JOSEPH CHI LIN

What's the problem?

Flickr was once the leading source of photography on the internet, but has long since been displaced by Facebook, Instagram, Imgur and other competitors. The primary goal of this case study was to find ways to improve Flickr's user experience in order to increase its competitiveness in an oversaturated market of photo sharing sites.

Research

Through numerous interviews with both current and former Flickr users, three personas were generated to represent the spectrum of Flickr users' needs and pain points.

Key insights

• Users rarely visit flickr.com, with the most dedicated users averaging a visit a week.
• Users upload to flickr and then share on other social media sites.
• Users find it hard to discover photos or have their photos be discovered.

Analysis

The pain points and behaviors described in the key insights can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, new users are gated from content upon arrival to the homepage, thus inhibiting discovery and usage.

Secondly, an analysis of the site's information architecture showed that content is buried under several navigational layers, therefore making it difficult for users to find and consume content. Simply put, the key insights are all symptoms of content being not readily accesible.

What's the design solution?

Flickr's photostream should be redesigned as both a means of browsing and discovery in order to surface content that would otherwise be buried. The restructured photostream would serve as a central hub for content, thus reducing friction in content consumption.

New site map

Photostream discover flow

Photostream navigation concept sketch

Photo module design evolution

Photo modules in the photostream were redesigned to optimally convey information while minimizing its footprint on the photostream. This economization of pixel real estate in the photostream allows for more photos to be consumed per scroll.

Photostream group-powered discovery

An emphasis will also be given to groups as a means of discovery. Groups are a pre-existing organizational structure within Flickr that consist of user curated buckets of content that pertain to specific topics such as nature, travel, etc. By highlighting images featured by groups on the photostream, a user is offered an additional level of discovery curated by users passionate in the topic of their choosing.

Sign up prompts

Additionally, by bringing content and discovery to the forefront, Flickr would leverage its trove of content to give new users a reason to sign up.

Logged in features

Once logged in, the user is offered a new set of navigational tools to further compliment the consumption and discovery of content.