The usability of Snapchat stems from its systemically linear approach towards providing convenience and practicality. Snapchat is practical because it is a means of sending a message through imagery. This imagery is usually in the form of selfies; and, in a narcissistic society, this method of communication works fine. Why is Snapchat more convenient than a simple text message? The answer resides in the millennial users, who insist on conveying more information than text and emojis can satiate. They have a desire to share their faces, smiles and good times through a practical and powerful application where their friends also are.
Functionality is relative to performing functions a number of times. Snapchat’s primary function is taking and sending images and videos. Anyone can download the app, and it opens (Once you are logged in) to a distinct screen that displays the camera output. Through inference, children can figure out that swiping will bring the user to pages that display friends, snaps or Discover. When taking a picture or video, there is a big button at the bottom of the screen to show the functionality behind recording or snapshotting an image. Sending to other users is easy, as it is the next screen after taking the image and pressing continue. Adding users has become simpler due to an update that allows user to take a picture of a QR code on other Snapchat users’ devices.
Snapchat’s interface, design and aesthetic are all intertwined, as the interface delegates how the app is used and what it looks like. Design-wise, Snapchat is simple, uses emojis and icons to convey a majority of information. There is text, but it is used sparingly; namely, it is used in table view cells as naming information or time of the snapchat send. There is a conversation feature built within Snapchat, but it is primarily viable based on imagery sent between friends and acquaintances. The aesthetic is clean and simple, so as to appeal to users who do not want to deal with unnecessary or ancillary pages or objects that do not correspond with the theme of simplicity. There are only a few colors in use to designate what page the user is on, but design is seemingly becoming more scattered and less unified over time. This is because the developers are paying less attention to the overall unification and, instead, adding more features. For instance, when swiping left or right, there are different elements that distinguish each page, but they become lost in translation when viewing Snapchat from a hierarchical view.