Instagram Go

The “Go” feature aims to help get you outside

The Go feature aims to help get you outside. This new accessory to Instagram features heat maps for the ideal place for users to take photos and daily, weekly, and monthly competitions to promote blending exercise with creativity.

The Project :

UX/UI Design Group Case Study

Collaborators:

  • @_samicolon_

  • @cooomzy

  • @nasimkamgar

  • @zubie.jpg

  • @shelu0626


Our Role: UX Designer

Research

Design Challenge Overview

 

The Problem:

People are largely lazy. While they want to do something to improve themselves, people get stuck in the monotony of a comfortable, safe routine and do nothing to change it.

The Solution:

We are designing an Instagram extension ”GO” with the goal of promoting creativity and physical activity. Our extension will offer functions such as heat maps for nice places to take photos, monthly photo challenges for users to take part in, and challenges that promote users getting out and going for walks. We’ll explore the idea of offering ad-based prizes to users.

For this study, we are conducting five, 30-minute one-on-one generative research interviews to better understand our users and empathize with their needs. Participants will range from ages --------, will have a general interest in fitness, will already be keeping track of their daily activity, will be “creative” and will be users of Instagram.

research plan & methodology

  • Based on our poll data and our user interviews, we concluded that having challenges helps people plan and commit to a goal, both in terms of fitness and creativity.

  • People that we spoke to say that they thrive when they make a commitment with both short- and long-term achievable goals. Being held accountable by something keeps them going.

  • Another key finding from our research was that people feel motivated when they're outdoors, and the idea of photography helps bring them outside..

Definition

Thomas is a designer who usually enjoys going for walks but finds it repetitive and boring at times so he will need a way or a challenge to stay motivated, fulfill his daily fitness goals and implement creativity.

Ideation

Based on the combination of one-on-one interviews and our poll data, we drew a few key insights, specifically about motivation. People largely said that taking part in challenges helps them commit to a goal, both in terms of fitness and creativity. In the same vein, people also said that a combination of short- and long-term goals will help keep them going. We used the prioritization matrix to see what insights would slove the problem

Go is an extension and additional feature on Instagram.  Essentially, it aims to invite and motivate users to stay fit and incorporate creativity in the process of it all! Based on user feedback and insights gained, it was determined that users were not sure how they can find a recipe for meeting their fitness goals but also unearth the possibility of a creative self!  The GO feature will fulfill both needs.  


Prototyping

 

We made a user flow for joining challenge with GO feature on Instagram.

Sketches :

Low-Fidelity:

Based on that user flow, we created a wireframe in order to test concepts with our target audience then implement that feedback in our high fidelity prototype.

We went through a lot of different potential icons and landed on the main icon on the home screen being a map, because we determined it represented doing something adventurous. Other icons we used were doors, to represent going outside, shoes to represent walking and step progress, a camera to represent photo progress, and a checkered flag and mountain icons for goals. 

Style guide

Color Palette :

style guide, which is based on what Instagram has. Instagram has two established colors, the Instagram pink-to-yellow gradient ring for stories and green ring for close friend stories. We tried to make Go have a uniqueness within Instagram, so we came up with the blue ring to represent the feature.

  • #FC0088

    Magenta Process

  • #F1004C

    Red Crayola

  • # F7A34B

    Rajah

  • # FFD978

    Orange Yellow Crayola

 

A big part of the process was iconography, as we wanted our icons within the Go feature to match the minimalist aesthetic that Instagram has for things like search, new post, reels, and messenger. 

Through a series of tests, we made multiple changes to refine Go as we moved into our high-fidelity design phase. One major suggestion we had from users was to change the progress tracking bar into a more recognizable gradient ring. We found research that suggested that a progress ring made the challenge seem less daunting than a long progress bar that fills up slowly and stretches across a whole page:

  • Refining our coaching screens to not be too overwhelming or loaded with info. 

  • As well as moving around icons to make the page easier to read and click.

High-Fidelity:

And, finally, with all of that, we have our high-fidelity prototype… 

Conclusion and Next Steps

Thank you for reading, also I wanted to share potential next steps with this exciting new features

  • Go is another way to stay creative by suggesting new places for your followers to explore. 

  • Content Creators can use Go to connect with their audience and suggest places in their city/ location. 

  • Challenges can be created by popular sites (Evergreen Brick Works), local artists (Downtown Murals), or local small businesses.