Twitter tries a redesigned look to onboard new users

With a better than expected last quarter, Twitter looks set for a bigger push to lure more people to its platform. And in order to do so, the micro-blogging site is introducing a number of small design tweaks to its app to make it easier for newbies to navigate and interact on the social network.

The revamp isn't a makeover as such. Instead, with a series of small tweaks to things like where your settings are located, the typography used, or the shape of its icons, the redesign is intended to make the app faster and easier to use.

Starting with the new side navigation menu with the profile, additional accounts, settings, and privacy, which Twitter says results in fewer tabs at the bottom of the app and reduces clutter. Notably, this brings Twitter's various apps more in line with the current iteration of the service on Android.

Other parts of the Twitter app have also seen some changes. Profile icons across Twitter are now round instead of square – as seen in recent testing. Plus, typography is more consistent, while headlines – like “In Case You Missed It” or “Trending Now” – are bolder to better separate them from the content.

The “reply” button on tweets has also been changed to a speech bubble instead of an arrow. “More intuitive icons make it easier to engage with Tweets — especially if you’re coming to Twitter for the first time,” the company explained in a blog post.

While, some may complain that instead of design changes, Twitter should be looking at how it can curb hate speech on its platform. Surely, the social network isn't sitting idle on that front and is bringing much-needed policy changes to fight abuse but the new updates definitely address one old issue of making the Twitter interface easier to use.

For iOS users, there's an added update according to which Twitter will now open web links in Safari’s View Controller within the Twitter app. That means you can more easily access accounts on websites you’re signed into, notes Twitter. But it also means if you use a Safari ad-blocker, it will finally work in Twitter’s app.