Snapchat redesign sparks controversy! Snap Map & Stories return as a new five-tab layout balances a streamlined experience with core features
In the fast-moving world of social media apps, redesigns are usually a subtle juggling act. While there’s a need to innovate and simplify on one hand, there’s also the burden of not messing up the elements that users adore on the other. Snapchat, which is a social media platform that’s all about fleeting content and innovative storytelling, has in the recent past conducted one such redesign experiment that attracted both curiosity and controversy.
The Experiment: A Simplified Snapchat
Snapchat introduced a three-tab version of the app, cleaning up the design to highlight Chat, Camera, and Spotlight. The premise was to make the app more streamlined, putting the core functions front and center. But this came at a price, Snap Map and Stories, two signature features, were lost in the streamlined design. For most users, this redesign had all the feel of subtraction rather than innovation. Stories, a core feature at the center of Snapchat’s identity, and Snap Map, a new means of connecting in real-time, were such staples of the app that users came to count on them each day.
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The backlash came quickly. Older users felt disoriented and frustrated at the loss of features that they had come to adore. Although the reduced design might have appealed to newcomers, it was apparent that Snapchat’s devoted crowd wasn’t quite prepared to let go of the app’s unique features.
A New Direction: Restoring Balance
Paying attention to its users, Snapchat chose to ditch the streamlined three-tab design. But the firm didn’t rest there. Instead, it reversed course to build a more evolved five-tab interface, bringing back Snap Map and Stories while improving the prominence of Spotlight—a place for finding trending content. The new direction balances simplicity with maintaining the depth of the feature set that makes Snapchat so special.
Through its adoption of user feedback and adjustment of its approach, Snapchat illustrates the value of flexibility in design. The process of redesigning underscores that innovation is not always about stripping away features; sometimes it is about reconsidering how they are presented and combined.
The Takeaway: Lessons in Evolution
Snapchat’s redesign test provides lessons for app makers and tech firms. Number one, listening to feedback from users is important. Bold moves might get one noticed, but they have to be in accordance with the audience’s needs and expectations. Number two, the core of a product must not be sacrificed for the sake of simplicity. A well-planned redesign can make something easier to use without sacrificing the brand’s identity.
