Instagram strikes again with an unexpected redesign of the display of front-page stories. Gone are the circular icons at the top of profiles: a new organization promises clarity and modernity.
Discover all the details about this update and its impacts for users, creators, and brands. What's behind this change? Here's everything you need to know.
A new face for featured stories
Clearer organization for profiles
Instagram has decided to reorganize its profiles by making the front-page stories less intrusive in the overall presentation. These stories will now be accessible via a dedicated tab, marked with a rounded heart iconThis change, tested since August 2024, aims to simplify navigation and better promote content immediately visible on profiles.
Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, clarified that this change aims to lighten the appearance of profiles and to highlight more content at first glance. This choice reflects a desire to respond to criticism of the platform's visual overload.
Featured stories become thematic
Users will now be able to organize their front-page stories in the form of vertical thumbnails grouped by theme. This new presentation offers better organization and simplified access to archived content.
What impact for creators and brands?
Potentially reduced visibility
While this update promises a cleaner profile, it could lead to a decrease in interactions with front-page stories. Removing them from the top of profiles will make them less accessible at first glance, a crucial point for designers and brands.
Adapt your strategy to this change
Creators and brands must adapt to this new organization by rethinking the way they promote their stories:
- Create thematic collections to maintain subscriber interest.
- Use other formats, such as reels or posts, to gain immediate visibility.
- Actively promote new stories via direct posts or links.
Why is Instagram changing the way stories are displayed in the spotlight?
Responding to user habits
Instagram noticed that users interacted little with featured stories in their current format. Their ephemeral nature and their location, sometimes considered cumbersome, explain this lack of interest. This repositioning aims to strengthen their relevance while improving theuser experience.
Lighten and modernize the profiles
With this redesign, Instagram seeks to modernize the appearance of profiles, highlighting the latest and most engaging content, while organizing older items into specific spaces.
What to expect in the coming weeks?
A gradual deployment
The update started in late November 2024 and will roll out to all users in the coming weeks. Instagram has also informed subscribers via notifications to prepare them for this change.
Features unchanged
Despite this new design, the functionalities related to front-page stories remain the same: adding, deleting or organizing your stories will always be just as simple.
FAQ: Everything you need to know about the new featured stories display
- When will the new design be available to all?
The gradual deployment began at the end of November 2024 and should be generalized within a few weeks. - Are the features of Featured Stories changing?
No, features like adding, deleting, and organizing remain unchanged. - How to access featured stories?
They will be accessible via a specific tab, identifiable by a rounded heart icon. - Why did Instagram change their display?
To simplify profiles, improve clarity and enhance the user experience. - Does this affect the visibility of featured stories?
Yes, their removal from the main grid could reduce their immediate visibility. - Can brands still use featured stories for campaigns?
Absolutely, but it is recommended to actively promote these stories through other formats. - What are the alternatives to increase their visibility?
Reels, posts, and direct links can compensate for lower visibility of featured stories. - Will users be notified of the change?
Yes, Instagram has already started to inform its followers through notifications. - What are the advantages for personal profiles?
A cleaner appearance and better organization of content. - Is it possible to disable this new design?
No, the change will be applied automatically to all profiles.
A development to watch
With this new display, Instagram strategic overhaul of its profiles to meet user expectations and modernize the visual experience. Although this update may impact the visibility of front-page stories, it also offers opportunities to rethink how this content is presented. Creators and brands will have to adapt to make the most of this evolution. Stay tuned and get ready to explore this new era of Instagram profiles!
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