Maintaining the relationships that matter on Instagram
A CONCEPTUAL FEATURE FOR INSTAGRAM | 🥉 THIRD PLACE
ROLE
Product Designer
TIMELINE
72 hours • March 2025
Designathon
TEAM
Sydney Bernal
Charlene Lee
THE USER
Meet Charlie
THE PROBLEM
Digitally connected, personally disconnected
60%
of people in Canada feel lonely
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2021090-eng.htm
RESEARCH
The 3 core barriers
Flip to reveal the data
THE KEY INSIGHT
A feature nobody uses — but everyone sees.
50%
of users never
post on Notes
43%
never reply to someone else's Note
But almost 90% still read them.
THE SOLUTION
Two features, one goal
Most social features solve one problem. We found that the hardest part of making friends wasn't starting conversations. It was keeping them going. So we designed for both.
Ties
gives you a reason to reach out. It surfaces shared interests between you and someone else, so you always have something real to say.
Topics
gives you the tools to keep a conversation alive. It organizes your shared moments, photos, and key dates into one place so nothing gets lost.
KEY DESIGN DECISIONS
Agentic AI
AI works silently in the background and only surfaces a Tie when the user actively looks for it, on a profile or in Notes. Connection happens on their terms, not ours.
Reviving Notes
50% of users never post on Notes, but almost everyone reads them. Instead of adding a new tab or surface, we repurposed what was already there. It kept the solution lightweight and native, not intrusive.
PROCESS
Tying things together
We started with user surveys targeting Instagram users under 25, then mapped our findings into mind maps exploring what makes a connection feel meaningful.
We looked at existing social features that encouraged connection — Instagram Story reactions, Snapchat Bitmoji Stories, Discord live status — and asked what made those work.
After iterating through multiple flows and wireframes, we consolidated into the two-feature system.
SOLUTION
Ties
Intentional profile icon
A new icon on any user's profile. Tap it, see a Tie, send it. For when you know you want to reach out but don't know how.
Redesigned Notes for spontaneity
We repurposed Instagram's Notes feature at the top of the DM list. Instead of text notes, it shows 4 people you haven't talked to recently alongside an interesting Tie.
Topics
Chat organizer
AI scans your DMs and groups messages, photos, and plans into categories.
Top Picks
Pulls from posts you've both liked and accounts you both follow to surface new things you have in common.
TAKEAWAYS
The Notes insight reframed how I think about engagement
The finding that 50% never post but many still read was a good reminder that low engagement does not mean low potential. Understanding why something is not working is just as useful as knowing what is.
Designing for connection means designing against friction
Every extra step or moment of uncertainty is a reason for someone to give up. The best social features are not about adding more ways to communicate, but rather about removing the reasons people avoid it.
