Snapchat had to rework its redesign to appease users who were not happy with the changes that the company made to the app. Users were upset with the new layout, which they found confusing after years of using the previous design.
Snapchat acknowledges that the new look of the app made people feel uncomfortable using it.
Snapchat's Second Major Redesign
Snapchat users went as far as signing a petition that would make the company return to the previous layout. The petition garnered over 1.2 million signatures from disgruntled users over the changes that Snapchat made. These changes were made to the iOS version of the Snapchat app.
This new layout returns Chats and Snaps to chronological order, and Stories once again occupy the right-hand side of the app. Users will not be able to see their friends' stories on the right-hand screen. Those will be separated from the subscription or branded content found on Snapchat. This makes it easier to see content from creators and friends separately while still being able to keep an eye on it.
Changes to the Snapchat app will be available for the majority of iOS users. Snapchat hasn't said when the update will make its way to the Android version of the app.
Disastrous Redesign
Snapchat revealed the redesign in February and managed to upset both users and publishers on the app. Part of the reason the company decided to revamp the app was because it had become so bloated. Snap chief executive Evan Spiegel said that a common complaint about social media was that content by friends was being obscured by content from creators, influencers, and publishers.
To get people to interact with one another, Snapchat separated content from publishers and content from friends. People were not excited with the results. Users said that the app became confusing to use, and publishers saw their numbers drop precipitously. Influencers such as Kylie Jenner jumped ship from Snapchat to Instagram shortly after the redesign. She even went as far as declaring Snapchat dead.
Instead of a more streamlined app, users saw a confusing mess. Stories and messages all appeared in one section, influencers were moved to the Discover page, ads appeared, and there was no auto-advance on Stories anymore.
Four different publishers featured on Snapchat's Discover told Vanity Fair that unique views, subscriber numbers, and time spent dropped by 50 percent after the redesign was implemented.
