Software

Facebook Rolls Out Minimalist Navigation & Dark Mode

Facebook’s redesign is finally official following months of testing. The more minimalist approach to its desktop design, announced at F8 last year, has been rolled out in waves. The firm added an option in March to try out the new version. Users were able to switch back and leave feedback for why they did so. The redesign becomes official this week (and there’s also the option to manually update until you get it).

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Change is difficult, particularly when it comes to redesigning a popular website. Even the best redesign still requires the user’s brain to adapt to some re-wiring. Simplicity is the thing here — that’s a particularly big request for a platform like Facebook that constantly adds content to new venues. I can say that Facebook isn’t afraid to leave a blank canvas for this “fresh, simpler” design, having played around with it in its earlier iteration. Videos, games, and groups are among those types of content that will be given priority here.

The redesign is based on the mobile app, designed to provide faster load times and easier navigation (again, it will take to get used to it). “We have grown since Facebook.com was launched 16 years ago, “writes the company. “We have built new features, optimized for new devices and operating systems and expanded to include hundreds of languages. We’d recently focused on the experience of mobile Facebook and realized that our desktop site had fallen behind. It is something people need to keep up.”

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However, for many, the biggest news here may be the long-awaited arrival of dark mode for the desktop, as Facebook ends up joining Twitter likes and countless apps. You’re certainly well versed with the advantages of dark mode: it’s easier on ease, and generally makes for a better video viewing experience (the company’s top priority these days).