Overview

Snap Mini to Mini linking was aimed at creating a cohesive experience between various Snap Minis by enabling intuitive navigation and contextual discovery. The design work focused on three core areas:

1. Social Gifting Entry Points

   Creating meaningful connections between social-use Minis like gifting and event planning, starting with the Birthdays Mini.

2. Mini Picker

   Designing a scalable way for users to discover and choose from a growing number of Minis within one interface.

3. Navigation

   Developing a seamless navigation system to switch between Minis without losing context or needing to exit and re-enter the experience.

Key Highlights

• Leveraged User Behavior Data: Based on chat data, the team identified that users often coordinate social plans via Snapchat, presenting an opportunity to integrate "social gifting" and utility Minis.
• Strategic Use of Popular Mini: The Birthdays Mini (750K DAU) served as the MVP anchor for launching entry points into other Minis like Givingli, Send Gifts, and Ding.
• Entry Point Innovation: Explored multiple UI patterns such as horizontal scrollers, trays, and “Celebrate” buttons to balance visibility and usability across different birthday scenarios.
• Mini Picker Design: Iteratively tested categorized lists, nested accordions, and simplified flat trays before settling on a design that allowed users to quickly choose between different celebratory activities.
• Browser-like Navigation: Designed a multi-Mini experience inspired by browser tabs and FAB menus. A final “pill menu” minimized visual clutter while enabling session-aware back-and-forth Mini navigation.

Why is this work important?

This work addresses a critical challenge in the Snap Minis ecosystem: low discoverability and fragmented experiences. By embedding Minis, like gifting, games, and event planning into high-engagement moments, such as birthdays, the team created a more intuitive and emotionally resonant Snapchatter journey. This not only improved usability but also unlocked new engagement and monetization opportunities, as seen with gifting Minis outperforming native storefronts during key holidays. Additionally, the browser-like navigation system enabled seamless transitions between Minis, laying the groundwork for a scalable, interconnected platform. Overall, the project exemplifies how thoughtful design can drive both user value and business impact.

Learn more

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