TikTok Works Because It Breaks the Right Rules
TikTok Works Because It Breaks the Right Rules
I watched three people use TikTok on the same train ride recently. None of them opened a menu. None of them searched for a tutorial. They watched, swiped, paused, shared, and occasionally returned to a video they had already seen. The interface gave them very little to understand, but it gave them something immediate to do.
The useful rule-breaking That is why I found WIRED’s argument useful. The interesting question is not whether TikTok follows good interface design practice. It clearly ignores several conventions, but it removes friction from the single action the app wants most: keep watching.