Your experience on Twitter for the desktop is about to get better even if while they were testing the redesign, a lot of tweeps were conflicted but the new interface is here. The online news and social networking site is getting an overhaul, its biggest in nearly 7 years since it launched and it is not only on the frontend but also on the backend.
Here’s what to expect as a user
There are now three columns, with Home, Explore, Notifications, Messages, Bookmarks, Lists, Profile and More on your left, your regular Timeline in the middle and trending in the right column.
- Explore: Twitter is bringing the Explore feature that is prominent in its apps to the website. Expect more tweets from topics you follow right on your desktop. The tabs have been arranged between Top, Latest, People, Photos, and Videos.
- Bookmarks: This feature was exclusive to the app and the mobile website is now coming to the desktop. You could bookmark tweets on the desktop site but there was no dedicated tab for them.
- Lists: This feature now has its own place as a navigation label
- Profile: Twitter now allows for switching accounts right from your profile if you handle a more than one.
- Direct Messages: These feature has been expanded to let you see your conversations and send DMs from the same view.
- New Theme Colors: Twitter recently introduced dark mode but no you get to choose from Dim or Lights Out modes too.
- Clicking on the More button, you get to access to Moments, Promote Mode, Twitter Ads, Media Studio, Settings and Privacy, Help Center
- Compose button got revamped too as you now get to include a poll, emoji, GIF. The location option has been removed as its a low priority for Twitter.
Here’s what to expect from the backend
Twitter has joined the mobile and desktop teams so as to ship features to all its clients whether on the web or its apps faster and provide more personalised experiences for its users worldwide.
The catch
Just as when users didn’t like the features that shipped with the website during the testing phase, old timers are definitely going to not like it especially the large navigation labels that will be distracting.
“Internally, we call this project ‘Delight.’ One of the things we’re trying to do is make sure this is a delightful experience for users.” ~ Jesar Shah, Product Lead on Twitter.com’s redesign
With the new design, Twitter is hopefully setting itself to retain recent users or gain new ones but for those who have been here since its early days are going to feel alienated but time will tell.
Eh, looks ugly, but I don't think it's a big deal. Whatever, I guess.
— Neo Dan (@Dan4Neo) January 23, 2019
By the way, you can’t opt out once you change to the new Twitter.
As for me, I’m going to stick to my all-time favourite Twitter extension.
#MondayTechTip : Refined Twitter is a handy chrome extension that streamlines your Twitter experience by removing the clutter such suggestions of who to follow and trends so you can focus on your TL. 1/ https://t.co/Mx78dsfLdN pic.twitter.com/RByRXgVJj8
— Techweez (@techweez) February 26, 2018
