The new design layout enables members to use tabs to prioritise new pictures, messages and "feeds" on main profile pages. According to Facebook vice president of marketing, Chamath Palihapitiya, these changes were based on feedback received from members as well as to cater to the trend where people go online and post their pictures, videos and musings instantly (Australian IT 2008).
The 'old' Facebook layout (top) and the 'new' Facebook layout (bottom)(Source: HTML Center)
The people at Facebook were careful enough to ensure that their users remain top priority in improving their product. "We want to make sure it is easy for people to push and pull information in the form of bite-size content rather quickly," said Palihapitiya at the unveiling of the redesign (Australian IT 2008). See?
Yet, so many in websites and forums express dissatisfaction over the new layout change. Even a song was written on the change!
Yet, so many in websites and forums express dissatisfaction over the new layout change. Even a song was written on the change!
I should first clarify that I am not a Facebook user and I can hear your gasps in disbelief. However, based on my observations of being surrounded with many Facebook users, I think the new layout is much better.
I remembered glancing at Facebook when it first gained popularity amongst my family and friends, I was so confused. I found the layout to be messy and a bit disorganised.
Walsh (2006) notes that information on websites are fragmented into frame sections so it is easily segmented. Mackenzie (cited in Putnis & Petelin 1996) explains that typographic designs reflect and develop meaning of words by creating paths through texts for readers but as Walsh (2006) points out, Internet users tend to choose their own reading pathways based on their interest. The new layout, with its segmented information using appropriate headings and subheadings, allows this to be achieved with ease.
The new layout meets the basic design principles set out by Reep (2003). It has achieved balance, proportion and sequence by expanding the pages' width which allows for more important information to be presented at the top in one look. This allows for maximum utility of images throughout the screen to achieve good balance. Consistency was maintained by placing navigation buttons, search bars and other hyperlinks the same way in every page.
People should not be so quick to shun change because they are not used to it. Give it time and as Palihapitiya said, eventually "you will find these changes just as useful as past improvements."
References:
Australian IT 2008, 'Facebook makeover leaves some devotees fuming', Australian 11 September, viewed 6 November 2008, [http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24328928-15318,00.html].
Putnis, P & Petelin, R 1996, 'Writing to communicate' in Professional communication: principles and applications, Prentice Hall, Sydney.
Reep, DC 2003, ‘Chapter 6: Document design’ in Technical Writing, 6th edn, Pearson Longman, New York.
Walsh, M 2006, ‘The ‘textual shift’: Examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts’, Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 24-37.
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