Web/Mobile App Critique

Application: LikeToKnow.it 

About the app: LiketoKnow.it or LTK is an app that launched in 2014 geared toward helping users find the looks and style inspiration they want. It's mostly clothing fashion and the different genres of clothing, but it also includes home decor (my personal favorite), travel, and wedding decor. It's a little like Pinterest where users can save their favorite posts and discover new posts based on their prior likes. LTK improved upon that model, in my opinion, by allowing bloggers/social media influencers to post pictures and actually tag the products they used in the photo so that the user can purchase that exact item or one similar to it. 

What the App Solved: Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat do not support links on regular posts. On top of that only verified users are allowed to use links in stories that only last 24 hours. This is where LTK comes in. LTK pairs with an Instagram profile, for example, for ease of use and opens up the app when a user interacts with it. Because of their strategy they have made 1 billion in app sales!

My experience: I found this app because the home DIY influencers on instagram I follow would use it to link to the products they mentioned on their stories. I became hooked because I personally got tired of asking in the comments of the photos, "where can I buy this and how much is it?" I'm glad the influencers decided to use LTK because it really enhanced my shopping experience and made it a lot simpler to find what the products they used. 

User interface: I love the user interface. The app makes use of almost all the screen save for the navigation bar at the bottom that directs users to favorites, saved collections, and discovery. The app also allows users to swipe right to navigate the following, for you, trending, and recently joined tabs on the home page- saving users an uncomfortable trip to the top of the phone to tap. A search bar is always at the top which is a must as well. LTK also allows user to change the format of the photos to either one at a time or multiple in one screen with a single button tap. My favorite part of the user experience is seeing the products below the photo, being able to click the photo, and then go to the link to buy a product. 

Recommendations for improvement: 

I think LTK has a long way to go in providing more product genres. I think it's clear that this is a "womens" app right now despite having a men's category. I understand fashion is this apps bread and butter, but expanding their user base is an achievable goal. It would necessitate addressing some glaring weaknesses they have right now in content though. The whole first screen has hits that have NOTHING to do with men.  That being said, how could they convince men to stay in app like that by letting people abuse key words like that. Now that father's day is approaching it's actually bringing up more gender relevant content however. Personally, I am not huge into clothing fashion either. I actually joined for the home improvement/decor genre which is growing, but I think it could definitely use a boost too. 

Another recommendation would be allowing users to share their collections and also import collections from other users if wanted. I think this would encourage more in app time use and help new users get going much quicker. I could see this option being incredibly important for wedding planning or home decor planning. 

Lastly, I think LTK could also boost their in app sales by providing stores their own tab that influencers can populate. That way users can easily browse influencer looks and fill their carts by store. That could cut down on the back and forth shopping between different stores and make it easier for users to reach free shipping minimums.