Twitter is introducing a new threaded conversation layout on the mobile app and in the web interface at twitter.com in an effort to make threaded conversations easier to read and follow.
“Your conversations are the heart of Twitter so we’re testing ways to make them easier to read and follow,” reads the announcement tweet from Twitter’s support team. “Some of you on iOS and web will see a new layout for replies with lines and indentations that make it clearer who is talking to whom and to fit more of the convo in one view.”
According to TechCrunch, the company has been toying with this refreshed conversation layout for the past year or so through its prototype software, dubbed twttr.
The company will also test putting engagement actions — including likes, retweet and reply icons — behind an extra tap to make replies to conversations easier to follow.
The new layout makes it easier to see who’s communicating to whom.
Your conversations are the 💙 of Twitter, so we’re testing ways to make them easier to read and follow.
Some of you on iOS and web will see a new layout for replies with lines and indentations that make it clearer who is talking to whom and to fit more of the convo in one view. pic.twitter.com/sB2y09fG9t
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) May 5, 2020
And this:
It involves branching lines that connect the different parts of the conversation threads together. The lines are more subtle than the chat bubbles had been, appearing as a lighter gray when Twitter’s default white theme is applied.
Extra replies are also hidden beneath the ‘Show replies’ label, which you have to tap to continue to read through a given thread. The overall experience is something that’s more akin to a discussion board site, like Reddit.
I’ve been off Twitter for months now and I don’t miss tweeting at all.
I’ve always thought Twitter was an exercise in poor design that many folks couldn’t wrap their head aroun — very long threads are incredibly frustrating to follow, especially with people responding to sub-tweets coming off an original thread.
App researcher Jane Manchun Wong retorted last month that the changes let you tap a tweet in a long thread to expand the whole conversation instantly.
Twitter is working on selection transition in the Conversation Tree pic.twitter.com/BR3JbkH5ti
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 3, 2020
“Twitter is working on selection transition in the conversation tree,” she noted.
These new features are being rolled out to portion of Twitter users on iOS and the web on a staggered basis so check back in a few days if you don’t have them already.
Do you like Twitter’s new way of showing threaded conversations?
Let us know in the comments down below!