Abstract
Technological advancements have made social media an important platform for illustrators to publish their work, build a creative identity, and reach a wider audience. However, Raraaef’s Instagram account still faces the challenge of low audience engagement, as evidenced by relatively low numbers of likes and comments. This study aims to optimize the illustration content on Raraaef’s Instagram account to make it more engaging, informative, and capable of increasing audience engagement. The method used is Design Thinking, which includes the stages of Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. Data was collected through interviews, questionnaires, Instagram Insights, and evaluations using a Likert scale. The results of the study show that the designed Instagram Reels content was able to increase audience engagement. The evaluation results showed a feasibility percentage of 89% for the first piece of content, 87% for the second, and 89% for the third, all of which fall into the “highly feasible” category. Additionally, an analysis of the implementation of engagement strategies revealed that relevant, authentic, and interactive content contributed to increased audience engagement. Thus, the Design Thinking method proved effective in optimizing the illustrated content on the Raraaef Instagram account.