Facebook Users Hate Redesign – As Usual

After popping on Facebook the other day, I noticed there was a poll asking if users liked the redesign or not. apparently 94% said “no.” My first reaction to this news was “great, Facebook really is looking for feedback on their changes now,” followed by “and the result is exactly as expected.”

The result was expected, but not because I hate the redesign. I don’t find it to be terribly speical, but I don’t really hate it. I’m rather ambivalent. However, I’ve noticed soemthing after having a Facebook account for a while. They’ve changed the theme numerous times in the past, and the result is always the same: people complain about it. They always hate the new theme and they always claim that the old design was far better. They claim the new one is not usable and it will make using Facebook harder, etc…

Then suddenly they love it when the next redesign comes around, and talk about how much it was better than this latest one. I remember the last time Facebook did a redesign, and it was largely the same: people frickin’ hated it. Now, I do think that there are some issues with the new design, certainly, but the problem isn’t actually design issues. The problem is change. People don’t like it.

Every time Facebook changes the design, people have to relearn it. By the time the next design comes around, they’re all very happy with the current theme they had been using for so long, because they’re simply use to it. They know how to navigate it and do what they want. With the new design, they get confused. This is just a basic part of Human nature – I know, I feel the same way often.

So, I suspect that with the next update of Facebook, unless it gets rolled back, people will complain again as usual, and this current theme will be praised as superior.