On March 11th this year, Facebook went for a redesign. The new design drew a lot of flak across the web. A Facebook polling application on the new site layout had 800,000 votes in 1 week, of which a resounding 95% gave it a Thumbs Down (link). We had users thrashing the new design with comments like “I hate it and if it doesn’t change I will only check it once in awhile.”
So what should have been the result? A fall in traffic for Facebook; or a mass exodus (or reduction in usage) of these disappointed and angry users. But what we are seeing instead is continuous and explosive growth in traffic and user-base of Facebook. In fact since March 2009, Facebook user-base has only grown (check the graph below). Facebook blog suggests that its registered user-base has grown from 200 million in April 2009 to 250 million in July 2009!
Facebook Unique Visitors Traffic
And for all the theories of “listening to customers” and the like, Facebook founder Mark Zukerberg actually sent out a mail to his employees reacting to this criticism for the new design implying “companies are stupid for listening to their customers” and “the most disruptive companies don’t listen to their customers” (link).
Does this signify pure arrogance and complete apathy towards customer feedback on part of Facebook? Facebook is a social networking product and a conversation among its members is the key offering. How can then Facebook risk disapproval of the very channel and way in which these conversations are taking place and getting shared on its network?
Mark Zuckerberg, Founder, Facebook
Or on the flip side, does this hint at how well Zukerberg knows his customers. Zukerberg knows why his users come to the site, and also at the same time perfectly understands why they would stay with Facebook. There is always a resistance to any change (whether good or bad), and when it is change to something as routine as Facebook has become for millions across the world, it was bound to create some noise.
Never has customer come up and told an innovator what innovation he needs. Back then in March, Facebook had just made an unsuccessful attempt to acquire Twitter for $500 million. This new design was an attempt to make the user-generated content more sharable. The wall posting on profile page had given way to “What’s on your mind?” status messages. Sharing external link or multi-media became easier. ‘Highlights’ on right hand column allowed popular and sticky content in your network become more prominent.
Public memory, in India and everywhere, is short. The huge uproar against the new design died out silently, and now everyone seems to have adjusted to it and is at peace with it. Facebook knows that it has crossed way back the critical mass barrier every social network faces. Its members have created huge networks on Facebook and viral effect of this network is bringing more and more members to the network. Content (user-generated) is sticky, and gets updated on regular basis. So unless you utterly mess with the design, users will be happy with what they have.
What is your take on this?
[Mark Zuckerberg Image Credit: Flickr]
Nice post! It’s really an intriguing question…whether people want change or they resist change.
There are equal number of examples from both sides. You get bored with same kind of treatment everyday yet when something changes in your organization, you immediately resist.
When I think about, I zero in on our inherent desire to be in a comfortable situation. When change upsets the comfort zone, we resist while changes that are pleasing and motivating are acceptable to us.
There can be no generalization of whether people want change or they resist change.
Facebook may not have “listened” to the customers in this case. But “listening” in the literal sense is pretty rudimetary way of innovating. Customers always aren’t articulate enough to tell you what they really want. But innovaiton that makes sense HAS to be a silent customer need that is upto the innovator to unearth. Customers wont’ tell you that bluntly probabably but you can get hints from them, in discussion forums, in complaints. It’s a complicated thing to unearth, but surely the information is in there.
We all used touchscreen long before iPhone came in. We used stylus, but it was cumbersone. Styluses were lost, required two hands and what not. But we never went back to anyone saying give us a device that works with fingers. Probably because we didn’t know if such a thing was possible. Apple guessed it and see today…we have iPhone…a device that has taken the entire world by storm!
By the way, are you a facebook user?
How do you find it…better or worse than Orkut?
Ashutosh (http://blog.ashutoshkar.com)
Yes, I am on both Facebook and Orkut. Used to be big-time Orkut fan in earlier days, but like all others have moved to Facebook now. There is a bunch of friends who haven’t yet migrated to Facebook, and that keeps me bringing back to Orkut.
And about change, yeah, no company has ever innovated by merely ‘listening’ to customers. People do resist any status quo, and thats the entry barrier for innovation, thats the test to separate out true real innovation from mere gimmicks.
Interesting thoughts, Bhabhi… Thanks for that.