Overall, Snapchat is an app that's designed for its expert users who are able to take advantage of all the hidden functionalities that aren't visible to novice users. It does a great job of implementing the flexibility and efficiency of use heuristic but isn't well-designed for beginners. As someone who has used the app for a couple of years, I'm pretty satisfied with the interface. So I wanted to redesign the app to be more friendly and inviting to first-time users. Snapchat has a help and documentation section, but I think having an actual "beginner mode" to enable on the app would be even more effective.
First, users enable the "beginner mode" in the app settings section.
In this mode, the app adds captions to explain less intuitive functionalities of the app. For instance, how would a new user know that holding down the large circle button records a video?
Once the user takes a photo, the app tells the user what he/she can do with the photo.
The "beginner mode" would also explain secret functionalities that may even be unknown to expert users. This includes drawing in black or white color, applying multiple filters to a photo, or adding a colorful filter.
When the app detects you taking a selfie, it gives you different information.
