Facebook is making a series of changes to its Messenger platform that are focused on improving its navigability. The changes are pretty minor but they are likely to increase user engagement in the long run.
Okay, so the first major change is the introduction of tabs on top of the messenger main screen. What these tabs do, is that they allow you to move between all the major places like chats, contacts and groups, in a jiffy. You will also be prompted to visit places with activity via a red dot that will come up wherever something occurs.
So say someone posts in a group chat, a red dot will appear over that tab to remind you to check what is happening.Groups meanwhile, have been transfered from the bottom of the screen to the top. It sits squarely next to a Who’s online list and a tab for chats you have had in the past. The bottom bar meanwhile, now plays hosts to Games.
Games were rolled out globally earlier this month and the company has lost no time in giving them a place of prominence on its main app. Facebook probably believes that they will be a big driving force in its user engagement. The bottom bar also has Home, Calls, the Camera button and People.
Facebook has also decided to decrease the size of the camera button. In case you did not notice, the button sued to be larger than life and stuck out whenever you happened to open the camera through Facebook. Now though, it has a more or less normal size.
The changes are more or less good. I mean personally, I feel the red dot thing is a bit over the top, however, the rest of the features are likely to make messenger a more engaging place. The features will start rolling out to both iOS and Android starting this week, so keep you eyes peeled.
