Context: Improving Discovery of Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels Problem Statement
About a year back, FB had realised the dangers of TikTok’s dominance in markets such as India. It wanted to create its own offering in the same space: short 15sec, spontaneous videos.

While its standalone app Lasso did not gain traction, it kept testing a feature, Reels, withing Instagram.

The TikTok ban provided the perfect setting to rollout Reels in India. 

While the feature itself has a slick UX with functionality almost similar to TikTok’s, IG’s challenge is on the consumption & discovery side.

While TikTok had just one format: 15sec videos, autoplaying as soon as you open the app, with IG there are multiple offerings: Normal posts, Stories, IGTV and now Reels

What this means is that, discovery of new Reels is a little bit of a challenge, and the TikTok like experience, is not quite there.

Changing the UI too much is also not exactly possible, with a previous hook for IGTV, not quite working out.

It’s very likely, with the right kind of push, Reels may redefine Instagram as we know it. 

On the other hand, lack of traction may end up making it ‘just another feature’, like IGTV

So, in this challenge you need make Discovery of Reels simple. 

What would you change in Instagram, so that both Discovery and consumption of Reels? 

Back up you suggestion/s with the right justifications.

And if you think nothing needs to be changed, then provide justifications for that too.

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