One of the most popular social media apps, TikTok is a video-sharing app that has been successful in recent years. There are many reasons for TikTok’s success and one of them is the UX of their feed. In this blog post, we will explore what makes TikTok’s feed so successful, why it is such an attractive platform to its users and why every app seems to copy this feed model.

TikTok’s success is due in part to its ability to let users express themselves through a variety of multimedia content. With the app, you can share not only videos but also music and photos which makes for more immersive experiences between friends who use it frequently. On top of that, Tiktok offers curated user feeds where their AI curates exactly what you should see based on factors like the user engagement ( watch duration, like, share, comment, etc) and the content info ( video duration, music, hashtags, etc). There are plenty of reasons why the app itself is so successful but in this article, we will examine the key UX decisions of Tiktok’s feed specifically.

1. Elimination of Choice

TikTok’s feed is what makes it stand out from other social media apps like Instagram and Twitter. Let us begin from the start, the app lunch, if we compare Tiktok’s app launch and first screen to Instagrams for example we see a clear distinction. When you launch Instagram the very first screen you are greeted with is the main feed, which puts the user in a position to make a decision, should you click on the stories section and start watching your friend’s stories? should you start scrolling down the feed? you probably already see the first post which may or may not be that good, you could also just go to the Reels tab. Tiktok on the other hand does something different instead of giving a choice to the user to pick what he wants to experience, Tiktok eliminates this stage and just shows the user the first content. Moreover the first content you see when you launch TikTok is almost always a highly ranked one.

An abundance of choice and “dead area” of scrolling between posts in which neither gets the deserved focus

TikTok’s designers know Hick’s law:

The more choices users have, the harder it’s for them to make one.

This is a classic Hooked model approach, rewarding the user upon app launch, the reward being a variable content (usually the first video is at least 100k likes, so while it is variable Tiktok don’t try to test your reaction to the content but actually reward you with high-quality video for opening the app).

2. Focus on the content

TikTok’s feed did something very interesting, being a video & music network they have put their user’s content at the center of the experience, instead of showing an array of posts/videos Tiktok’s feed focuses on 1 content at a time. Moreover, they have eliminated the “buffer” section between posts, in a way, there is no “skimming through” on Tiktok. These decisions help the user to focus on one content at a time and more importantly not to miss on good relevant content because of “speed scrolling”.

Being able to see and judge one video at a time is obviously useful for the Tiktok algorithm to understand what type of content you like, but it is also useful for the user, because they don’t miss good content, and don’t waste time scrolling between posts. You can examine this in Instagram, the regular feed has a smooth scrolling experience, while if you go to the Search tab and press on any post (Just not vertical Reel) you will enter a “sticky feed” experience in which swiping will position the next post at the top.

This entire approach to show 1 post at a time through swiping interactions has been compared by many people as being similar to slot machine gameplay. The user’s input — whether that be pulling the lever or swiping on one of Tiktok’s videos- acts similarly in both ways because it starts an automated cycle where more content is pushed onto your screen, a classic way to hook the user for a longer engagement.

Even with wide ratio videos, the post section is the entire screen so that the user will focus on the content.

3. The Tiktok’s UI

“Lowering the difficulty of the desired behavior will increase the likelihood of that behavior occurring”

One of the biggest reasons every app seems to copy Tiktok’s feed is its higher engagement rate which is partly because of its unique UI (this type of UI layout is quite popular among many Chinese apps). If we examine the Tiktok feed from reachability and ease of use perspective we can conclude a few key points in favor of this UI.

1. The main actions and layout of post info are always located in the same area all the time. This can be done thanks to their sticky full-screen feed, but it eliminates any need for targeting different points throughout scrolling
2. Main actions (Follow, Like, Comment, Share) are all located on a sidebar in the easiest position for the thumb reach. These actions are also used very large filled Icons to make sure they don’t blend with the video’s content.

There are a lot of apps out there that try to copy the design for this type of feed and they miss some key reasons why it was designed like this, for example, Snapchat has their “Spotlight” section which uses sidebars but positions them at the bottom for a “visual stack” in an area where it harder use your finger compared to the top area which is more natural. Tiktok does something similar but they elevating follow, like, or comment actions as more important than others; making sure those three options stay topmost.

Conclusion

TikTok is a great example of how behavioral psychology principles and good visual design can be used to hook their users and increase engagement. The app uses a simple UX design with a good layout, positioning, interaction, and elimination of unneeded steps in order to build an engaging experience for its users. What are your thoughts about the app? Let me know!