Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel Says All The Hate At App's Redesign Only Means They're Doing It Right
19 February, 2018
A few days ago, Snapchat underwent a major redesign, changing how Snaps and Stories appear in your feed, and even separating updates from friends and publishers. Unfortunately, not everyone was happy with the new look.
In fact, much of the user base complained it actually made features harder to access. While some began using workarounds to try and get back to the older version of the app, at least a million others signed a petition to get Snapchat reverted to its good old self.
The thing is, Snapchat’s CEO thinks those reactions are positive reinforcement.
Speaking at Goldman Sach's Internet and Technology conference in San Francisco on Thursday, Evan Spiegel agreed that it would take users some time to adjust, but that he’s been happy with how people have responded to the changes, even those that have hated it.
“We're excited about what we're seeing so far,” he said. “The best part is that even some of the complaints we're seeing reinforce the philosophy behind the design.”
“For example, one of the complaints we got was ‘Aww...I used to feel like this celebrity was my friend, and now they don’t feel like my friend anymore.’ And we’re like, ‘Exactly. They’re not your friend.’”
According to Spiegel, all the frustration they’re seeing doesn’t mean something’s gone wrong, it means they’re doing something right. He clarified that Snapchat isn’t trying to alienate users willy nilly, they’re just trying to make a clear distinction between communication with your friends, and public shout-outs.