Minstagram

Prior to its 2016 redesign, I wanted to imagine what a minimal take on Instagram might look like, so I built this quick prototype.

My goal was to present the photography without distraction, so I opted for a black background instead of white. I wanted to encourage the user to take their time with each image rather than quickly scrolling past it, so I designed the feed as a swiping interface rather than a continuously scrolling list.

Is this something Instagram would ever seriously consider? Probably not. Did I accidentally invent the TikTok UI? Who’s to say. Either way, it was fun to imagine and build.

If you enjoyed this experiment, please take a moment to follow some of the photographers who inspired the design and are featured in the prototype: Eric Ward, Tanner Wendell Stewart, Daniel Lewis, Kosten, and Michael Salisbury.