Research on Interactive Design Optimization Mechanism of Short

Video Advertising: A Cross-Platform Comparative Analysis Based on

the Information Flow of Douyin and TikTok Challenges

Lingsa Dong

College of Art and Design, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China

Keywords: Short-Video Advertising, Interactive Design, Cross-Platform Comparison.

Abstract: Short video advertisements, as the core carrier of digital marketing, have their interaction design directly

influencing user engagement and the conversion effect of the advertisements. This article takes Douyin's

information flow advertisements and TikTok's challenge campaigns as research objects, and through cross-

platform comparative analysis, reveals the differences and optimization paths in interaction design between

algorithm-driven advertisements and social viral advertisements. The research finds that Douyin's information

flow advertisements rely on precise algorithmic recommendations but face user privacy concerns and the

problem of information cocoons; TikTok's challenge campaigns achieve brand diffusion through UGC

incentive mechanisms but have the shortcomings of low-quality content proliferation and broken conversion

chains. Therefore, the interaction design of short video advertisements needs to balance algorithmic precision

and social spread-ability.

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Research Background

The short-video industry has witnessed explosive

growth over the past few years and has become an

important component of the global digital media

sector. By the end of 2024, the number of short-video

users in China has reached 1.04 billion, with a usage

rate of 93.8% (Nie, 2024). The three mainstream

revenue models of short-video platforms -

advertising, online live streaming, and e-commerce -

are expected to generate a total revenue of 562 billion

yuan in 2025, with the advertising revenue

accounting for approximately 50%. Douyin has an

average daily ad exposure of 3.5 billion, and the

challenge competition is one of the four major

advertising forms on TikTok. Together, they have

constructed a differentiated commercial ecosystem.

However, as users' fatigue threshold for

advertisements continues to decline, how to balance

commercial goals with user experience through

interactive design optimization has become an urgent

problem to be solved. In light of this, the platform

urgently needs to explore more refined advertising

placement strategies to achieve precise targeting and

reduce the negative impact on user experience. This

includes leveraging detailed user profiles and

adjusting advertising content in real-time based on

user behavior to enhance relevance. At the same time,

the platform also needs to actively explore innovative

methods to increase the fun, interactivity and social

attributes of advertisements, thereby enhancing users'

acceptance and participation in advertisements.

Through these strategies, the platform aims to achieve

a harmonious unity of business goals and user

experience and build a win-win situation for

advertisers and users.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 The Evolution of Short Video

Advertising

In the past five years, the research focus has gradually

shifted from initial exploration to the influence of

advertising content on user behavior. Scholars have

proposed multi-dimensional theoretical frameworks,

such as combining the advertising value model with

the S-O-R model, to analyze the effects of sociality,

such as comment interaction, and vividness, such as

718

Dong, L.

Research on Interactive Design Optimization Mechanism of Short Video Advertising: A Cross-Platform Comparative Analysis Based on the Information Flow of Douyin and TikTok Challenges.

DOI: 10.5220/0014002400004916

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 718-722

ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8

music, visual impact, on sales conversion, while also

exploring the balance between emotional content

(interesting, novel, narrative) and commercial

intentions. The potential of user-generated content

(UGC) has been further explored, distinguishing the

differentiated impacts of different content creators,

such as buyers, sellers, and influencers on advertising

effectiveness. The evolution process of short video

advertising reflects the rapid changes in the field of

digital marketing (Li, 2021).

Nowadays, the SIPS model of short video

advertising conducts in-depth analysis of the

development and changes in users' psychology and

behavior in the social media era from four stages:

"empathy", "confirmation", "participation", and

"sharing". It has a high degree of dynamic

consistency with the dissemination process of short

videos (Wang, 2022). The focus of advertising

interaction has shifted to immediate feedback and

emotional resonance. Young users are particularly

susceptible to recommendations from influencers and

social interactions (Tian, 2022). The SIPS model

highlights the agency and active role of users in the

advertising communication process and elucidates

the pivotal impact of social interaction on advertising

effectiveness. Based on this framework, it offers a

novel theoretical perspective for the creative

optimization and strategic deployment of short-video

advertisements. For instance, advertisers can focus on

producing high-quality content that resonates

emotionally with the audience, thereby stimulating

interactive behaviors such as commenting, liking, and

sharing, which in turn amplifies the reach and

influence of the advertisement. On the other hand, the

model also underscores the necessity of a real-time

feedback mechanism, requiring advertisers to

promptly respond to user comments and feedback,

thus enhancing users' perceived value and loyalty

towards the brand.

