This really stands out to me as why thoughtful web design is important. When Twitter debuted it took time for Twitter (the company) and its users to figure out what exactly it was and how to use it. The official Twitter blog says that “Why would I want to do that?” is a common reaction from people new to Twitter.

Twitter began as a rudimentary social tool based on the concept of status messages but together with those who use it every day, the service has taught us what it wants to be. [...] Twitter has moved from simple social networking into a new kind of communication and a valuable source of timely information.

The realization that Twitter (the service) is good for something specific has impacted the design of the site. Instead of just offering itself up as a social networking tool, Twitter is now saying that it is the melting pot for what’s hot and happening now. Most of all, the new design was specifically made to attract new users and get them to participate.

Helping people access Twitter in more relevant and useful ways upon first introduction lowers the barrier to accessing the value Twitter has to offer and presents the service more consistently with how it has evolved.

The corporate jargon doesn’t clear the  mud, but I think Twitter (the company) is saying is that Twitter (the service) not only wants new people to sign up, but also to participate. This has been a problem in the past for Twitter (Twitter Quitters is what the Neilsen wire called these new users) and part of the problem was the Twitter front page itself. Here’s the rundown from a design standpoint on why this redesign was necessary to attract new users.

1. Attention Deficit Twitsorder. The old old front page was cluttered with text, buttons, and links that divided user attention (why would a user want to Watch a Video! when they came to sign up?). The new front page has axed the block of text, and only has three buttons (‘Sign In’, ‘Search’, and ‘Sign Up Now’) that efficiently direct new users as well as current ones.
2. Areas of Expertise This is the biggest change to the Twitter front page. The emphasis on the old front page was explaining to users what Twitter could be used for and it took them a paragraph to do it. Over half of the real estate was informing users of their options, and the rest was for signing in current users. The new front page places Search smack-dab in the middle and adds an even larger list of hot topics. This change encourages new users to see what people are talking (or Tweeting) about.
3. Brand X It’s becoming more clear that the center of a browser window is center stage for branding and identity materials. The old placement of the Twitter logo made the brand isolated and disconnected from the surrounding text. The new Twitter logo placement not only draws the eye better, but connects the brand with their new tag line:

Share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world.

It’s clear that Twitter isn’t just a social network, and it doesn’t want to be one anyway. Now it has become a search engine for society itself.

My sister got me a new Motorola Razor for Christmas. Should be coming in the mail soon. Call me sometime.