Facebook doesn’t want to lose the momentum it currently has in messaging, so it’s going to be a big year ahead. In 2018, the company appears to be focused on cleaning up Facebook Messenger after years of packing various features and integration. Users responded positively to most of the features, but they’re not exactly stored within the app in an attractive layout.
The current state of Facebook Messenger’s design is scattered more than anything. Luckily change is on the way.
David Marcus, who leads Facebook Messenger for the Menlo Park-based company, posted the strategy set for 2018. Streamlining the app is a priority, but Facebook would also like to keep people socializing with each other whether that’s for fun or in times of need. In that sense, stability will be equally important moving forward.
This is what Facebook said regarding upcoming changes:
“Over the last two years, we built a lot of capabilities to find the features that continue to set us apart. A lot of them have found their product market fit; some haven’t. While we raced to build these features, the app became too cluttered. Expect to see us invest in massively simplifying and streamlining Messenger this year.”
Basically the app won’t be a free-for-all much longer. Every button, app, and bot will get placed somewhere else rather than at the forefront where it’s currently messy. The redesign should make for a simpler layout, allowing conversations to be the most important thing before offering up additional features.
The company recently launched Messenger Lite around the world; however, that’s meant for people into a barebones, straightforward messaging app. The majority of users want to do lots of things in a single messaging app, and the full version is what will help Facebook make money off messaging. The strategy laid out for Facebook Messenger this year includes turning “customer service” into “customer care” and enabling the platform as a marketing channel. And that’s exactly why getting Facebook Messenger to look and feel better than ever is a priority.
In case you had any doubt, Facebook Messenger is still a dominant force in messaging. Facebook’s platform currently hosts 1.3 billion people who send messages every month.
