For the first time in seven years, Twitter has revealed a redesign of its desktop website. The changes have been brought in to create a more simplified navigation and bring it more in line with the Twitter app and may affect your social media marketing strategies.
The redesign will feature a new, larger left-hand sidebar which will direct users to key Twitter sections including Explore, Notifications, Direct Messages, Bookmarks, Lists and More. While the right-hand sidebar will show personalised Trends and Who to Follow suggestions.
The Direct Message screen now opens up into a wider view, looking much more like a traditional inbox with easy access to all conversations.
A new feature is the ability to put the site in Dark Mode, Dim, or Lights Out. There’s also the option to personalise through themes and colour options. The new update also brings with it the introduction of the Explore feature. This directs users to more live videos and personalised local moments to help them discover more on Twitter. You’ll also find Top Trends here. The Bookmark feature, which is popular on the Twitter app, has also now been added to the desktop site.
Overall, the new redesign is a much better use of screen real estate. The look is clearer and cleaner, allowing for easy navigation. It also shows a more consistent experience across mobile and desktop.
This significant update suggests Twitter are trying to compete more with their social media competitors like Facebook and Instagram who have experienced recent growth, where Twitter have been trailing behind. According to analysis company Alexa, Twitter is the 11th most visited website in the world. However, daily visitors are a fraction of the amount of its competitor Facebook. Where Twitter has approximately 126 million daily users, Facebook has approximately 1.2 billion. The redesign of Twitter’s desktop website will be rolling out globally to Twitter users over the coming months.
A new feature which is currently being tested in Canada is author moderated replies. If successfully implemented, this will allow the person who posted the first tweet in a conversation to hide replies that they don’t like or want to engage with. The reply doesn’t necessarily have to be against Twitter policy. Twitter’s Head of Design and Research, Mike Kruzeniski, likens it to handing over control to the host of the party. Could this help bring the end to Twitter trolls?
