Whatcha know about mobile apps & websites? Week 2.

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TikTok App Review

I decided to use TikTok for my discussion/review. TikTok is a highly popular social media app focused on short-form video content, sometimes called "reels." TikTok allows users to create, share, and discover videos ranging from 15 seconds to a few minutes long, often featuring music, special effects, and different popular trends. As a regularly active TikTok user, its usability, design, and functionality are engaging, though there are some areas that could be enhanced for better experience and safety.

 

Usability

TikTok's user-friendly interface is designed to keep people engaged. The app opens directly to the "For You" feed, which is an endless scroll of personalized video content based on your interactions and preferences.

You interact by swiping up and down on the video's main display, which allows navigation between videos. The icons on the right side of the videos provide quick access to likes, comments, shares, following users, and direct access to profile pages. However, some people may find the constant autoplay overwhelming. Additionally, the settings and privacy options are somewhat hidden in menus, making it a little challenging for new users to manage their accounts effectively.

 

Design

TikTok automatically has a dark theme by default, reducing eye strain and effectively highlighting the feed of videos. The video player is full-screen, which maximizes people's engagement. There are also on-screen buttons and text, which are small and seem to be designed so that the text does not obstruct the videos. However, the interface can feel cluttered when multiple overlays (captions, stickers, etc.) appear concurrently on certain videos.

 

Functionality

TikTok offers numerous editing tools, allowing people to easily add music, filters, effects, and text to their own created videos. The algorithm developed is highly effective at curating content that matches your personal interests, which contributes to why the app is highly addictive - it is always showing you the things that interest you most. TikTok also supports live streaming, direct messaging, and live commentary, which help keep people engaged with specific interests. That being said, this app has room to improve content balance and provide more precise controls for user privacy and screen time limits. Additionally, the discoverability of less popular content can be limited due to the algorithm's focus on high-trending videos.

 

Improved Recommendations for TikTok

  1. Implement Enhanced Parental Controls and Usage Insights

TikTok could develop more comprehensive controls that allow people to customize what content users can access and set daily time limits. This will enable people to manage their screen time and content exploration more effectively, promoting healthier app habits.

  1. Introduce Customizable Feed Filters and Content Preferences

TikTok could allow people to tailor their "For You" feed by selecting content categories or creators they want to see more or less of while offering an easy way to reset or expand the algorithm. This gives users greater control over their content variety and reduces algorithmic sequences they already agree with.

  1. Improve On-screen Text Readability

Offer adjustable font sizes for captions and comments to improve accessibility, especially when stickers, overlays, or pre-built captions are involved in a video.

 

Screenshots: "For You" page, Settings, Creating a post/video 

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References

Baker, J. J., & Sugden, S. J. (2003). Spreadsheets in education – The first 25 years. Spreadsheets in Education (eJSiE), 1(1), Article 2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/27827008_Spreadsheets_in_Education_-The_First_25_Years


The feedback I received from my professor: "Great job in this discussion, Kailey. Your responses were very good."



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