Pinterest announced a new design that will initially be rolling out to select users. The design, Pinterest says, should cut down on the number of clicks to get from point A to point B while making the navigation more intuitive and mobile-friendly.
All the major navigational elements, like Pinterest categories, will be ported to a top-left navigation button reminiscent of the universal button for navigation on mobile apps. The new site will remove the two navigation bars that separated categories from the additional options in the top right button with your name and profile picture. All necessary navigation features – the search bar included – will be found under one bar. As a whole, the redesign shows Pinterest is building out a site that adheres to responsive design practices, making it easier for mobile Web users.
As for other design updates, image sizes will be blown up. In doing so, Pinterest is getting rid of the white borders around images. It’s a minor but smart move – after all, Pinterest is all about the visual Web.
The format has also been redesigned so that if you were to open up a pin, its comments, or captions, you’ll find that the recommended boards and modules have been scrunched up to the right side of the page, to give these modules more exposure and to encourage users to click on additional pins. Think of it like browsing YouTube videos: You’ll be inclined to navigate to other pins from the “same board, other boards this pin was pinned to, and a whole slew of related pins.” Originally, these related pins modules were buried at the bottom of the page, where it probably wasn’t the most conducive to additional clicks.
The social network is looking to increase engagement and click-throughs with the hope that users will make a purchase. Obviously, Pinterest generates revenue using an affiliate platform called Skimlinks. Pinterest gets a percentage of every item purchased after users clicked on an image and made a purchase.
Regardless of Pinterest’s intentions, Pinterest users should be pleased with what’s to come.
