Did Twitter Just Copy Facebook With Its New Redesign?

Twitter's new design is now available to all users, and can be changed with theclick of a button. But the pitch sounds more like a stroke of the ego rather than a stroke of design genius.

"Meet the new you ... your Twitter profile shows the world who you are — moment by moment," Twitter comments. "New web profiles make it even easier to be yourself."

Twitter initially showcased the updated design in early April, but now all users can update their profile pages to embrace the splashy, image-centric updates. Most early reviews noted that the new layout essentially mirrors what people already see on their Facebook pages.

Users have tweeted about the changes with varying opinions, and some taking their annoyance complaints to a surprising level.

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/VentureStreamUK/status/458976596410781696"]

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/TheCalcioGuy/status/458960217171296256"]

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/LisaBarone/status/458972319135051777"]

"See all your photos and videos in one place. Filter by favorites, followers, and more. And view your tweets — without lots of replies — in one seamless timeline," Twitter pitches, saying the redesign is a change of perspective for the user. But the shift to focus on more visual content is a rather big change for the original text-based social network.

"Visuals have been growing increasingly important for Twitter and the new design pushes them even further to the forefront, with larger background images and more prominent profile pictures," the Verge reported. "There's an unmissable similarity to Facebook's profile pages, with the user's photos and friends both being tucked into a tile layout on the lower left."

And from the "this may be taking it a little too far" section, Twitter can't be happy about this comparison:

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/458961152425598976"]

The Next Web provided a solid list of what the new Twitter layout will offer:

• Larger profile photos. These photos are now 400 pixels by 400 pixels, the same aspect ratio as before but with larger dimensions.
• Customizable header image. This main image spans the browser, and users are encouraged to upload a 1500 pixel by 500 pixel image. Your current header image might fit, but the bigger scale might make it look a little fuzzy. (Images sizes are relative to device, too, so you might notice different layouts on different screens.)
• Best tweets. Your tweets with the most engagement will appear in a larger text size inside your stream of updates.
• Pinned tweet. You can pin one of your favorite tweets to the top of your profile page.
• Filtered views. When visiting someone else’s profile, you can choose how to view their tweets: tweets only, tweets plus replies, or tweets with photos or videos.
• Pinterest-style grid view of your followers, who you’re following, and your visual content.

If you want to adopt the new Twitter look, you just have to click here.

(H/T: Digital Trends)

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Follow Elizabeth Kreft (@elizabethakreft) on Twitter. And yep, I updated to the new one.