📍 Project Overview
I conducted a contextual inquiry to understand how TikTok’s user experience encourages habitual use and emotional engagement. By observing a frequent user in a natural setting, I explored the app’s psychological triggers, content algorithms, and perceived value.
- Role: Researcher & Observer
- Duration: 1 week
- Tools Used: Contextual Inquiry, Interviewing, Observation, Video Recording, Thematic Analysis
- Team: Solo research with participant collaboration
- Focus: Behavioral Design, Platform Affordances, User Motivation
❓ The Problem
TikTok is known for its highly personalized algorithm and addictive interface—but how does this translate into real-time user behavior? My goal was to observe a user “in the wild” and identify the cues and reinforcements that drive engagement.
How does TikTok influence user behavior through interface, content, and emotional triggers?
🔍 Research & Discovery
- Observed a TikTok-enthusiast friend during multiple casual browsing sessions.
- Recorded their behavior while using the platform on a desktop setup.
- Conducted an in-depth interview about usage patterns, emotional responses, and platform habits.
🧠 Key Insights from the Session
- Passive-Active Consumption Loop: The user opened TikTok casually “to pass time” but quickly became immersed, losing track of time.
- Emotional Regulation: The app served as a mood booster, providing joy and a hit of dopamine through funny or affirming content.
- Niche Community Belonging: User found identity and community through subcultures like BookTok and CleanTok.
- Behavioral Hook: The content delivery is so attuned that it created a sense of being “seen” by the algorithm—fostering emotional stickiness.
“It just knows what I want to see. Even when I don’t.”
💡 Design Implications
- Addictive Feedback Loops: TikTok’s interface and algorithm mimic behavioral psychology techniques (intermittent reward, mirroring, escape).
- Potential Harm: While joyful, there are early indicators of dependency and detachment from real-time awareness.
- Opportunity for Ethical Design:
- Design for mindful breaks or time awareness
- Create clearer boundaries between content types (educational vs emotional)
- Introduce value-aligned personalization (e.g., learning vs escapism)
✨ Outcomes
- Laid the foundation for deeper exploration of digital habit formation
- Inspired new inquiry ideas related to digital well-being, algorithmic ethics, and UX for emotional safety
- Highlighted potential for using this method in tech design workshops and media literacy programs
🔁 Reflections
This project revealed the power and precision of algorithm-driven design—but also its risks. Contextual inquiry proved invaluable in uncovering not just what users say, but how they behave in real contexts.
“Designing for attention isn’t hard. Designing for intention is.”
