Create a new Instagram feature to allow users to share posts to their "Close Friends" list.
Question Explain
This question is about designing a new feature for Instagram that allows users to share their posts to a specific list of followers called "Close Friends". It's an exercise in product strategy, user experience (UX) design, and problem-solving.
In approaching this question, it's important to highlight the problem you're trying to solve, present your solution, and elaborate on it. You should also discuss the user interface (UI) design for your feature - such as the changes required, where would the option be located, how would it look, what dialogues or communication would be needed, etc. Talking about the potential impact on existing Instagram features and how your new feature would interact with existing ones will also be very useful.
Answer Example 1
Instagram is known for being a social media platform that fosters positive interactions among users. However, sometimes users might want to share more personalized content with a smaller, closer group of people. The design of this new feature should therefore aim to provide an effective solution and enhance user experience.
The feature could be implemented as follows. When a user is about to make a post, an option could be added in the interface next to the normal 'share' button saying 'share with close friends'. If the user taps or clicks on this button, a list with their 'close friends' should pop up, where they can decide who to share the post with.
The 'close friends' list can be created through a new page in the user's settings called 'define close friends', where the user would be able to add or remove people from it. A search bar would allow the user to find their followers more efficiently when adding them to the 'close friends' list.
Thus, this new feature will cater to the needs of Instagram users who want to share personalized content with a select group of close friends, further strengthening the community-building aspect of the platform.
Answer Example 2
Sometimes, users want to share more personal or sensitive content only with people they trust the most. To cater to this emerging need and enhance privacy, Instagram could incorporate a 'Share with Close Friends' feature.
This feature could be included when the user goes to create a new post. At this point, a 'Share with Close Friends' checkbox, conveniently located next to the traditional 'Share' button, could be added. If the user toggles this box, they would be sharing their post only with the select group of people they've defined as 'Close Friends'.
To create a 'Close Friends' list, we could incorporate an option in the settings tab. Here, users could manually add their 'Close Friends' from their pool of followers. An auto-suggest feature could also be included, recommending users to add people they frequently engage with (e.g. likes, comments, DMs).
This feature will meet the needs of users who prefer sharing certain content with just a select group of people, which would promote user trust and intimacy within the platform.