Instagram (Profile Page Search Feature)

Revolutionizing the educational ecosystem with a mobile app designed to enhance interactive learning and peer collaboration.

Role

UX/UI Designer

Industry

FinTech

Duration

2 months

Discovery

Introduction:


It all started with a simple frustration: endlessly scrolling through an Instagram profile with hundreds, even thousands of posts, searching for that one specific photo—a red dress on Selena Gomez, for example. This wasn’t just my experience; it was a shared struggle among many Instagram users. The question lingered: Why isn’t there a faster, more intuitive way to find content on large profiles?

Challenges:


To understand this issue better, I conducted user interviews and tasked participants with locating a specific post on a profile with over 50 posts. The results were telling—most users couldn’t find the photo within a minute. Frustration was a common theme, with users highlighting the inefficiency of scrolling through extensive profiles. They often described the process as tedious and time-consuming, and many wished for a smarter, targeted search feature. This revealed a critical gap in Instagram’s current navigation system.

Goals:


Armed with these insights, I set a clear objective: to design a solution that allows users to search for specific posts on Instagram profiles efficiently and intuitively. My goal was to turn this universal frustration into a seamless, user-friendly experience, saving users time and effort while enhancing their overall interaction with the platform.

User Interviews and Surveys


To uncover the challenges Instagram users face, I conducted interviews with six regular Instagram users. Each participant was tasked with finding a specific photo on a profile containing more than 50 posts.

The tasks were designed to mimic real-world scenarios, such as locating a specific post of Selena Gomez wearing a red dress. Alongside interviews, surveys were used to gather additional feedback on user frustrations and expectations.

Interview Insights

The findings were eye-opening:

  • 68% of participants struggled to locate the photo within a minute, revealing inefficiencies in the current navigation system.

  • Users described the process as tedious and time-consuming, with many expressing confusion about where to start.

  • Heat map data highlighted multiple interaction hotspots, indicating hesitation and uncertainty when navigating profiles.

  • Participants desired features like content filtering by date, hashtags, or visual attributes to streamline the search process.

These insights emphasized the critical need for a more intuitive and targeted search experience on Instagram profiles.

User Flow


The research informed the development of a new user flow, designed to simplify the search process. Instead of endless scrolling, the proposed flow introduces a profile-specific search feature that allows users to:

  1. Open a profile page.

  2. Access the new search functionality directly from the profile.

  3. Filter posts by attributes such as hashtags, dates, or colors.

  4. Quickly locate the desired content with minimal effort.



This streamlined flow reduces navigation friction, ensuring users can efficiently find specific posts while enhancing their overall experience.

Ideate

Paper Sketching

The ideation phase began with paper sketching, allowing for quick exploration of ideas and layouts for the new search functionality on Instagram profiles. These hand-drawn sketches provided a foundation to visualize potential solutions and experiment with different ways to integrate the search feature seamlessly into the existing interface.

Lo Fidelity

Following the initial sketches, low-fidelity wireframes were developed to refine the concepts further. These wireframes emphasized the overall structure, content hierarchy, and interactions, ensuring the design was both functional and intuitive. The low-fi approach allowed for rapid iteration based on feedback, setting the stage for more detailed prototyping and usability testing.

Hi Fidelity Design

Hi-Fidelity


Using Figma, I developed high-fidelity screens that aligned with Instagram’s branding, incorporating its typography, color palette, and iconography. The design emphasized a user-friendly interface, allowing users to access the search feature with filters for hashtags, dates, and visual attributes, enhancing navigation efficiency while maintaining consistency.

Prototype


The high-fidelity designs were turned into an interactive prototype, enabling users to simulate the flow of accessing and using the search functionality. The prototype demonstrated how the feature streamlined content discovery, reducing scrolling time and providing insights for further refinements.

Hover anywhere to interact with this prototype

User Testing and Iterations


To validate the effectiveness of the new search functionality, I conducted usability testing using an interactive prototype created in Figma. Participants were tasked with locating specific posts on an Instagram profile using the newly designed search feature. The testing process focused on identifying areas of friction, measuring efficiency, and gathering user feedback.

Key Findings:
  1. Positive Feedback: Users appreciated the streamlined search process and ease of using filters like hashtags and dates.

  2. Challenges: Some participants experienced confusion distinguishing between the search and filter icons, highlighting the need for clearer differentiation.

  3. Improvements: Heatmap data and feedback revealed opportunities to enhance visual cues and simplify navigation further.User Testing and Iterations


    To validate the effectiveness of the new search functionality, I conducted usability testing using an interactive prototype created in Figma. Participants were tasked with locating specific posts on an Instagram profile using the newly designed search feature. The testing process focused on identifying areas of friction, measuring efficiency, and gathering user feedback.

    Key Findings:

    1. Positive Feedback: Users appreciated the streamlined search process and ease of using filters like hashtags and dates.

    2. Challenges: Some participants experienced confusion distinguishing between the search and filter icons, highlighting the need for clearer differentiation.

    3. Improvements: Heatmap data and feedback revealed opportunities to enhance visual cues and simplify navigation further.


Iteration Process:


Based on testing insights, the design underwent multiple iterations to address user concerns. Changes included:

  • Refining the iconography for search and filter to improve clarity.

  • Enhancing visual hierarchy to make navigation more intuitive.

  • Simplifying the search flow by reducing redundant steps.

These refinements ensured the feature was optimized for a seamless user experience, emphasizing efficiency and usability. Testing and iteration were critical in transforming the design into a functional and user-friendly solution.

Reflections

This project was a valuable learning experience that emphasized the importance of user-centered design and the iterative process in creating intuitive solutions.

Conducting usability testing revealed how even small design elements, such as icon clarity, can significantly impact the user experience.

Through multiple iterations, I learned to balance user needs with functional design, reinforcing the value of empathy and attention to detail in addressing pain points.

The project also highlighted the power of prototyping and feedback loops in refining designs to ensure they meet user expectations.

Overall, this experience strengthened my ability to tackle complex problems, improve usability, and deliver thoughtful, user-focused solutions.

Copyright 2025 by Brenda Njemanze

Copyright 2025 by Brenda Njemanze

Copyright 2025 by Brenda Njemanze