Elon Musk has all the time most popular minimalist design, with as many buttons and controls hidden as potential, leaving a extra smooth and simplistic look.
That’s the method that he’s taken at his different firms, so it ought to come as no shock to see that Musk can be seeking to implement a extra stripped-back design ethos at X as nicely.
We’ve already seen this with the adjustments to hyperlink previews within the app, whereas over the previous couple of months, we’ve additionally seen varied examples of X’s extra vital pending redesign, which can take away all of the operate buttons and metrics from the underside of X posts in-stream, with a view to put extra deal with the content material itself.
That’ll additionally change the way you work together within the app.
With the intention to have interaction with posts, X will quickly change to a extra haptic-focused method, in that customers might want to swipe left to love and submit in-stream, and proper to answer.
Which, once more, clearly aligns with Elon’s minimalist imaginative and prescient, however it will likely be a big change in how folks work together within the app. And with most customers by no means participating with posts already, it looks as if a dangerous transfer.
However that’s not the one UI shift coming to X.
X can be experimenting with extra minimalist reformats, together with a simplified “faucet to increase” operate, to extra simply learn longer posts.
Whereas it’s additionally growing new video controls, based mostly on extra intuitive engagement behaviors.
These are fascinating additions, which align with making the X platform extra of an extension of pure motion and interplay, versus urgent handbook buttons on display.
However will customers come alongside for the trip, and comply with together with these much less upfront management choices?
It’s price noting right here that Twitter had lengthy grappled with methods to simplify the app, with firm execs viewing this as a key obstacle to its development.
Again in 2018, then Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey famous that utilizing Twitter was “a number of work”, with many new customers having a poor expertise the primary time that they use the app, resulting in greater churn charges. Twitter had sought to enhance this, by way of improved suggestions and streamlined account set-up processes, however they may by no means seemingly get it proper, and maximize its enchantment amongst net customers.
With this in thoughts, it’s arduous to see how X’s coming revamp will assist. Certain, having fewer controls on display will imply much less visible muddle, however it would additionally make it rather more tough for brand spanking new customers to grasp methods to work together with the app.
Possibly, finally, it will higher align with folks’s expectations. However proper now, it looks as if a dangerous transfer, particularly for a platform that’s seen little to no person development in nearly two years.
However Elon has a imaginative and prescient, and evidently nothing goes to face in his manner of constructing it a actuality.
And on the similar time, previous Twitter administration was additionally too threat averse on this respect, not often rolling out any change that hadn’t been beta examined for literal years beforehand.
It appears the optimum method might be someplace in between the 2, however possibly, Elon’s accelerated improvement program is simply what the app wants.
