Facebook's new Facelift
Over the last couple of months, Facebook users were given the option to
'test drive' the new Facebook, with the safety net that a switch back
to the old version was just a swift mouse click away. I took the bait
and tried the new version in August, only to switch back to my 'safe
place' five minutes later.
Tonight I had the slightly jolting experience of logging onto Facebook and seeing that I was now forced to use the 'new' Facebook, whether I liked it or not. To make sure I wasn't dreaming, I re-typed www.facebook.com in my browser and was promptly redirected to www.new.facebook.com. Yikes, get a sister a crash helmet.
Apparently, Facebook has been doing some user experience research over the last several months, which I have to applaud. Looks like this new, clean design layout with tabbed content won out. As for me? Maybe it'll grow on me but the verdict's still out on Facebook's new Facelift.
Tonight I had the slightly jolting experience of logging onto Facebook and seeing that I was now forced to use the 'new' Facebook, whether I liked it or not. To make sure I wasn't dreaming, I re-typed www.facebook.com in my browser and was promptly redirected to www.new.facebook.com. Yikes, get a sister a crash helmet.
Apparently, Facebook has been doing some user experience research over the last several months, which I have to applaud. Looks like this new, clean design layout with tabbed content won out. As for me? Maybe it'll grow on me but the verdict's still out on Facebook's new Facelift.
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© 2008 Capstrat
Thanks for the helmet, John! :)
PC Load Letter
Hang in there girl. http://tinyurl.com/5xp7qz
Facebook has come a long way since it's inception as a way for college students to hook up. It's main stream adoption has placed new demands on it and change is going to be inevitable.
I've read a lot of grumpy responses to Facebook's new interface. I think it promotes your wall and more commenting. Apps have been back burnered in favor of emphasis on the social connections. I dig it.
Certainly many people are having issues with the experience--but lots of general adopters are also change averse, at least compared to early adopters or fast followers. So, I expected people to resist and to be vocal about it. There's no way the millions of people who use Facebook will all be happy.
So, the more interesting question to me is what do you do to reduce the cognitive cost of change to a user?
Facebook took at least two approaches to minimize the magnitude of change. First, they released new.facebook as an opt-in beta to test with real users. Second, they provide contextual cues (those little yellow bubbles) about the new design, which a user has to affirmatively dismiss. I've seen where banks and other "utility" institutions often use a flash animation to walk a user though the new interface.
What are some best practices or shining examples for introducing a new design to existing users?
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