Keeping WhatsApp fresh, simple and approachable

By Idit Yaniv, VP, Head of WhatsApp Design, Meta

“I believe the way we approach change on WhatsApp is powerful, and it puts people at the heart of everything we do,” says Idit Yaniv, VP, Head of WhatsApp Design, Meta. With over two billion people communicating through the app daily, shaping the experiences for a quarter of the world’s population comes with enormous care and responsibility. “When designing, we consider varying levels of connectivity and digital literacy to keep WhatsApp accessible, and we’re careful with changes that affect people’s muscle memory. This helps us be more intentional about the problems we solve for and minimize product disruption.”

The WhatsApp design philosophy builds on the product principles of keeping the app simple, reliable and private. “Over the years, we have primarily focused on adding utility to the app,” adds Idit. “As the product continued to grow in functionality, the design needed to evolve as well. We wanted the product to feel more fresh and modern without disrupting its core functionality.”

Learn more about the WhatsApp team’s design approach — and get an in-depth look into why and how they updated the user interface.

Read the full story: design.facebook.com/stories/whatsapp-user-interface-update