The way you click through Instagram Stories could be changing
Instagram is testing out new features for users to navigate their way through Stories on the app to be more unique to their interests.
The social media company is working on new and improved ways for people to see Stories content that could make cycling through numerous Stories easier than before.
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According to reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong, users are going to be able to slide another person’s story down revealing a line of other Stories they can watch and pick from. You can see a test example she posted below.
Instagram is working on a quick switch to other user’s Stories pic.twitter.com/rq2KBlmO4o
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) May 7, 2020
She also showed the social media platform testing similar functions back in 2018. This got Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri revealing they were working on their Stories stream through a poll of his followers.
Instagram is testing swiping up Stories to switch in between different user’s stories pic.twitter.com/Sz5FYE7y1o
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) June 20, 2018
The improved feature would make cycling through Stories much easier and allow for a different flow of content.
This move could be part of a transition to focusing more on Stories than a traditional news feed though. Over the past while, Facebook has repeatedly said Stories are making their way towards becoming the primary driver for social media engagement.
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Currently, both platforms have the news feed as the primary section of their websites with Stories sitting as a side function for users. If user traffic continues its trajectory to Storie though, they may have to redesign the site layouts to reflect this.
For Instagram, this would be a departure from its original purpose as a photographic focused app.
Earlier this month, Facebook also revealed new designs including the addition of dark mode to their desktop app.
They took design ideas from their mobile layout giving it a completely different look that’s smoother and easier to navigate.
Currently, Stories show up at the top of the screen in their redesign with a slightly larger presence than before but if Stories continue dominating traffic, that could change too.
What do you think of Instagram’s new Stories functions they’re testing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
