Pinterest Through the Lens of Information Architecture
Our mission is not to keep you online, it is to get you offline. Pinterest should inspire you to go out and do the things you love.
Ben Silberman, Co-Founder of Pinterest
Does Ben Silberman really want me to close my laptop and go organize my closet, redecorate my family room, update my wardrobe, or cook overly complex dishes? I’m skeptical. If this were true, why did he make the Pinterest user experience so damn enjoyable, compelling me to spend hours scrolling and curating the most beautiful of images? Did he really envision in 2010, when Pinterest was launched, an army of Pinterest devotees setting out to enjoy time away from their computers, having been inspired by their curated boards to decorate, plan a wedding, entertain, and create stuff? I doubt it. In fact, in 2010, I couldn’t even become a Pinner. I wasn’t invited to the exclusive club, and I certainly didn’t feel worthy enough to actually request an invitation. Notice the “Request an Invite” action button on the Pinterest screenshot below, circa 2010. Notice also what’s missing in the 2010 version…the ubiquitous red logo. The branding wasn’t introduced until 2011. However, notice what’s not missing in the original version…the familiar tile layout. But I’m getting ahead of myself. We’ll come back to the layout, but for now let’s talk about the current user experience on Pinterest from the lens of an information architect.
To more accurately use the lens of an IA, I opened a new Pinterest account to think critically about the user experience through every step. Pinterest makes its onboarding simple and direct. The initial data collected is of the generic kind: my name, email, gender, and country. One would presume that the country data was important to set the language appropriately, but the goal is to better personalize the user experience. It turns out that my food and fashion preferences are significantly different than that of my female counterparts, say in India, and Pinterest seeks to capitalize on this by pushing these unique preferences to my homepage. Apparently, Pinterest doesn’t believe I have a need for an array of sari images, but I do love Indian butter chicken and now have a fear of missing out.
As part of the onboarding process, Pinterest asks me to choose 5 categories of interest in order to use this data to better personalize my experience. The categories have a breif textual label but are more clearly represented by images. Categories chosen, the real data collection begins. As I interact with the images on my homepage, pinning those I like to my newly created and labeled boards, Pinterest continues to capture vast amounts of data. This core data includes my unique Pinterest name, my profile image, how many pins I’ve made to date, the boards I’ve created, as well as the boards created by those I follow. For each board I create or follow, Pinterest captures the URL, the board description, information on the board creator, the creation date, the board statistics (i.e., # of repins, how many followers or how many are following, etc.). Pinterest also captures core data from each individual pin — the URL of the original website, creator information, creation date, the unique URL on Pinterest, etc. This data helps Pinterest push the most relevant images to my homepage. I put their algorithm to the test, typing “goat cheese,” “rat terriers,” and “information architecture” into the search engine. My homepage is quite the eclectic hodgepodge. The images on my homepage, newly curated by Pinterest, make me hungry (I’ll eat anything with goat cheese), smile (rat terriers puppies are adorable), or profoundly curious (I’m still new to this IA stuff).
The user flow for a Pinterest user is addicting in its simplicity, represented by the diagram below. The user flow is an easy to learn, predictable, and repeating pattern.
Let’s return to the grid layout I mentioned earlier. Pinterest has remained true to their original 2010 visual design. In fact, this original layout was considered a new web design trend at the time and has since been mimicked widely by other websites. What’s key to the Pinterest user experience is the emphasis on visuals and the deemphasis of text. Yes, Pinterest allows me to employ categories in a way that is intuitive to me, but the use of text is downplayed until I I’m ready to dig into the image details. Buttons and text don’t appear until you hover over an image with your mouse. Keeping all information and possible action (save, share, links) hidden allows the user focus to remain on the visual images. In fact, the majority of the space is taken up with images. The vertical layout allows for different sizes of images to fit neatly into the space without the eye being distracted by superfluous information or other images. Atkins, in Pinning Down Pinterest (2018), provides a grid and pin wireframe that nicely captures the essence of the layout.
Worth noting is Pinterest’s choice to change the “Pin It” button on the top right to “Save.”
From Pinterest’s blog:
“Now that more than half of people who use Pinterest are from outside the United States, we’ve been working harder than ever to make sure our app and website are easy to use no matter where you live or what language you speak. Unfortunately it turns out that the notion of “Pinning” ideas doesn’t always resonate with everyone around the world.”
Pinterest saw an 8% increase in pins with this switch.
