The Devil is in the Detail: Instagram, and the Case for A/B Testing
As we speed towards the introduction of Instagram’s shift from chronological timeline to their new, much talked about algorithm, I’ve been observing the micro UI tweaks they’ve been making with some interest.
Instagram are obviously keen to draw people’s attention away from the time stamp, which has been moved from the prominent top right position to the practically invisible position it now holds underneath the comments. This has presumably been designed to take people’s minds off the fact that they are no longer seeing things in chronological order, something which has been the source of much unrest amongst the Instagram community.
I initially noticed this tweak to the UI, as I’m sure so many others did, when I went to go back and edit a post. My thumb subconsciously drifted down to where the miscellaneous menu — as signified by the three vertical dots — had previously sat, only to find it had now been replaced by the seemingly more usable dropdown arrow, now sitting in the spot originally reserved for the time stamp.
This change, although small, felt a little alien to me. Call me averse to change, but over the few days I was subjected to using this icon, I just could not get used to it (although no doubt with time I could have perhaps acclimatised). I was pleased then, when a few days later I saw the return of the old icon.
While these are small and incremental changes to be sure — perhaps even invisible to the casual user — these changes, happening in quick succession and over a short period of time, are a nice indication that Instagram are user testing in the real world.
These are the kind of small changes that, as a user, I would never be able to tell Instagram I did or didn’t want. I’d think, if I were asked, that I wouldn’t care if an icon was X or Y. Evidently though, I do, and so do millions of others.
A/B testing and usability testing is essential practice in creating a user-centred design experience. Testing small changes such as these in the run-up to such a huge change in Instagram’s functionality help with things like error avoidance, task completion and efficiency, and taken as a whole result in an experience that I will either adapt to and use, or walk away from and uninstall.
Just as British Cycling have attributed their enormous success in recent years to the adoption of marginal gains tactics, websites and apps can increasingly attribute their successes to usability testing in ‘micro’ areas.
By testing these changes to the UI prior to the rollout of the new algorithm, Instagram are highlighting that it’s the little things that can make a huge difference when it comes to reducing friction for the user.
