Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) just unveiled its latest redesign with a new interface, which is mostly cosmetic. The company is refreshing the brand as it looks to increase its user base by, “making it feel lighter, faster, and easier to use.”
Behind the 2017 Twitter Redesign
As Grace Kim, vice president of user research and design at Twitter, pointed out on the company blog, the changes were made after feedback from users. Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter specifically asked for this in 2016.
Kim wrote the new user interface will roll out on twitter.com, Twitter for iOS, Twitter for Android, TweetDeck, and Twitter Lite in the coming days and weeks. The changes will deliver a more uniform look across all platforms.
Functional Changes
The most functional feature small businesses using Twitter will appreciate is instant updates. Posts for ‘like’, ‘reply’, and ‘retweet’ counts are now updated in real time. This will let you engage with your customers right away as they respond to marketing campaigns or new products and services.
More links to articles and websites now open in Safari’s viewer in the Twitter app. This means being able to access accounts on websites you’re already signed into.
The User Interface
The rest of the changes were made to improve the user experience by cleaning up the clutter of the UI.
A side navigation menu will have the profile, additional accounts, settings and privacy. This will lower the number of tabs on the bottom of the app, which was introduced to Android last year. It is now available on iOS.
The typography has also been improved to make it easier to see, and icons are more user-friendly to avoid confusion.
Last but not least is the change getting the biggest buzz, the rounding of profile pictures and icons. This might seem trivial, but is obviously striking a chord with users.
Impact of the Redesign
Unlike the changes Twitter made last year, the impact this time around is going to be minimal. It will improve the usability of the app, but Dorsey and company are going to have to come up with more innovations to grow the stagnant number of users seemingly stuck between 300 and 350 million.
Images: Twitter
This article, “Twitter Introduces a New Look, But Will It Revive Anemic Traffic” was first published on Small Business Trends