Less Is More - Instagram Case
Most of us use Instagram. Some for entertainment, some for business, few for networking.
Instagram had recently released an update in which whenever a user likes a message in their inbox they see a flurry of hearts. I am sure if you are a regular user of Instagram you may remember getting frustrated every time you like someone's message.
This update was severely bashed on the platform by many users across the globe & after a week of bashing, Instagram toned down this feature to the normal one heart for each liked message.
What happened here?
Instagram is owned by Facebook and we have seen these extravagant animations on Facebook whenever we wish someone on their birthday OR congratulate them for something.
Folks from Insta blindly copied what was working for Facebook and plugged it on their platform.
What went Wrong?
A certain nuance that they missed here, is that most of the time people like a message in their inbox, is to acknowledge to the person that they have read the message; and obviously no one wants to send a flurry of hearts to a funny statement that your colleague is making in your inbox.
The functionality designed for a certain objective was now being used for a completely different objective by the users. (Read about accidental inventions like microwave, post it notes)
What went Right?
Instagram reversed the update after receiving feedback(direct & indirect). This helped them create a lot of trust with the users as they felt listened to. Surprisingly, users created more content with the help of memes, videos, etc and hence engagement levels flourished. (Remember Insta does not create content, so in a way they enabled content creation)
What did I Learn?
- Less is more when it comes to things that we do on a higher frequency. Keeping things simple for repetitive tasks is the mantra.
- Plug & play strategy will not work if no thought is applied to on calibrating for your needs.
- ACT ON FEEDBACK. Listening will only develop a short term trust, acting on it will develop a long term trust.
- Don’t be afraid to try new things & let go if it doesn’t work.
What are some of the questions that you are going to ask yourselves as leaders in your perimeters to ensure LESS IS MORE works for you? Post them in comments
An Accomplished HR Leader with a versatile International Exposure in the space of Strategic HR Business Partnership, Talent Development & Organizational Development.
4 年The secret of success lies in simplicity and personalization! Rest, things will keep evolving, speed of evolution will differ hence, letting go and adapting to change is the key!