and visually stimulating. The white background and regular font choices keep the focus on the content. Representation is effective, with recognizable symbols for home, search, likes, and messages. The app also uses animations and transitions smoothly. For example, switching between tabs or opening a story is fluid and fast. Story circles and Reels are visually highlighted to encourage engagement at the top as you open the application.

Functionality:

The application's functionality is listed as follows: Instagram offers a wide range of features, such as photo/video sharing, which is basic but influential, with many filters and editing options. Stories: Great for real-time updates, but sometimes hard to organize or revisit later. Reels: Competes with TikTok, allowing users to create short-form videos with music and sometimes cutting them short. DMs: Functional and recently integrated with Facebook Messenger. Explore: Uses a strong algorithm to surface content users might like. However, some features like managing Reels insights or finding saved content are hidden in deeper menus, which can be frustrating.

The three recommendations for enhancing or improving this application would be:

• The ability to customize your algorithm using AI.
• Limit Ad Disruption: Ads are essential for revenue, but ads often disrupt the user experience, overloading the entire feed, and missing other content from friends who post. Instagram could offer a “Less Ads” mode or better placement that doesn’t interrupt browsing.
• Give better security to the profile's privacy so that people cannot recreate or steal and make a fake profile. It would be even better to have alerts if the profile is duplicated, so that you can report it and shut it down.