Week 5 UX: An Observation on Twitter/X

Twitter, a social media platform acting as a microblog, was created in 2006. In 2023, it was rebranded as X, with a stylized letter X replacing the bird as its logo.

For this post, I'll call it Twitter. 

Using 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design, I'll explain what's wrong with this social media app.

• Twitter has inconsistent icons for actions, which will confuse users. An example is the share icon on both the web and mobile versions of Twitter. Violation Score: 3
  
  
  
• Twitter is poor with User control and freedom due to its habit of constantly changing its layout every few years. Violation Score: 4

  

  2006

  
  
  

  

  2014

  
  

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  2023

  Twitter's Flexibility and efficiency of use are poor. For example, there is no way a user can sync drafts or threads between web and mobile. Violation Score: 4
  
  
  
• The mobile Twitter App Aesthetic and minimalist design is flawed due to the overall layout. An example would be the spaces feature, which takes a large portion of the viewing screen, causing clutter. Violation Score: 3
  
  
  
• Twitter's Visibility of System Status is flawed. A clear example is the Trending feature, where the arrow points in the opposite direction. Violation Score: 4