This document summarizes the process of designing a photo printing feature integrated into Instagram. A team of three conducted research including competitive analysis, user interviews, and surveys. They developed personas and identified key needs. An MVP was designed with priority on simplicity. Wireframes and prototypes were created and iterated based on user testing. The final design drew on Instagram's filter interface and allowed customizing prints by swiping through options like paper type and borders.

1. Instagram

2. OVERVIEW
CHALLENGE
Create a photo printing feature for
Instagram with customization options
SOLUTION
A simple single photo printing that allows
for customization and gifting, taking into
consideration user goals, business goals, and
brand identity.
MY ROLE
PROCESS
Research
Ideation
Design
Iterations
a photo printing feature integrated
into Instagram
TOOLS
Pen & Paper
InDesign
Google Drive
PROJECT MANAGER
I acted as project manager,
focusing primarily on managing
our schedule, research, feature
definition, and testing.
This was a student project for General Assembly, created in
a 1.5 week span with a team of three people.
Instagram
DESIGNIDEATIONRESEARCH ITERATIONS
overview | process | project management

3. OVERVIEW DESIGNIDEATIONRESEARCH
RESEARCH IDEATE DESIGN ITERATE
• competitive analysis
• contextual inquiry
• surveys
• user interviews
• personas
• MVP
• features
• brainstorming
• user flows
• rough sketches
• use cases
• app map
• wireframes
• user testing
• digital prototyping
• user testing
• multiple iterations
To find out more
about Instagram
users and photo
printing
To develop key
features and
identify the value
proposition
To develop
interface, test, and
refine user flows
To create digital
prototypes, continue
testing, and iterate
PROCESS
Here is a little more about our process and methods in
approaching this project.
ITERATIONS
overview | process | project management

4. OVERVIEW DESIGNIDEATIONRESEARCH ITERATIONS
As project manager, I created a project plan to keep us on
track, as well as a more detailed task sheet with
responsibilities and due dates.
I additionally had our team touched base with daily meetings to
communicate our individual progress and stay on the same page.
overview | process | project management

5. DESIGNIDEATIONRESEARCHOVERVIEW
KEY QUESTIONS
• Who is using Instagram?
• What do people love about Instagram?
• What type of Instagram users already
print frequently?
• Who is already offering digital printing?
• How do people print their photos?
In approaching this project, we were looking for the
intersection between users of Instagram and photo printing.
We conducted analyses of competitor apps that offered
printing services, as well as a contextual inquiry of physical
locations where people went to print.
competitive analysis | contextual inquiry | surveys | user interviews | personas
ITERATIONS
I printed a photo at a studio and observed several
other people printing to understand the flow of the
printing process.

6. DESIGNIDEATIONRESEARCHOVERVIEW
competitive analysis | contextual inquiry | surveys | user interviews | personas
We additionally interviewed 24 users who used Instagram
and had printed photos in the past. We synthesized
common pain points, habits, and needs into 5 personas.
We collected data about printing needs and Instagram use
from 2 surveys and 90 respondents, all of whom indicated
interest in printing from Instagram.
ITERATIONS
91% 73%
87% 83%
individual prints individual
frames prints
print for
themselves
gifts for
friends/family
• Joy, the DIY gift-giver
• Ariana, the young mom
• Jeff, the iphonegrapher
• Mickey, the print enthusiast
diana
BACKSTORY
Diana is just out of college and her friends are scattered across
the States. She feels nostalgic for her college days and she wants
a way to remember them as she navigates through a new city
and new job. She also likes to send her friend gifts to share with
them social moments.
PAIN POINTS USE CASESBEHAVIOR
NEEDS
I want to capture the
social moment.
• Good quality
• Reasonable price
• Reasonable price
• Inconsistent quality
• Time consuming
• Diana wants to send her
friend Katie a print for her
bday
Age: 23 | Gender: Female | Instagram Use: Frequent
• Diana wants to print out
photos from college to put
on her bedroom wall
• Posts: friends, vacation,
family, nature
• Prints for: For herself to
remember, gifts for
friends
Diana, the memories collector
OTHER PERSONAS

7. DESIGNIDEATIONRESEARCHOVERVIEW
MVP | features | brainstorming | user flows
We considered user needs, business goals, and brand identity, making
use of takeaways from our research, personas, and writing out user flows
to find the MVP and prioritize features with the MSCW method.
Ultimately, our key takeaway was that “less is more” for an
Instagram printing feature, as Instagram was distinctly liked
by users for its ease of use and simplicity.
Brainstorming the MVP and prioritizing features on the whiteboard.
while still offering enough
customization options for gifting
to friends and family, in keeping
with the Instagram filters and
social sharing.
Less is more:
ITERATIONS

8. DESIGNIDEATIONRESEARCHOVERVIEW
We collaborated on ideating and sketching interfaces in a
multiple design studio sessions.
I created a paper prototype to test the printing feature
selection and checkout flow, which also functioned as low
fidelity wireframes.
rough sketches | paper prototyping | wireframes | use cases | user testing
ITERATIONS
A paper prototype demonstrating how you can scroll through features at
the bottom of the screen.

9. ITERATIONSDESIGNIDEATIONRESEARCHOVERVIEW
I created 2 use cases for our primary and secondary personas,
Diana (the memories collector) and Joy (the DIY gift giver) to use
for testing.
The digital prototype demonstrates the first use case,
available at the link. We used this to test more subtle
interactions and interface details, such as gestures and color.
rough sketches | paper prototyping | wireframes | use cases | user testing
USE CASE 1 USE CASE 2
You are at a party and you just took a
picture of your friend Katie and posted it
to Instagram. You want to give the photo
to her as a present while at the party.
You’re at home. You’re making a
scrapbook for your mom’s birthday
and you want to use one of your
Instagram photos in your feed for one
of the pages.
DIGITAL PROTOTYPE: https://projects.invisionapp.com/m/share/C620CG03X

10. ITERATIONSDESIGNIDEATIONRESEARCHOVERVIEW
Though our design studio sessions and early sketches began with scrolling up
and down on the screen to select options, I observed that users may be more
familiar with the side to side interaction seen in Instagram’s filter function.
Here you can see the progression from sketches to high fidelity
mockups. Ultimately, due to time constraints, we focused our iterations
on refining user interactions with the printing customization options.
iterations | mockups

11. ITERATIONSDESIGNIDEATIONRESEARCHOVERVIEW
INSTAGRAM FILTERS ITERATIONS
i.1
i.2
i.3
i.4
iterations | mockups
We iterated on how users would move through customization
options, defaults(and how they were indicated), and a
messaging option.
The basis for the interface in our printing customization feature was the
design pattern used in Instagram filters, to give users a sense of familiarity
and to seamlessly integrate with the app.

12. ITERATIONSDESIGNIDEATIONRESEARCHOVERVIEW
Ultimately, we had icons to represent different customization categories
(paper type, border, etc.). The categories and icons were both tested
through multivariate testing.
Each set of options could be accessed either by swiping or tapping. Selections
were indicated with a blue line underneath each option and text above. As
each feature was selected, the photo changed to reflect your choices.
iterations | mockups

13. thank you