After several months of testing, Facebook’s redesign is finally official and available globally. Announced last year at the F8 developers’ conference, the more minimalist approach to its desktop version has been rolled out in waves. In March, the company added an option to explore the new version. Users could switch back and leave feedback for why they had to do so. This week, Facebook decided to ensure the redesign becomes official (there’s an option to update manually just in case you don’t get it immediately).
Change is tough, hard, and takes time to get used to, especially when it involves redesigning a popular website. Even the best redesign no matter how simple and user friendly still requires some rewiring of the user’s brain to adapt. Simplicity is the key thing here — that’s a particularly big ask for a platform like Facebook, which is consistently adding new venues for content. It seems Facebook’s not afraid to do away with a blank canvas for a “fresh, simpler” design. Videos, games, and groups are among those content types which will be prioritized here.
The redesign takes cues from the mobile app, designed to offer lesser load times and easier navigation though it’s expected to take some getting used to. “We’ve grown since Facebook .com launched 16 years ago,” the company writes. “We’ve built new features, optimized for new devices and operating systems, and expanded to hundreds of languages. Recently we’d focused on the mobile Facebook experience, and realized our desktop site had fallen behind. People need it to keep up.”
The biggest flex of this redesign news may be the long-awaited arrival of dark mode for the desktop, as Facebook finally joins the likes of Twitter and other countless apps. You’re no doubt well-versed with the advantages of dark mode: it’s easier on the eyes and generally makes for a better video viewing experience especially in the night or in dark places.
Facebook ensured that the ability to create groups, pages, and, naturally, ads is faster than before on the redesign. The redesign also offers previews of each, so you know what you’re getting yourself into before hitting the Publish button.
Source: Techcrunch