2.2 Core Characteristics of Short Video

Advertising

In the evolving landscape of digital marketing, short

video advertising is steadily gaining prominence. Its

strength does not stem from overt commercial

promotion, but rather from its seamless integration

into the user's content consumption experience.

Imagine, as a user is immersed in a rich and diverse

stream of short videos, a well-crafted advertisement

emerges organically. It does not disrupt the browsing

rhythm jarringly but, rather, acts like a perfectly

timed scene insertion, naturally capturing attention.

This “naturalness” blurs the line between advertising

and content, allowing marketing messages to be

subtly absorbed by users without their conscious

awareness.

Delving deeper, we observe that these short video

platforms cultivate vibrant social ecosystems. Users

can provide immediate feedback on content that

interests them. A simple like, a sincere comment, can

spark widespread resonance, even leading to actual

purchasing behavior. This “immediate interactivity”

enhances user engagement and provides advertisers

with trackable sales leads, transforming the one-way

transmission of information into a two-way exchange.

Furthermore, the interaction between influential

content creators and brands or sellers on the platform

often establishes a subtle trust relationship. When a

creator with a large following personally experiences

and recommends a product, their influence far

surpasses that of traditional advertising slogans. This

“trust endorsement”, based on authentic experience

and social connection, significantly boosts the

credibility and persuasiveness of the advertisement.

Therefore, the rise of short video advertising is

precisely because it skillfully blends these

characteristics, constructing a new marketing

paradigm. It is no longer merely a messenger of

information, but rather a craftsman of experience and

a builder of trust.

3 RESEARCH METHODS AND

DATA

3.1 Data Collection

In order to ensure the comprehensiveness and

reliability of the research, this paper has collected a

large amount of advertising and user behavior data

from Douyin and TikTok. The platform data includes

3,000 information flow advertisements on Douyin

(from 2022.1 to 2023.6) and 2,000 challenge events

on TikTok, such as #DontMakeMeBuy, etc., covering

various types of advertisements and activity forms.

User behavior data is derived from eye-tracking

experiments (Tobii Pro) and click heatmaps to

analyze the distribution of users' attention. Through

this data, one can gain a deep understanding of users'

behavioral patterns and preferences when they are

viewing advertisements. The collection and analysis

of these data provide a solid foundation for the

research of this paper.

Research on Interactive Design Optimization Mechanism of Short Video Advertising: A Cross-Platform Comparative Analysis Based on the

Information Flow of Douyin and TikTok Challenges

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3.2 The Three-Level Theory of

Emotional Design

Interaction design is one of the key factors for the

success of short-video advertisements. Based on

Donald Norman's Three-Level Theory of Emotional

Design, which is based on three different dimensions

of design (instinctive layer - behavioral layer -

reflective layer), it elaborates on the important

position and role of emotions in design, emphasizing

that product innovation design from these three levels

may cause consumers' surprise and generate purchase

impulses (Ding, 2010). Based on this theory, the

interaction elements of short-video advertisements

can also be divided into three levels: instinctive layer

design, such as the click-through rate (CTR) of

TikTok TopView advertisements can reach 12.3%,

attracting users' attention through visual impact;

behavioral layer design, loading time exceeding 3

seconds will cause the bounce rate to increase by

58%, emphasizing the smoothness and response

speed of operations; reflective layer design, the re-

purchase willingness of challenge contest users can

be improved by 31%, focusing on the transmission of

brand value and users' emotional experience. These

three levels of design interact with each other and

jointly influence users' participation and advertising

effectiveness (Wang, 2025).

3.3 Current Status of Cross-Platform

Advertising Research

Existing studies have made certain progress in the

field of short-video advertising but there are still two

major limitations: First, platform fragmentation.

Research on Douyin focuses on algorithm

optimization, while research on TikTok emphasizes

social dissemination, lacking a collaborative

perspective; second, indicators are limited, overly

relying on click-through rate (CTR) and neglecting

user emotional value. This research status limits the

comprehensive understanding of interactive design

for short-video advertising and the proposal of

optimization strategies. Therefore, this paper aims to

break through these limitations through cross-

platform comparative analysis and proposes a more

comprehensive and forward-looking optimization

framework.

4 RESEARCH FINDING

4.1 Douyin Information Flow

Advertising: Bottleneck of

Interaction Under the Priority of

Efficiency

The information flow advertising model on the

Douyin platform, relying on its cutting-edge

algorithm technology, has achieved precise ad

placement, demonstrating significant efficiency

advantages. By deeply analyzing user behavior and

interest data, this model has enabled personalized ad

matching, significantly enhanced click-through rates

and conversion rates while relatively reducing

advertising costs (Le, 2025).

