Another Update, Another Snapchat Fail

The new UX update to Snapchat is bad.

Dear Snapchat,

Yes, it is good that Stories were added back to the right screen and that users were notified. However, it is bad that Stories were taken off the left screen and that Stories were altered from a displaying in a vertical list to a horizontal feed.

The U/X Idea

Add Stories back to the left screen between “Chat” and “Groups” and add a “View All Stories in List” link after users viewed a Story.

The User Experience Problem

After drastically changing the UX in February, users will now be accustomed to Stories being on the left screen between “Chat” and “Groups”. It makes sense to have Stories, Chat, and Groups on the same page. But now Stories are separate from Chat. Not only were Stories separated, the Story feed was changed to a horizontal list.  

Navigating Stories in a horizontal list is a nightmare. You cannot see the birds eye view of stories, making it feel very claustrophobic and cumbersome. It is also extremely difficult to selectively choose which Stories to watch - which was the beauty of the vertical Story feed!

The U/X Solution

1. Add Stories back on the left screen between Chat and Groups. Restore Story feed as a vertical list.

2. Keep Stories on right screen in a horizontal feed.

3. After viewing a Story from the right screen, show a link that reads “View All Stories” on the Next Story Preview Page. Or perform an A/B test with the next Stories in a vertical list below the Next Story Preview.

shoutout

Visit our friend Joe Swaggerty, he draws incredible puppy portraits. 

Conclusion

The moving of Stories to the right page and placing the Stories in a horizontal feed is not user friendly. This UX update may cause another decrease in usage of the app since it is now even more difficult to view a friend’s Story.

Follow the aforementioned U/X solutions to provide an easy way to navigate Stories.

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