Designs from Other Companies: What I Would Do Instead (Part 2)

Every time I interact with a digital product, I’m unconsciously noting what flows smoothly and what doesn’t. In this second round, I’m focusing on patterns that feel unintentionally clunky, where a small shift could improve usability and create better emotional flow.

Instagram’s Save + Collection Flow Instagram’s “Save” feature lets users collect posts they like, but the experience of organizing and accessing those saved items isn’t very smooth. You can create Collections, but they’re hidden behind a few taps, and there’s no real visual feedback when something’s been saved or added to a Collection.

What I’d do instead: Make saving more tactile and rewarding. Add animation or visual confirmation (like a brief overlay) when an item is saved. Then surface Collections more prominently, maybe right from the profile or home tab. The whole experience could feel less hidden and more intentional, like curating your own gallery.

Google Calendar’s Time Picker (Mobile)
Creating an event on mobile often means wrestling with Google Calendar’s time picker UI. The scrolling wheels are sensitive and imprecise, especially when you’re just trying to set a meeting for “12:30.”

What I’d do instead: Offer common presets (“Now,” “30 min later,” “Next hour”) and a simpler numeric keypad option for entering custom times. Bonus points for recognizing natural language like “noon” or “after lunch.”

EVA Air App’s Loading Time and Interface The EVA Air app gets you from Point A to B in theory, but using it can feel like a layover in itself. The loading screens are painfully long, and the interface feels outdated, cramped, and hard to scan, especially when you're in a hurry or at an airport.

What I’d do instead: Start with performance, optimize the loading time so basic actions like check-in or viewing a boarding pass don’t feel like a chore. Then revisit the visual hierarchy: add more breathing room, clean up the iconography, and simplify navigation. Users in travel contexts need speed and clarity above all.

The Value of Reimagining Familiar Tools
Familiar doesn’t always mean optimal. These products are widely used and successful, but even small improvements in friction points can have a big impact on trust, confidence, and usability.

I write these not to criticize but to stay sharp. Thinking critically about everyday experiences helps me ask better questions, make more deliberate choices, and keep the user’s mental and emotional state in mind with every click, tap, and scroll.