However, this efficiency-oriented advertising

strategy has also raised a series of pressing issues

related to user experience that need to be addressed.

Firstly, the high frequency and highly

commercialized ad push is highly likely to provoke

user aversion, leading to avoidance behaviors such as

a significant increase in ad-blocking rates. Empirical

research shows that the comment sections of Douyin

ads are filled with a large number of negative user

feedback, clearly reflecting users' resistance to the

current advertising model. Secondly, although the

precision of the algorithm recommendation

mechanism undoubtedly enhances advertising

effectiveness, it also intensifies users' concerns about

privacy leakage, posing a potential threat to the

platform's credibility. Additionally, the widespread

phenomenon of exaggerated promotion in

information flow ads further deteriorates user

experience and may lead to user churn. Issues such as

the homogeneity of ad content, authenticity disputes,

and privacy risks brought about by technological

dependence are all urgent topics that need to be

resolved.

In conclusion, the information flow advertising on

the Douyin platform has achieved efficient

commercialization driven by algorithms, but its

negative impact on user experience cannot be

ignored. How to strike a balance between efficiency

and user experience and build a healthy and

sustainable advertising ecosystem is a key challenge

that the platform urgently needs to address. I hope the

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4.2 TikTok Challenge Contest Ads: The

Long-Tail Effect in Social

Viralization

On the TikTok platform, the proportions of sponsored

activities or video "and challenge competition"

advertisements are as high as 25% and 18%

respectively, significantly outpacing those on other

platforms (Gao,2021). Challenge competition

advertisements, as an important form of short-video

advertisements, are centered around the mechanism

of user-generated content (UGC) incentives to

achieve brand dissemination. For instance, TikTok's

challenge advertisements usually collaborate with top

creators (KOL) within the platform and utilize UGC

to expand brand influence (Trisha,2024). The

challenge competition model can stimulate user

creativity and participation enthusiasm and expand

brand exposure through user-generated content. The

participation of top creators can drive a large number

of fans to interact, further enhancing the participation

rate and influence of the challenge competition.

However, this social viral advertising form also

has limitations. Firstly, the quality of UGC varies

greatly, and the proliferation of low-quality content

may affect user experience and brand image.

Secondly, users may feel fatigue due to repeated

advertisements or irrelevant content. For example,

some users consider challenge competition

advertisements to be overly intrusive or lack

creativity (Cai, 2022), which to some extent increases

the complexity and uncertainty of advertising

conversion.

4.3 Cross-Platform Collaborative

Optimization Path

In view of the differences and existing problems in

the interaction design between the information flow

advertisements of Douyin and the challenge

advertisements of TikTok, this paper proposes a

cross-platform collaborative optimization path. The

integration of technology is the core link of this path.

It is suggested to embed the challenge entry point in

the information flow advertisements of Douyin to

achieve complementary advantages of the algorithm

recommendation mechanism and social viral

dissemination. This move can not only enhance the

precise reach of the advertisements but also expand

the dissemination scope and influence of the

advertisements by leveraging the social viral effect.

In addition, this optimization path also includes

key aspects such as content quality control, user

privacy protection, and emotional value enhancement.

Through comprehensive measures, it is possible to

effectively optimize the interaction design of short-

video advertisements, achieving a balanced

development of commercial goals and user

experience.

5 CONCLUSIONS

The interactive design of short-video advertisements

needs to strike a balance between the accuracy of

algorithms and the social dissemination power.

Although algorithmic recommendation has enhanced

the click-through rate of advertisements, it has also

increased privacy risks. Social viral expansion has

broadened the dissemination scope of advertisements,

but it may lead to a decline in content quality. The

collaborative framework proposed in this study

successfully enhances the click-through rate and user

satisfaction by integrating technologies and privacy

protection strategies, proving that accuracy and

dissemination power can be optimized

collaboratively, providing a new method to address

the contradiction between commercial value and user

experience.

This study's collaborative model breaks the

traditional opposition between algorithmic

recommendation and social dissemination, providing

theoretical support for cross-platform advertisement

design and methods for platform optimization of

advertising strategies. Its privacy protection

mechanism has important reference value for industry

standards.

The current research has shortcomings in

experimental periods, analysis of user cognitive

mechanisms, and exploration of metaverse scenarios.

Future research should extend the experimental

period, deepen analysis by combining neuro-

technology, and focus on the evaluation of interactive

design in the metaverse. At the same time, it is

suggested to strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation

to promote the continuous optimization of the

advertising system in terms of privacy protection and

user experience.

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