TIKTOK CASE STUDY

Beyond your daily scrolling.

This case study explores how refining navigation and minimizing content saturation can enhance user efficiency and engagement.

Uncover three major UX problems of TikTok through research, and develop innovative, research-backed solutions to redesign the product for improved user experience.

The core objectives are to amke the product better both for users and in how we, as designers, experience and shape it.

I contributed to the Juni collaboration as the UI/UX designer and researcher. This role guided my focus toward the following areas during the project:

UI/UX Design
User Tests & Research

Figma
Microsoft Word and Excel
Zoom (communication platform)

What issues we found that TikTok users are facing on the platform.

Why is it an issue?
A social media application that navigates through a low organization of user-saved content increases user frustration and low efficiency.
Saving content is essential to using information-dense platforms to save for future reference, entertainment, inspiration, or later curiosity about a topic. Organization is a significant aspect of saving content, which creates a quicker and easier locating experience. The TikTok organizational system of saved content needs to be improved, as it is in the tab toolbar on the profile page and once the tab is open, the difficulty of locating a video in that section increases since all favorite videos are placed there.
Why is it an issue?
A social media application with low content discoverability is at increased risk of low user growth and satisfaction due to decreased product engagement.
Content saturation occurs when there is a significant amount of media on a platform, creating issues with making personalized content stand out to users. There are many videos made every day and the opportunity to discover content that is more engaging, relatable, or tailored for the user besides the "For You" page is challenging.
Why is it an issue?
A social media application with a loud user interface can cause negative emotional responses to using the product, increasing the risk of low user engagement and efficiency.
Reducing loudness in user interfaces is essential for user navigational needs because a clear, consistent, and intuitive user interface assists with locating functions and elements and discovering content.

Validating our ideas through user testing.

We design and conducted three user tests for TikTok’s UX issues by finding s

Issue 1: TikTok Has Low Organization of User Saved Content

(Highly Organized Playlist Page - YouTube)

(Lowly Organized Profile Page - TikTok)

Implementing a clear organizational system for saved content is essential for helping users quickly and effortlessly reference videos. To investigate this, we assessed the time difference between users locating a video with and without an organized system in place. To elaborate, three users were tasked with finding a specific ("planted") video among a total of 153 saved videos. The experiment began at the profile page on TikTok and the playlist page on YouTube, with a stopwatch started as soon as the participant began searching for the video. On TikTok, participants were asked to find a "Home Restock" video using the platform’s minimally organized saved content system. In contrast, on YouTube, participants were tasked with finding a clip titled "How I Met Your Mother – The Best Burger in New York" within one of seven clearly labeled playlists: art, car repair, DIY, food, music, sports podcasts, and TV clips. The time each participant took to locate the planted video on both platforms is outlined below.

Time Measurement of Locating Planted Video (User 1, User 2, User 3)

TikTok | 53.82, 58.49, 85 seconds

YouTube | 13.46, 15.97, 23.36 seconds

After the test, each user participated in a concluding interview to explain their thought process and reflect on their experience. They were asked the following question to support their response:

"Which content platform was more effortless and organized for locating the planted video, and why?"

The participant found YouTube’s clearly labeled and organized playlists more helpful compared to searching through a single, unstructured playlist. This was especially true given the higher number of TikTok videos used in the test.
The participant preferred YouTube because its playlists allowed her to go directly to specific content, rather than searching aimlessly through a large number of videos. She noted that having organized playlists made the experience much easier and more efficient.
The participant felt that YouTube’s folders provided helpful guidance for finding related videos, making navigation more intuitive. In contrast, it took her significantly longer to find the selected video within TikTok’s single, unorganized folder.

Issue 2: TikTok Has Low Content Discoverability Due to Content Saturation

(High Content Discoverability - Spotify)

(Low Content Discoverability - TikTok)

Discoverability plays a crucial role in product success, as it helps users explore and find new content with ease. To evaluate this, I analyzed the comparative effectiveness of content discovery systems on two platforms: TikTok (with lower content discoverability) and Spotify (with higher content discoverability). Specifically, three users were asked to explore the “For You” page on TikTok and the home page on Spotify to assess which platform better supported the discovery of fresh and engaging content. After completing the task, each participant took part in a follow-up interview to answer the following questions about their experience discovering new content on each platform:

“Do you prefer Spotify or TikTok's approach to helping you find new and interesting content from each homepage?”
“Do you find it frustrating to discover new content on the "For You" page on TikTok?”

