My Evaluation of Instagram: Usability, Design, and Functionality

Post # 2 - Web/Mobile App Critique

🧭 Usability

    From a usability perspective, Instagram is pretty intuitive. The main navigation bar at the bottom of the screen lets you switch between your feed, search, posting, Reels, and your profile with a single tap. The icons are simple and recognizable, so most people can pick them up quickly.

    That said, not everything is easy to find. Features like your saved posts or archived Stories are buried in menus. For new users, this can be frustrating. I’ve had the app for years, and I still sometimes forget where certain settings are.

🎨 Design

    Instagram’s design is sleek and modern. The white background helps photos and videos stand out, and the clean layout gives the app a very polished look. It’s clear that visuals are the main focus, which makes sense for a photo-first platform.

    But over time, the app has gotten a bit cluttered. Between Reels, Shop, Notes, and more, it feels like the original simplicity is fading. If you're just trying to catch up with friends, all these extra features can get in the way.

⚙️ Functionality

    Functionality-wise, Instagram offers a lot: Stories, Reels, Lives, DMs, and even shopping. The app runs smoothly most of the time. I rarely experience bugs or crashes, which is a big plus.

    However, the main feed has changed and not for the better. I often see more suggested posts and ads than actual updates from the people I follow. It's easy to miss important posts, and it feels like I have less control over what I see.

🔧 My Top 3 Suggestions for Improvement

1. Bring back a chronological feed option.

Let users choose between an algorithm-driven feed and a simple timeline of people they follow.

2. Let us customize the navigation tabs.

Not everyone uses features like Shop or Reels. Give us the option to remove or reorder them.

3. Improve privacy and content organization.

• Add custom groups for sharing (beyond just “Close Friends”).
  
  
• Let us organize saved posts using folders or tags, like bookmarks.

✅ Final Thoughts

    Instagram remains one of the best apps for sharing and exploring visual content. It’s powerful and well-designed, but the user experience could really benefit from a cleaner layout and more personalization options. I still enjoy using it, I just wish it felt a little more focused and a little less like it's trying to be everything at once.

🛈 Example Screenshots