Snapchat Latest Update: An User Experience Nightmare

Every so often apps and websites need to be updated, this is due to both changes in design trends and user’s needs. These changes rarely are welcome by the end user as most of the time they don’t like change, but usually, after a bit of time user’s brains readjust to changes and users start to accept the change and see its benefits. However, Snapchat’s latest update is not one that will gain more appreciation with time as it violates the first rule of web design, which is that User Experience always comes first. Let’s dive into some of the biggest mistakes of this update.

User’s needs and wants

This latest update showed one of two things.

A) Snapchat doesn’t care about their user’s needs or wants

B) Snapchat doesn’t know its user’s needs or want.

I think it is that Snapchat doesn’t know its user’s needs or want (which is worst than them ignoring them.) Many companies like Apple ignore their customers wants because they have a vision that goes beyond the knowledge of the users themselves.

“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” – Steve Jobs

If this was the practice Snapchat was taking then I would have said it was a bold and maybe profitable move. However, I don’t think that is the case. It seems like they are trying to expand to a new market and in the process, they are alienating their current users. I think they also do not know what their user’s want and are afraid of appearing like they are copying their competitors. They also seem to not be sure what role they play in a user’s phone, are they a social media or a media platform? Are they a personal app for one on one communication (like iMessage) or a platform for discovery (like Instagram)?

Lack of White Space

You know that feeling you get when you are in a crowded elevator, the one were you feel like you can barely breathe? That is probably the same feeling you are getting from Snapchat’s latest update. This is because in design we have something called White space. White Space is one of the main rules of all design. This practice helps design feel balance and attractive. White space allows your brain to know what to focus on, and it gives your eyes room to rest. This rule is as essential to design as color, symmetry, and size. The new Snapchat update lacks that, they try to use any space available for one purpose or another and give you little room to breathe.

Organization is confusing

Another big issue we see in Snapchat’s latest version of the app is the confusing organization. When you look at your conversations it is hard to tell if you have a new message from a person or if they posted on their story. It is also hard to tell who you have contacted recently and who you have not. When watching stories its also hard to even know who will come up next.

Interactions are forced

Another problem I see with this new UI is that Snapchat is kind of forcing interactions with different friends now. Before your chats were ordered solely by the most recent contacts, now it seems like many factors decide who is at the top of that list. It seems like factors like how recently they posted, and how often you watch their story factor into that ranking. Now I see a few problems with this ranking factors, mainly that watching someone’s story does not equate to an interest in that person. This ranking can also be confusing as you may think you accidentally snapped someone when you see them at the top.

Don’t Fix what ain’t broken

I do not recall one single person complaining to me about Snapchat’s UI (User Interface.) If anything I would have said it was one of the best. Everything in the old app was just one swipe away, chats on the left, stories on the right, settings at the top, and memories at the bottom. However, they seem to have thought something was wrong and that the solution was to redesign the UI.

Instagram’s is becoming a stronger Snapchat

I have to admit I was one of the first to criticize Instagram when they decided to copy Snapchat’s stories. However, my position has now changed, this is because Instagram is doing something Snapchat has not done and that is innovating. Instagram is at a point where they are not copying Snapchat anymore, now they are doing it better. Now, how does this relate to Snapchat’s UI? Well, all designers know that you need to be aware of what your competitors are doing so that you can find opportunities to improve your product. Snapchat needed to analyze what was working for Instagram, improve upon it and add it to their own platform. What they did was the opposite, they decided to try to find a way to differentiate themselves without thinking of their users want.

The End…

In my opinion, Snapchat has realized that they are facing a crisis as they lose more and more users as time goes on. They tried to fix this by updating the UI (User Interface) however that wasn’t the problem. The problem Snapchat had was that its competition (Instagram stories) was/is providing better features than them. Snapchat now faces is they are losing their identity, are they a social media, or a media platform? The answer is no one truly knows. Businesses don’t seem to see it as a beneficial channel they should invest time or resources into.

Youtube faced this problem years ago and found a good solution to it (one that is constantly evolving, but with their identity in mind.) However, I do not see Snapchat overcoming this, I think we are starting to see the end of this app. I believe they will soon start to lose market share, continue to lose business interest, and continue to question what their own purpose is within the social media and media platform space. They will try to revert their UI but that will only be a band-aid as they face even bigger problems.

Note: While finishing up this article I saw a video by MKBHD that highlighted some of the points I have made here and gave an interesting perspective from a content creator’s point of view.