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The Technological Strength of Tik Tok?

There's an app that's taking the world by storm... and it's not SnapChat, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Chitra Srinivasan

Oct 22, 2019

North Carolina State University

Photo by Benjamin Sow on Unsplash

You probably guessed it from the title, but yes! It is Tik Tok. Tik Tok is an iOS and Android social media video app for creating and sharing short lip-sync, comedy, and talent videos. To be honest, I didn't really pay much attention to it, until I realized how many people actually use it - from my younger sister and her middle school friends, to school teachers, to social media influencers, even to some students clubs and organizations right here at NC State.

The app was launched in 2017 by ByteDance, for markets outside of China. In 2018, it became the most downloaded app in the US and has been downloaded more than 800 million times worldwide, according to data from the mobile research firm Sensor Tower.

In short...

"The Tik Tok mobile app allows users to create a short video of themselves which often feature music in the background, can be sped up, slowed down or edited with a filter. Users can also choose background music from a wide variety of music genres, edit with a filter and record a 15-second video with speed adjustments before uploading it to share with others on Tik Tok or other social platforms. They can also film short lip-sync videos to popular songs."

I wondered how it worked, so I gave in and downloaded it. To my surprise, I was actually quite impressed with the framework of the app and admired how the app developers crafted something so simple, yet something so unique that it is taking the world by storm.

I noticed that Tik Tok had a good and well-layed out UX/UI design to not only attract new users but also keep existing users. Here are some important components of the UX/UI design that I found really interesting.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Algorithms

Without asking users to manually filter out their preferences, Tik Tok uses AI technology to deliver content from user behaviors. One important aspect of the Tik Tok app is the "For You" page which contains Tik Tok videos that are pre-selected and catered to user preference by the many mathematical and data algorithms created by the software engineers who developed the app.

Computer-Vision Technology

Computer-Vision technology makes users stay unaware of the next video that will play while they are on the app. Swiping down on the app and watching something unknown gives users a sense of mystery and makes them excited, offering incentivization for users who are on the app.

Video Sensitivity & Data Analytics

The app only shows one 15 second video at a time with the full screen, so users can't see any other video at the same time. The app also automatically provides a video to users when they first open the app. After the video is finished, it plays again. Users can watch it again and again or click the like button, or share it, or keep swiping up to watch more videos. These functionalities make sure that users solely concentrate on the video, adding to the number of views, likes and comments each video receives. Tik Tok content creators generate revenue based on how many views, likes, and comments they receive.

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