The redesign of Snapchat, at the start of 2018, was not well received. The BrandIndex survey revealed that Snapchat’s “user sentiment”, a measure obtained by consumers ranking their impression of a brand on a scale of 100 (“very positive”) to minus 100 (“very negative”), among 18- to 34-year-old U.S. consumers declined 73 percent following the redesign. Furthermore, 83 percent of App Store reviews (1,941) for the update were negative with one or two stars.
Since its launch Snapchat has represented the new, mobile-first direction for social media, placing a big emphasis upon the way users interact with content. Snapchat has around 187 million daily active users.
However, social media firms need to be careful with how they go about redesign and a platform that drops in popularity can be in a precarious position relative to rivals or new entrants. Engadget reports that the redesign hit advertising revenues and user growth. Following the redesign CEO Evan Spiegel remained resolute, according to The Verge, failing to entertain the notion of putting the design back to what it was.
This public face of unwavering support for the new design does not appear to reflect the realities of the board room, according to an internal memo obtained by Cheddar. Here Snap chief Evan Spiegel has admitted that the company rushed the redesign, “solving one problem but creating many others.”
As well as design issues, the memo suggests there were also operating problems such as with the algorithmic Friend Feed functionality. The memorandum further suggests that Snap will develop its application further in 2019, in order to re-strengthen and increase its standing in the social media arena.
