I am an architect by profession who has dabbled a bit in the product world out of passion for user experience design. In my experience a good product is one that creates value, fulfils user needs, solves problems and is easily accessible. A product that is easy to use and intuitive but at the same time evokes intangible emotions in the user making it desirable, makes it a good product. But the big question here is what makes a product stand out? What makes a Good product Great?
To me, Instagram is one such product. I can be honest and say- its got me hooked. It is probably the one application/ product I spend time on for work and for leisure. Being an application with over billion active users, it is in my opinion one of the most popular social media applications out there. It is an application which is indispensable to many users just like myself.
One thing I see Instagram has nailed is its market reachability. What started off as a platform for photo and video sharing, became a hit for users like me because it became the worlds biggest and most influential social media platforms. Its market strategy played a huge role in 21st century pop culture, with the entry of “influencers”. This terminology has particularly gained fame after popular users like the Kardashians, and I can certainly agree with being influenced. With time this has also become an important marketing platform.
I am certain other users like me have encountered issues where you scroll to instagram stories or through the time line or click through posts and search for other users or tags. This can be time consuming. But, what makes Instagram a rabbit hole to get lost in?
Easy Accessibility
Go on your device, go to the instagram application, and think to your self- is this easy for a new user to learn and understand? The landing page is straight forward and its design is strongly designed around thumb affinity. A bottom navigation bar with straight forward iconography makes it un complicated and very user friendly. With the landing page taking you to their main function, this is the screen I often spend most of my time on.
Less is more
I think the key to a successful product is not overthinking a function and not over complicating its implementation. In other popular products you see the same success with their use of white space. The simple and straight forward design, minimalistic approach and their selective use of colours, helps evoke both tangible and intangible feelings for the user.
The word of mouth factor
I think with more and more people using the platform for marketing their brands it is becoming more of a culture shift. Most people who use it already have contacts using instagram. This helps them engage with each other and create a network here. This network can be- clients, friends, followers or even influencers.
These are just some of the reasons I think make Instagram so influential and big competition in the Social Media world. It gets its users hooked which makes it a great example for what a great product should look like. Be innovative in solving and fulfilling your user needs and this will keep them engaged. Stay focused on the product, take one key problem and solve it well.
