Snapchat’s not rolling back its new design, despite more than 1 million people (and counting) signing a petition for it to do so.
The company recently debuted its new layout — designed to separate interactions with friends from branded content — but many users have complained that it is difficult to use, prompting a popular change.org petition to revert to its previous design.
So far, names including model Chrissy Teigen and Kylie Jenner have voiced their dislike of the redesign (in Jenner’s case by agreeing with a follower who said they hated it). However, Snapchat appears not to be considering budging. Although it noted that the new design, “can take a little getting used to,” it hoped “the community will enjoy it once they settle in.”
A fake tweet that suggested Snapchat would roll back the changes if 50,000 people retweeted a message (sounds legit!) has attracted close to 1.5 million retweets.
Snapchat won’t back down
In its goal to separate branded content and social interactions between friends, the move is similar to one made by Facebook in the wake of the various “fake news” accusations that have been made against it in recent months.
That Snapchat would be unwilling to abandon its recent changes is no great surprise. News of the update was made by Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel late last year, following the announcement that Snap had fallen short of expected growth projections for the quarter.
In a letter to investors, Spiegel blamed the difficulties on the service being too difficult for many users to understand. “One thing we have heard over the years is that Snapchat is difficult to understand or hard to use,” he wrote — adding that, “Our team has been working on responding to this feedback.”
In the same letter, he noted that the changes were likely to be, “disruptive to our business in the short term,” and could risk alienating members of the Snapchat community when they use the redesigned app. However, he opined that, “We’re willing to take that risk for what we believe are substantial long-term benefits to our business.”
What do you think of Snapchat’s recent changes? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: BBC
