Web/Mobile App Critique: TikTok

TikTok has quickly become one of the most influential apps in the world, transforming how people consume and create short-form video content. Its algorithm-driven “For You” page keeps users entertained for hours, while its in-app creation tools lower the barrier for anyone to become a content creator. Having used TikTok consistently over the past few years, I’ve found its usability, design, and functionality to be impressive, though not without flaws.

Usability

TikTok’s usability is one of its strongest qualities. The swipe-to-scroll design reduces friction, letting users engage instantly without navigating menus. However, this strength can also become a weakness. The “For You” feed is so dominant that it overshadows the “Following” feed, making it harder for users who want a creator-first experience to intentionally keep up with people they follow. This creates a usability gap: TikTok prioritizes discovery over user control. Another challenge is content organization. The current “Favorites” feature is too basic, forcing users to scroll endlessly to relocate a saved video instead of offering structured ways to categorize content.

Design

The app’s design is sleek and minimal, optimized for vertical video. The black background highlights content, while icons for engagement are visible but not distracting. Transitions and animations are smooth, which creates a polished feel. However, design choices also contribute to user overload. Notifications, for example, often blend important updates (such as creator posts or messages) with promotional nudges, which reduces their overall usefulness.

Functionality

TikTok excels functionally in both consumption and creation. Videos load quickly with minimal buffering, and editing tools are robust enough to produce high-quality content without third-party software. Yet, functionality is still limited by its lack of advanced filtering. Users can search hashtags and sounds, but they can’t easily filter results by date or relevance, which would improve discoverability and efficiency.

Recommendations for Improvement

1. Content Organization Through Playlists/Collections – Expanding the Favorites feature into customizable playlists would directly address the usability issue of retrieving saved videos, giving users better long-term control over their content library.

2. Notification Filtering – Adding granular controls would improve usability by separating meaningful interactions (messages, followed creators) from lower-value alerts (ads, promotions). This would reduce notification fatigue and help users prioritize important updates.

3. Equal Emphasis on Following Feed – Allowing users to set their default feed or making “Following” equally prominent would address the usability imbalance caused by TikTok’s algorithm-first design, ensuring users who prefer intentional viewing aren’t sidelined.