When Snapchat unveiled their new app interface update on February 6th, they fell headfirst into a sea of staunch criticism, negative user reviews, and heated social media protests. Tweets, posts, and articles slamming the new interface spread like wildfire and a group of angry users even kicked off a Change.org petition begging Snapchat to kill their divisive new design.
Model and super-influencer Kylie Jenner also lent her voice to the opposition with a viral tweet stating, “sooo does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore? Or is it just me… ugh this is so sad,” After tweeting this statement on February 21st, Snapchat’s market cap sunk by 1.3 billion. However, this intense backlash stemming from the core user base of Snapchat hasn’t deterred downloads from new users.
Data provided by SensorTower Store Intelligence revealed a 55% increase in first-time Snapchat installs post redesign for seven days after the launch. Whether or not this sudden spike is due to positive interest in an easier-to-navigate interface and a new split style story format or curiosity in the highly publicized criticism, the rate of new Snapchat downloads are generous.
According to TechCrunch, this user increase has helped Snapchat recover from a 14.3 percent drop in downloads in Q3 2017. The launch of Instagram Stories had a large part to do with this drop. Last months Q4 earnings report showed Snapchat’s growth increase from 2.9 percent to 5.05 percent and Snapchat is trying their utmost to hold on to the momentum.
Despite this increase, backlash and negative comments against the new interface have continued to grow and Snapchat has had to find new ways to respond to those concerns, ease user fears, and hold on to their reputation. Since the redesign, the publicized Change.org petition that garnered over 1.2 million votes, and a trend of users trying to hack the system to bring back the old Snapchat have dominated the social sphere. As a response, Snapchat unveiled a few welcome updates to their interface in an attempt to appease their irritated users.
The major new feature Snapchat has introduced since the redesign are dedicated tabs in the Friends and Discover sections of the app that separate friends’ Stories and creators you subscribe to. Three distinct tabs in the Friends section are a welcome fix for users who were confused about how to access friends’ stories. Two of the three tabs separate your list of friends from your stories, and a third tab lets you create a group room where up to 32 of your friends can chat together or create collaborative Stories.
Snapchat has also given users the ability to add a variety of GIF stickers from Giphy to their posts. By listening to negative feedback, Snapchat has shown they are willing to adapt with their core user base's needs.
From a publisher standpoint, the new Snapchat interface takes some getting used to, even with the new updates in place. Various publishers, brands, and creators that users aren't subscribed to will show up in the Discover tab. The publishers that users are subscribed to show up at the top of the feed but the endless scroll feature and the inability to visually see where one group ends and the other begins has been the root of most of the concerns amongst creators.
Many influencers who use the platform to connect with their fans and followers have been vocal about their disapproval. Aside from Kylie Jenner, popular Youtubers and other creators have mentioned that the number of users watching their content has drastically reduced.
This not only spells trouble for individual creators but for brands as well. Snapchat is an increasingly popular way to share branded content with younger users but if people are finding it difficult to access that content, brands and creators may seek out other platforms.
If Snapchat wants to keep publishers and creators on their side, they will need to tweak some organizational features and give some attention to the Discover tab so that creators and brands can continue to interact with their audiences.
