Twitter has announced that they are introducing a new layout for replies that will use lines and indentations. This is intended to make it easier for users to understand who they are replying to and how the conversation is flowing.
The features which are to be introduced have been in testing for a year in Twitter’s prototype app named twtrr. The prototype was created to give Twitter a separate space outside its public network to experiment with new ideas about how Twitter should look, feel and operate.
The changes involve branching lines that connect different parts of the conversation threads together. The lines appear as a lighter gray when the Twitter default white theme is applied. Extra replies are also hidden beneath the “Show replies” label, which you have to tap to continue to read through a given thread. The overall experience is something that’s more akin to a discussion board site, like Reddit.
According to Twitter, the features will initially roll out to a portion of Twitter users on iOS and the web.
Your conversations are the ? of Twitter, so we’re testing ways to make them easier to read and follow.
Some of you on iOS and web will see a new layout for replies with lines and indentations that make it clearer who is talking to whom and to fit more of the convo in one view. pic.twitter.com/sB2y09fG9t
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) May 5, 2020