The affordances implied by the navigation buttons are popular and easy to understand. No text is offered or needed below the common icons. Also of note is the lack of color at the top of the landing page. The color is left to the images that populate the homepage.
The entire user experience on Pinterest relies on the use of categories. Users seek to pin images to their boards which are categories of related images. Pinterest does provide category suggestions for users or users can create their own. Allowing me to choose my own categories and organizational patterns within those categories allows me to interact with my boards and pins easily and intuitively. The categories chosen by any user allows Pinterest to see trends or patterns in the way the user interacts with the images, again allowing Pinterest to better personalize the user experience and making the interface more engaging. Pinterest also lessens the cognitive burden on the user, making frequent decisions unnecessary and by supplying the user with pre-selected boards based on metadata from previous pins, boards, and categories.
Notice when I use the search engine (image below), Pinterest uses taxonomies based on my search trends to offer suggestions. I like that these suggestions don’t appear on the interface until I prompt it in the search engine. It keeps the interface clean and image-focused. Worth noting as well is the “Today” button on the mast. This has replaced the “Trending” button and allows me to see the images that have been pinned in the last 24 hours that are related to my search history, boards, and pins.
Other filters available to the user include “Explore” and “Shop.” When I search for denim shirts using the “Explore” feature, I receive the typical Pinterest images to scroll through.
If I switch to “Shop,” I’m provided direct links to retailers, making Pinterest more of an ecommerce site.
Navigation on the Pinterest interface is simple, repeatable, and familiar. It provides users with an infinite scrolling mechanism. This is far easier and less time-consuming than clicking on a page, waiting for it to load, finding it isn’t what you had hoped, and then clicking again to go back. Luckily for me, Pinterest also provides an easy way to immediately scroll back to the top after I’ve spent 20 minutes down the infinite scrolling rabbit hole, moving from one beautiful image to the next.
Pinterest makes tapping on an image the main search pattern, far easier than typing in characters on a search bar. In fact, the search bar is deemphasized in light grey. However, users can find pins in a variety of ways, letting them choose the method that fits their preferred use.
The entire process of pinning is simple and learned quickly. Every pin, no matter the category, is presented the exact same way. It contains an image, a short description, and several action buttons in an easily understood and intuitive layout. The navigation path is easy to understand. This repeatable pattern makes for a familiar and easy user experience and allows the user to understand where they are in the process. Context is easily understood. The click-through process is the same every time and relies on standard save and link features. Barber, in Exploring Pinterest’s Data Goldmine (2016) provides a nice visual and explanation of the experience:
Overall, Pinterest has created a simple, clean, and easy to use platform where people can curate images to inspire action on nearly all facets of their lives. It appeals to users because we, as humans, are visually wired. But it’s not simply the visuals. It’s the way Pinterest displays the visuals, the navigation, and the ease of interaction that keeps users coming back. User engagement is enhanced, and it keeps us on the site longer.
What does the future hold for users of Pinterest? Don’t expect much to change on the interface. Pinterest has stayed true since its inception to its infinite scrolling and tile design. It’s clean and functional interface not only works for the user, but it has been copied by numerous others. Over time, Pinterest has made small modifications to the interface, but they have not been drastic. Even with the changes, users have not had to re-learn how to use the platform. Users have come to trust Pinterest as a brand through this consistency.
Users have at times been frustrated by spam images that appear on their homepage, images having nothing to do with their search history. I have never searched for an online college, and I have no intention of attending Southern New Hampshire University, but its image appears on my homepage. Pinterest will have to continue to update its anti-spam software if it is to continue to ensure a positive user experience.
More than 80% of Pinterest’s users are women between the ages 25–50. Will we see a shift to a more male-centric focus? According to the Pinterest blog, 40% of new Pinterest sign-ups are from men. Will Pinterest attempt to reach this untapped market? As part of my quest to understand Pinterest from an IA perspective, I asked my husband to create a Pinterest account. It was fascinating to see what categories were offered to him during the onboarding process. They ranged from motorcycles, tattoos, autos, fitness, beer, and cocktails, to lawn care, car maintenance, adventure travel, and photos. Interestingly, the image under the “photos” category was a woman in a bikini. I’m sure that my image, as a female, would have been vastly different. In fact, none of these categories were offered to me during the onboarding process.
With 478 million monthly users and over 200 billion saved pins (Pinterest, 2021), I think it’s safe to say that Pinterest has created an easy-to-use platform that allows users like myself to curate and categorize an array of beautiful images meant to inspire me to lead a more fulfilling life…if only I could shut my laptop.
