Facebook tries (again) to simplify Messenger

Operation simplification at Messenger. While the admission of Facebook, its application of instant messenger had become too complex to use, the social network offers from Tuesday evening a new interface, simpler and more refined, via a new update. "We grouped the elements in a logical way.In the current organization of the application, there were nine tabs, now we have three," says Jean 1 Jean-Marc Denis, head of design at Facebook Messenger.

The basic functions on the homepage. To facilitate access to the most important functions, including conversations and calls, all have been grouped on the homepage. Conversations are displayed in antechronological order, and a simple swipe on the side of a conversation allows you to make an audio or video call. The stories, shared with those of Facebook, are always present at the top of the screen, but are more discreet. A search bar, present in all the tabs of the application, also allows to find a conversation.

The second tab allows you to see the stories in more detail and access the list of his connected contacts. "The idea is that people can see at a glance what happens on Messenger," says Jean-Marc Denis. Finally, a third tab allows you to discover the applications, games and chatbots present on Messenger to exchange with brands, customer services or access information.

A more refined interface. Overall, the interface of this new version of Messenger appears more refined and simpler. The design teams have even added some extra refinements with a slight gradient in the color of the bubbles in each conversation based on their age. Additional functions, such as money exchange between friends, GIFs or the creation of polls are grouped in a new menu, present at the bottom of each conversation.

Although this is not the first major change in the design of the app, Messenger teams ensure that it will remain so. "Now, every time we create a new feature, we try to follow these design rules and not add buttons or menus unnecessarily," says the head of design. The update will be available gradually from Tuesday. In a second time, Messenger plans to add new features including a dark mode designed to be used at night.