Meta’s Ad Topics control lets users manage the types of ads they see by adjusting preferences for specific topics like fitness or music. Choosing to see less of a topic reduces the number of related ads users would see across Meta platforms. It was designed to give users more control and transparency over their ad experience.
Before Meta expanded its Ad Topics Control, users could only opt to “see fewer” ads from a small set of sensitive categories like alcohol, parenting, pets, and politics. This limited control was an issue because it didn’t reflect the full range of user interests or discomforts. People couldn’t manage exposure to broader or more specific topics, nor could they choose to see more of what they actually cared about. The lack of flexibility and personalization often led to frustration, as users had little influence over the relevance of the ads in their feed.
As the Product Designer for Ad Topics, I took a holistic approach to improving our ad topic controls. I reused proven design patterns where appropriate, addressed key user pain points, and led efforts to add categories to UTC’s taxonomy—making it easier for users to sort and filter thousands of targeting topics. I also built prototypes in Figma and Xcode to illustrate updated UI and interactions, aligning the team around the vision.
This solution for Ad Topics had a 0.2% iRev protection