1. The participant found it quicker and easier to discover new content on Spotify’s homepage compared to TikTok. In contrast, she noted that finding something new on TikTok required more time and effort, as it involved scrolling through numerous videos without clear organization.
2. The participant expressed frustration with TikTok’s algorithm, noting that it often feels like the platform is trying to catch up with her current preferences rather than anticipating them. As a result, discovering new content can sometimes feel inconsistent and less aligned with her interests.
1. The participant preferred Spotify’s personalized homepage over TikTok’s “For You” page, particularly appreciating the Daily Mixes that combine her favorite songs with new recommendations. She felt this approach offered a more balanced and enjoyable way to discover content tailored to her tastes.
2. The participant feels frustrated because she scrolls a lot. It is not that she dislikes the videos on her “For You” page, but it becomes boring trying to find new and interesting content.
1. The participant feels Spotify is more organized in understanding what she wants through its suggested playlists, while TikTok often offers random content she has not seen before.
2. The participant finds it frustrating that she can’t consistently get the content she wants on her “For You” page, especially since that is where she spends most of her time on TikTok.

Issue 3: TikTok Has a Loud Interface

(High Content Discoverability - Spotify)

(Low Content Discoverability - TikTok)

“Do you prefer Spotify or TikTok's approach to helping you find new and interesting content from each homepage?”
“Do you find it frustrating to discover new content on the "For You" page on TikTok?”

1. The participant found it quicker and easier to discover new content on Spotify’s homepage compared to TikTok. In contrast, she noted that finding something new on TikTok required more time and effort, as it involved scrolling through numerous videos without clear organization.
2. The participant expressed frustration with TikTok’s algorithm, noting that it often feels like the platform is trying to catch up with her current preferences rather than anticipating them. As a result, discovering new content can sometimes feel inconsistent and less aligned with her interests.
1. The participant preferred Spotify’s personalized homepage over TikTok’s “For You” page, particularly appreciating the Daily Mixes that combine her favorite songs with new recommendations. She felt this approach offered a more balanced and enjoyable way to discover content tailored to her tastes.
2. The participant feels frustrated because she scrolls a lot. It is not that she dislikes the videos on her “For You” page, but it becomes boring trying to find new and interesting content.
1. The participant feels Spotify is more organized in understanding what she wants through its suggested playlists, while TikTok often offers random content she has not seen before.
2. The participant finds it frustrating that she can’t consistently get the content she wants on her “For You” page, especially since that is where she spends most of her time on TikTok.

These are our design solutions, and why they matter to TikTok users.

The solution to this problem of low organized user-saved content is to implement efficient and scalable navigation to organize the content through a filing system similar to Youtube playlists.
Why is this a solution?
Implementing a filing system for user-saved content on the profile page of TikTok will increase user efficiency and satisfaction when browsing their favorite video location since saving videos is a main prioritized task of the social media platform.
The solution to this problem of low content discoverability due to content saturation is to implement an option of personalized playlists to consume content in a minimized amount that engages users through tailored, fresh, and intriguing videos.
Why is this a solution?
Implementing personalized playlists intended to create a discoverable experience will increase user growth and satisfaction when consuming TikTok content, as users will find more engaging and relatable videos associated with their chosen content topic.
The solution to this problem of a loud user interface is to focus on content and element decluttering, consistent design, and high visual hierarchy within the user interface.
Why is this a solution?
Focusing on content and element decluttering, consistent design, and high visual hierarchy will increase user engagement and satisfaction by creating a clear, consistent, intuitive TikTok experience that ensures positive emotional responses using the product.

Wireframing the home goods and ceramics e-commerce journey.

Organization, intuitiveness, and uniqueness were the aims of this design wireframe, as these qualities are always needed for e-commerce websites. There is an emphasis on uniqueness due to the saturation of e-commerce layouts and aesthetics, and the idea was to create small details that differentiate this website. For example, an interesting entry point into the categories page was designed, with the beginning modular for each category, as users typically read from left to right.

Design Wireframe

These design wireframes were considered based on user evaluations and best user interface practices for these solutions.

(Highly Organized TikTok Page)

(High Content Discoverability on TikTok)

(Non-loud TikTok Interface)