Alongside news that Twitter is relaunching its account verification system to the public, the company previewed a slate of changes that will soon come to Twitter profiles. In addition to your name, photo, banner, bio and other features available today, the new Twitter profile will include an “About” tab that appears to the left of the tabs for Tweets, Tweets & Replies, Media and Likes. This expansion will allow Twitter users to share more about themselves, including their pronouns, location, interests and more.
“The profile hasn’t been meaningfully updated since 2014, which is a little mind blowing, considering how much both Twitter and the world have changed since then,” said Andrea Conway, the lead designer on Twitter’s Identity & Profiles team. “Today, we don’t give people a ton of ways to express themselves and, in turn, we limit the number of signals available to understand the quality of that account, and help people determine who and what to trust on Twitter,” she says. “Additionally, from a design perspective, we’re dealing with a serious lack of space on the profile, and we really want to change that.”
Image Credits: Twitter
Twitter wants the revamped profiles to not only expand the ways users can express themselves, it also envisions the profile as a new entry point to other areas of engagement on the platform in the future. That could be areas like Topics or Spaces, or something else. Though Twitter didn’t detail this point, it’s possible that as it rolls out the new Super Follow button for creators, it may make sense for those users to have more ways to share what they’re all about rather than relying on one of those “link in bio” website builders, for instance.
Twitter also sees the potential for using the profile to increase user engagement.
“We think it’s important to know not only who an account is, and the information they’ve shared proactively, but also what an account is into — because we think that if you’re interested in an account, you might also be interested in what they’re interested in. And this space has the potential to make that a whole lot easier,” Conway adds.
In addition to allowing users to share their pronouns in the new About tab, the redesigned profile will include other fields, sections and components.
Another notable new feature will be the ability to display whether your Twitter account is confirmed. That means you’ve verified your account with Twitter via email or phone. It’s a signal that could help to invite trust — or at least keep you from being trolled by being called a “bot,” a common Twitter insult that’s often levied during heated debates. And it’s a way to “verify” your account even if you don’t qualify for the coveted blue badge — a badge people often want because if conveys some sense of legitimacy.
Other fields currently found in your profile today may move into this About tab, like your location, birthday, join date or translator badge, Twitter says. And going forward, Twitter believes this tab will allow it to be more flexible when it comes to what information people what to share and how they share it.
The company didn’t offer a time frame until the new profiles will launch, but said they would be “coming soon.”