Is Your Design Speaking the Wrong Language? Design is a conversation, and affordance is the language. Instagram’s transition from IGTV to Reels perfectly illustrates the power of clear, intuitive design. What went wrong with IGTV? ❌ Ambiguity: The IGTV button left users wondering, “What is this for?” ❌ Poor Placement: It felt out of place, disrupting the user flow. ❌ Low Engagement: The unclear purpose made it easy to ignore. Why Reels Thrived: ✔️ Intuitive Interaction: Clear affordances encourage quick creation and sharing. ✔️ Seamless Navigation: Swipe-friendly, binge-worthy, and aligned with user habits. ✔️ Trend Alignment: Short-form content that meets today’s demand for instant entertainment. The Lesson? Good affordance = effortless engagement. When users know what to do without thinking, features thrive. Is your product speaking the right language to your users? Let’s explore how design clarity drives impact! #UXDesign #AffordanceMatters #ProductDesign #DesignThinking #UserEngagement #InteractionDesign #UserExperience #DesignLessons #IntuitiveDesign #CreativeUX #crmdes #DesignStrategy #DigitalExperience
Such an insightful and relatable read. I agree, IGTV was something no one could wrap their head around, but one good thing about Instagram is that they have huge set of user data which they can leverage to take such on point decisions. 👏🏻👏🏻
UXR | Design Student @ DYPIU
1wHey Krithika Boobalan while I truly resonate with your thought in this post, I had to ask this question, is it affordance that makes the experience truly meaningful and intuitive or is it the signifiers that get the intended work done? While reading The design of everyday things by Don Norman, it struck me how we, as designers, need to differentiate between affordances and signifiers to bring in the best experience we intend to create through our designs.