Facebook Redesign Gets Streamlined
Facebook has started to test out their new layout redesign with selected accounts. This new design came into effect for my account with the onset of 2010. While many users still don't have this new layout, screenshots first appeared on Om Malik's blog and then reposted by Techcrunch and Allfacebook.com. Here are some screenshots from my account.
As the GigaOm post mentioned, the new layout takes a lot of inspiration from Facebook Lite. The overall experience is streamlined. Only the chat window remains in the footer. Other features of the footer has moved to the left sidebar.
The links for Requests, Messages and Notifications use mini icons only (see first screenshot above), whereas previously text links were used. The newest items for each of those features are displayed in a drop down list.
For the previous header bar, there were two links to your profile. Now, there is only one link in the header. All of the Account features have been grouped together. The logout feature is hidden in this group. This is a subtle way to keep you on Facebook.
Overall, the streamlined redesign allows for more accessible navigation. The latest friend requests, newest messages in your inbox, and updated notifications in the drop down lists keeps you posted on what's happening in your social network. Also, the notifications on the mini icons are a welcome feature and the footer is obviously less cluttered.
If you have the new redesign for your account or have some feedback, please add your comments. Do you like it? Want the old design back?
Add me on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/mikael.pittam
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