A Map to Responsible Products

As I was reflecting on the principles of product design I couldn’t help but think of an experience I had with a digital product recently. The week of the election and the endless wasteland of days that followed before we got a result were, to put it charitably, stressful. My office was dead and all there seemingly was for me to do was doom-scroll on Twitter. Facebook, Instagram, the news alerts, and even the literary newsletter I subscribe to, all typical sources of dopamine-based distraction for me, all seemed tuned solely to the endless election. So I took the plunge and downloaded TikTok.

So what is TikTok for?
TikTok’s tagline is “Make Your Day” which is a lovely clue as to what its key tangible and intangible qualities are. Tangibly, TikTok’s aim is simply to show you a short video that will delight you. In fact, it has an endless stream of them. Much has been written about the negatively addictive powers of endless scrolling apps. I thought the Social Dilemma documentary on Netflix did a great (if horrifying) job of laying those dangers out. But, I think it is the intangible qualities of TikTok that make it as addictive as it is.

Scrolling through TikTok is to connect to its culture. It’s to become “in” on the jokes and trends that only exist within the platform itself. No one else in my close circle of friends uses TikTok, but they didn’t need to. TikTok only asks for my attention in order to be part of its community. In that regard TikTok epitomizes one of the key principles of product design- The experience is the product.

Is it useful, usable, and desirable?
TikTok was bad for me. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of amazing and unique content on the platform, but it was bad for me. My social media screen time doubled for the week I had it downloaded and I never even posted a Tok of myself. In contemplating it further through the lens of product design, I’m not sure if it meets the most important criteria of usefulness. Or, perhaps like most other social media, it has transformed usefulness into addiction.

So what is a useful product?
I wanted to contrast this with a product I have always felt does meet the highest standards of product design- Google Maps.

I love Google Maps. I think as a product it changed the world or at least it changed mine. It’s immediately useful, it’s a clean and clear experience, it solves problems for me daily, and I continually find new uses for it. While you can find some feature creep, generally with maps, Google is very successful at prioritizing the things users actually use the app for and perfecting them. Between when I first started using Google Maps in 2009 and when I moved to Chicago in 2014, Google had integrated the full public transit system into the interface. As someone who didn’t know the city, I mapped almost every trip outside my apartment. Later came a greater ability to search for places like restaurants and stores. I’ve stopped using Yelp because why switch apps.

Importantly, in contrast to TikTok, Google Maps is both useful and responsibly made. I don’t feel the need to “scroll” Google Maps. I could, I’m sure there are neat things to find, but when I put it down it stops taking up space in my attention.

• Good products emerge from coherent strategy: GoogleMaps solves the problem of helping us navigate from the tiny GPS we carry around every day.
• Good products respect their users’ time and effort: All you have to do is type in an address and maps will show you how to get there. It will do the same if you are searching for a random place.
• Good products are easy to learn and consistent in their use: There are plenty of new features (commute, traffic, saved places, contributing), but none are required to access the most essential functions of the app. It saves places you search for, which helps save time later.
• Good products are adaptable: It’s easy to exit and re-enter navigation mode without losing your progress. Maps will also tell you information about issues you may face.
• Good products are responsibly made: Maps has some exploration function for casual engagement, but mostly functions as an indispensable tool. There is no place where it tricks you into using it more or engaging with ads. The choices are clear and none are forced on the user.

I hope I can design a product I have enjoyed as much as Google Maps. Life is better after deleting TikTok (though as of publishing this the election seems to somehow still be ongoing, despite being over), but I do find myself evaluating social media products place in my life more and more. Usable, yes. Desirable, perhaps too much. Useful? It remains to be seen.