Make context discoverable.
The heuristic review identified small, low-contrast notes and placement that made them easy to miss. Useful context first needs to be visible in the reading experience.
08 / Instagram Community Notes
Context worth
questioning.
Explore how people notice, interpret, and assess Instagram Community Notes.
- My contribution
- UX research. Manual thematic analysis, heuristic review, and AI-method comparison.
- Team context
- UW coursework; independent study of Instagram.
- Stage
- Research and evaluation
- Delivered
- Thematic synthesis, usability findings, and method reflections.
Trust journey / reconstructed
- NoticeFind the note.
- UnderstandIdentify its author and purpose.
- InspectCheck the supporting sources.
- JudgeForm a considered view.
A synthesis of usability concerns, not an implemented Instagram redesign.
Key decisions.
Show who and why.
Manual thematic analysis surfaced uncertainty about who writes and verifies notes. Clear authorship, review cues, and accessible sources can help readers assess credibility.
Check AI against the analysis.
I compared manual coding with AI-generated themes. The comparison highlighted both overlap and lost context, reinforcing the need to verify automated summaries against participant responses.
Outcome & next step.
Connected visibility, authorship, and source access to practical opportunities for a clearer reading experience.