Twitter is edging closer and closer to its social network rival Facebook with its latest desktop redesign.
The new look is being rolled out to select users in stages and includes features such as a wider cover photo, Facebook- and Pinterest-style cards and new content tabs.
During its most recent earnings report, Twitter said its timeline views dropped significantly at the end of last year – while user numbers were also said to be slowing – leading some to suggest the site may need to look for inspiration from its competitors.
The first redesigned profiles began appearing yesterday, and more have changed over to the new look today.
The most noticeable change is the size of the cover photo. Twitter added the feature during a redesign in September 2012, five months after Facebook included it as part of its Timeline rejig.
Twitter cover photos now appear full-width along the top of the screen, and the profile picture that used to sit in the centre of this cover image has been moved to the left-hand side.
In line with this change, a user’s bio that traditionally appeared inside the cover photo has also been moved to below the profile picture.
The left-hand panel has also changed; the photos and videos box has been removed and a new category tab has been created to showcase this content in a user’s feed.
Thumbnail pictures of followers have been moved up and Trends have been moved down.
Lists of tweets that used to appear on the right-hand side of the profile have been replaced with a series of separate cards of varying shapes and sizes.
Images are larger, while text-based tweets are made smaller, and where appropriate, cards are positioned in columns similar to Facebook’s Highlights profile design.
However, this imitation is not a one-way street. Facebook has previously incorporated Twitter style notifications to its app, as well as added hashtags and trending topics to the site.
