Reddit retains testing desktop UI modifications forward of its IPO

Reddit is among the many largest repositories of genuine, human-generated content material, making it everybody’s favourite Google Search key phrase once they search real-world opinions and rapid solutions to questions, with none precursory drama and fluff. The UI design for Reddit on the internet and on Android performs an vital function in making such huge info digestible and straightforward to learn. Nonetheless, Previous Reddit made manner for the present UI, however forward of submitting an IPO and providing information for language mannequin coaching, the corporate is experimenting with a more recent UI design.

Previous Reddit used a traditional, discussion board discussion-style method to topical conversations, that includes rectangular buttons and containers in every single place, easy upvote/downvote buttons beside feedback, and clear, nested replies. The previous UI design caught round for a few years, till Reddit determined to modernize issues with the present UI six years in the past.

A lot to customers’ chagrin, the upvote/downvote buttons have been moved, the house feed featured bigger previews of posts with photographs and embedded movies, and buttons and dialog containers used rounded corners throughout. Notably, the positioning went from a text-first design to a visuals-first UI, messing with years of familiarity and muscle reminiscence for previous customers. The sheer reputation of previous Reddit spawned an ecosystem of browser extensions for the online and Reddit shoppers on Android providing the very best of previous Reddit fused with the nice bits of the brand new design.

Sadly, the corporate slammed the brakes on a lot of these initiatives by monetizing its API aggressively late final 12 months. Extra lately, Reddit has been planning to go public, and forward of that, a number of customers, myself and my colleagues at Android Police included, are witnessing minor UI tweaks which don’t appear to learn customers immediately, however absolutely make the online UI resemble the Android app.

First off, we’re seeing curved traces linking the nested replies as a substitute of the straight bars carried over from previous Reddit. What’s extra annoying is the lack to break down a remark to a one-line preview if it doesn’t have replies. Alternatively, minimized feedback disappear with no hint, leaving simply the commenter’s username seen.

Reddit is testing a brand new UI forward of its IPO

In contrast to earlier designs, the brand new one doesn’t make the most of the total width of your desktop display screen, as a substitute relegating you to a Twitter-like UI with the content material feed within the center, flanked by sidebars on both aspect, even within the house feed. The drop-down menus to kind subreddit content material are additionally smaller than earlier than, and in a brand new location, making them arduous to identify. Nonetheless, the UI design is evolving on daily basis, and we simply noticed the sidebar on the right-hand aspect disappear totally yesterday.

The most recent design exhibits a sidebar on the correct solely when looking a neighborhood

Moreover trying extra just like the cellular app, we don’t see a adequate motive for Reddit to tweak the brand new UI into this Twitter-style abomination. Nonetheless, it’s suspiciously timed proper earlier than the corporate’s IPO anticipated this month. Heaping insult on harm, Reddit customers suspect the corporate will axe previous Reddit utterly after this modification rolls out extensively, as a result of the corresponding choice has disappeared from the settings web page on the internet.