Did Snapchat succeed because of its controversial UI? | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Snapchat’s confusing, unconventional interface may have helped rather than hurt its success. By rejecting standard usability rules, it created a product that encouraged exploration, social teaching, creativity, and a sense of insider belonging. Its design was partly accidental, but it also introduced influential mobile interaction patterns that made Snapchat distinctive.

Breaking Conventional Usability Rules

• Snapchat violated the principle of making interfaces immediately understandable.
• Its navigation was chaotic:
  • Stories used both vertical and horizontal scrolling.
  • The camera screen contained unrelated controls.
  • There was no consistent navigation bar.
• Designers argued that design should solve a problem, even if the result is less polished or intuitive.
• Snapchat demonstrated that usability is not always the most important measure of a successful product.

Tribal Knowledge and Millennial Appeal

• Many users initially found Snapchat frustrating and ridiculous.
• Its hidden features, such as filters and video calling, were often learned from friends.
• This dependence on “tribal knowledge” created:
  • A sense of belonging among users.
  • A private space that felt separate from parents and older generations.
  • A rewarding discovery process.
• The app’s messy interface also reflected the informal, chaotic identity its young audience associated with itself.

Pioneering Mobile Interaction

• Snapchat was among the first major social apps to open directly to the camera.
• This encouraged users to create content rather than simply consume it.
• Gestures such as swiping, tapping, double-tapping, and holding became essential commands.
• Swiping to access filters was more fluid than browsing static filter thumbnails.
• Its multidirectional navigation arguably suited touchscreen devices better than tiny menu buttons.

“Shareable UI” Instead of Intuitive UI

• Josh Elman described Snapchat’s approach as “shareable UI.”
• Rather than making every feature discoverable by individual trial and error, the app encouraged users to learn from friends.
• Social products can benefit from features that people want to demonstrate and discuss.
• The goal is not always immediate comprehension; a powerful or entertaining product may spread because users teach one another how to use it.

Accidental Innovation or Deliberate Strategy?

• Some designers believed Snapchat’s interface was simply the result of accumulated bad decisions.
• Others saw its design as unusually attuned to younger users and mobile behavior.
• Regardless of intent, its unconventional choices helped establish new patterns for camera-first apps, gesture-based controls, and socially learned features.

Snapchat’s success suggests that products do not always need to be intuitive or conventionally polished. A distinctive, difficult-to-master interface can succeed when it creates social value, rewards discovery, and gives users something worth sharing.