Reflecting on Product Design
A personal look at Instagram’s product design and the factors that have lead to the app’s success.

When I first joined Instagram back in 2012, I made my debut with the photo pictured above. Featuring a half-eaten cookie and a melting scoop of ice cream, it was safe to say that I was far from becoming Insta-famous (I only got one like).
Despite the initial challenges of taking and sharing my food photos with the world, I continued to use Instagram. Fast forward 5 years, and I still check the app before I get ready for the day and find myself refreshing the app throughout the day to catch up on any new content that has been posted.
What drew me to use the app throughout all these years? Here’s a look at why Instagram has kept me hooked:
1. It’s simple and straight forward
Instagram does one thing and it does it well. It’s a platform to share photos. Whether you are browsing other people’s photos or sharing your own, they all end up on one feed that you can endlessly scroll through. Upload a photo, select a filter, and post. Easy.
With each photo you are only given three ways to interact it: like, comment, or share. The limited interactions make Instagram easy to understand and effortless to use. It also made it very easy for my best friend to start sharing every pineapple-related post with me. Don’t ask — I still don’t understand her obsession.

2. It’s a shared experience
Scrolling through your own photos can be fun at first, but it is only entertaining for so long. With Instagram, you can have a peek into other people’s lives and live vicariously though them. It satisfies our innate curiosity and provides a sense of belonging through the opportunity to connect with communities of like-minded people. Personally, I use Instagram to see what my friends and favourite bloggers have been up to and to find inspiration from the online community of creators.
Instagram also provides an audience for your own posts. You can subject other people to your blurry selfies, food photos, or share your latest travel photos with the world. Whether it be posting on your own feed, creating a story, or sharing a post with someone, it is easy to engage with the platform and interact with other users.
3. It’s satisfying to use
Whether it be curating a perfect feed or staying on top of what your internet crush has been up to, Instagram appeals to our need for instant gratification. The endless scrolling provides continuous visual stimulation and is a go-to for mindless entertainment while waiting in line.
The app also provides social reinforcements through the function of getting likes for your photos. It is a cycle of positive reinforcement and validation where receiving likes encourages you to post more often, which in turn results in gaining even more likes. It has even shaped how some of us live our offline lives, finding opportunities to take photos just “for the ‘gram”.
Summary
A great product should be easy to use, accessible, and provide greater value that just fulfilling our practical needs. Instagram has done just that. Beyond sharing visual images, it has become an influential tool in connecting like-minded individuals and provides a delightful and rewarding experience to its users.
For myself, it has allowed me to stay connected with my friends that have moved across the globe, inspired me to eat healthier, and encouraged me to capture and appreciate the world around me.
