First Look of Twitter’s New Beta App
Twitter has established a name for itself as a platform that has given everyone a voice to speak up and give their opinions.
This has been a unique selling point for Twitter, but has also set up many challenges like confusing way to manage conversations, harassment etc. But it also the best place to see in real time how the public reacts to something.
But in the next few weeks, Twitter is planning to launch a new beta program. This will allow a group of users access to new features, as a way of a standalone app. From these tests, Twitter will gather data and make use of it to decide how and if to turn those tests into full-blown product with new features for the other users.
Featues of New Beta App:
Experiments Program:
Twitter’s director of product management, Sara Haider, gives us a closer look at the new app. There will also be new features Twitter will be testing in it, both now and in the future. There is an Experiments Program for testing. This will help in knowing how to run the service more properly. The new beta program is expected to run a lot differently. This is not like other traditional betas. Here, users test the app that is nearly completed with most features before a public launch. The feedback from the beta can help in bringing radical changes and also guide the app into the right direction.
A new color scheme:
The initial version of the beta will be focusing on a new design and change the way conversation threads work on Twitter. This will include a different color scheme. There will also be visual cues to highlight important replies. After being accepted into the beta program, users will be able to download a separate beta app. There is no speculation as to how much friction the whole test will create.
There will be new conversation features that have color-coded replies so that you can differentiate between responses. There will be different colors for the original tweet, those from people you follow, and the tweets from people that you don’t follow. The color scheme that has been used had intentionally been made to look overly saturated. It will eventually be toned down when the features launch to testers.
The beta app will offer visual cues to help you find the parts of the thread that you are interested in if you click a conversation thread. Replies from people you follow will be shown in green, while those from non-followers will be blue, and you own replies will also be blue.
Algorithmically sorting replies:
If you have a long thread that has an interesting detail that you would like to get back to later or if you would like to follow it after reading through everything else, then these can kind of workarounds can be done easily in Twitter. The “Tweets and Replies” section on Twitter can be used to find the original poster had replied within the thread. These kind of replies are difficult to find when just scrolling down.
This algorithmic sorting can also be applied to your timeline. The twitter replies are ranked in a certain order, like tweets from your friends can be moved to the top, and what two different people can view in a group of replies will differ. Further replies and the branches of conversation that are a result of these tweets start to become easier to follow, thanks to the algorithms. Though the time-based viewing will not be completely sidelines.
The build that we will see will not have any hearts to favorite/like any of the Tweets. There will also be no icons for retweets or replies. The icons and features will only appear when you tap on a specific post. The basic idea behind this is to offer engagement to those who want it, and offer a simplified view for anyone who does not want any engagement.
Wrap up:
The changes mentioned above in the article are some of the major changes that can be expected. Twitter wants the app and its working to be less confusing for those who are using the app for the first time. Twitter seems slightly obsessed with introducing continuous changes into the basic mechanics of how the app operates. Keep up to date yourself with the latest news and article by visiting our blog page, or you can call us at Nimblechapps.
Rajiv Patil is the founder & Managing Director of Nimblechapps, an innovative iPhone app development company. He takes a keen interest in topics related to mobile app development and mobile game development and often like to share his knowledge through informative posts on leading blogging sites.