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The New Facebook Design Sucks

jyssicaschwartz.medium.com

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Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#2
Less information density = more time required to read the same amount of content = more "engagement". This is the exact same reason behind the algorithmic timeline: since you can't easily tell whether you've reached the end (up to where you left off last time), you keep scrolling more, thus more time spent and more opportunities for ads to show up.

This trend will continue until users revolt against this by refusing to use engagement-funded services in favor of service they actually pay for, so that the incentive is no longer to waste the user's time to generate engagement but to give the user what they want in the most efficient way possible in order to keep them paying for the product.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#3
The reality is while there's a vocal minority, and that it may be subjectively worse, the design was absolutely A/B tested and performed better in whatever KPI's Facebook chose as their goals (such as ad revenue, session length, engagement metrics). That's the simple answer.

Full disclosure: I haven't logged on Facebook much in the past couple years.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#4
post #2

Less information density = more time required to read the same amount of content = more "engagement". This is the exact same reason behind the algorithmic timeline: since you can't easily tell whether you've reached the end (up to where you left off last time), you keep scrolling more, thus more time spent and more opportunities for ads to show up. This trend will continue until users revolt against this by refusing…

[deleted]

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#5

The reality is while there's a vocal minority, and that it may be subjectively worse, the design was absolutely A/B tested and performed better in whatever KPI's Facebook chose as their goals (such as ad revenue, session length, engagement metrics). That's the simple answer. Full disclosure: I haven't logged on Facebook much in the past couple years.

[deleted]

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#6
It is horrible, but I wonder if it’s not designed to push more use into mobile. If they get more data and better ads conversion from mobile, the desktop friction may be financially beneficial.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#7

The reality is while there's a vocal minority, and that it may be subjectively worse, the design was absolutely A/B tested and performed better in whatever KPI's Facebook chose as their goals (such as ad revenue, session length, engagement metrics). That's the simple answer. Full disclosure: I haven't logged on Facebook much in the past couple years.

Very possible that the majority of people who truly care about these things "haven't logged on Facebook much in the past couple years". I very much fall into that category. There are so many awful things about it that the UI is the least of my reasons for drastically limiting usage.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#9
post #7

The reality is while there's a vocal minority, and that it may be subjectively worse, the design was absolutely A/B tested and performed better in whatever KPI's Facebook chose as their goals (such as ad revenue, session length, engagement metrics). That's the simple answer. Full disclosure: I haven't logged on Facebook much in the past couple years.

Very possible that the majority of people who truly care about these things "haven't logged on Facebook much in the past couple years". I very much fall into that category. There are so many awful things about it that the UI is the least of my reasons for drastically limiting usage.

I killed my Facebook accounts a while ago but walked past my partner's station while she was doing some Facebook stuff. I was a bit surprised how bad it looked... Tonka Toys meets White Mode AOL.

Probably right about the A/B testing.

Glad I don't have to care.

Re: The New Facebook Design Sucks

#10
post #7

The reality is while there's a vocal minority, and that it may be subjectively worse, the design was absolutely A/B tested and performed better in whatever KPI's Facebook chose as their goals (such as ad revenue, session length, engagement metrics). That's the simple answer. Full disclosure: I haven't logged on Facebook much in the past couple years.

Very possible that the majority of people who truly care about these things "haven't logged on Facebook much in the past couple years". I very much fall into that category. There are so many awful things about it that the UI is the least of my reasons for drastically limiting usage.

I logged in for the first time in a few years a month or so ago to delete my account permanently, and was surprised how terrible it looks. It's got a real kindergartener vibe.
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