Twitter updates redesign after netizen complaints of eye strains and confusion

Twitter has made updates to its latest platform redesign after the initial launch did not gel well with netizens. On 12 August, the company changed its font and created more visual contrast on its platform. Shortly after, Twitter was bombarded with complaints online, with several netizens pointing out that the font as well as the high contrast and colour changes made tweets hard to read and strained their eyes. Some users also complained about the colours of the "Follow" and "Following" buttons being inverted, leading to some people accidentally unfollowing accounts before following them again. 

In a tweet on 14 August, Twitter said it is making contrast changes on all buttons so they would be easier on the eyes. "We are listening and iterating," it added. It also identified issues with the Chirp font for Windows users and is actively working to fix it. Some netizens have called for Twitter to give them the option of sticking with the old font rather than impose the new one of them. 

https://twitter.com/TwitterA11y/status/1426260504687824905
https://twitter.com/Kaddiss_Telelia/status/1425519622267232258
https://twitter.com/belleeeey_/status/1425517555146448909
https://twitter.com/GenevieveCocoa/status/1425520501078831105

Meanwhile, one user commented that the change in the "Follow" and "Following" buttons was "surprisingly confusing while another called it "putrid". Others added that Twitter should not have changed the colours for those buttons. With regards to the follow button, Twitter previously tweeted that the change will help users see what actions they have taken at a glance. It also cleaned up plenty of visual clutter, such as unnecessary divider lines and gray backgrounds, and increased space to make text easier to read.

https://twitter.com/shelbygraces/status/1426375654572847105
https://twitter.com/haroonmeer/status/1426059458543857666
https://twitter.com/Bloops_/status/1425540628285374464
https://twitter.com/kvlly/status/1425816530340691968
https://twitter.com/Angry_Staffer/status/1426161466059677696

At first glance, the updated interface has less of Twitter's iconic blue and this, according to the company, was done to draw more attention to the users’ photos and videos. Its bespoke font, which was introduced in January, is now made available to all users, with all Western-language text aligning left to make it “easier to read as you scroll”. Non-Western languages remain unchanged. Chirp seeks to “strike the balance between messy and sharp to amplify the fun and irreverence of a Tweet, but can also carry the weight of seriousness when needed, using it in promotional materials or graphics. The font that appeared on users’ feeds and navigating through the app was still Segoe UI.

This is not the first time Twitter has faced backlash over its redesign. The company also faced resistance when it changed its font from Helvetica Neue to Gotham in 2014. It eventually went back to the former font. 

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