Facebook Redesigns its "Like" Button

04/08/2016

The Facebook "like" button was designed in the infancy of the mobile web. Now present on millions of websites and viewed billions of times in a single day, "liking" is certainly an integral part of the Facebook experience. So why the change?

The redesign began with a simple hypothesis; more people will understand the thumbs up on the like button than the lowercase "f". Extensive quantitative and qualitative research was carried out on old and new button styles, and the company are now rolling out the new design as their testing has shown them an increase in engagement.

The old design is comprised of two smaller icons, where the "Like" button is separated from the number of "Likes" counted. Whereas the new button incorporates these into one elongated button.

The new design style shows some key design features that have driven engagement with the brand. There is a consistent use of colour and the button style follows the more modern flat design style, in-line with the Facebook brand. Additionally we can see a more careful consideration of space where all elements are contained within the button; this indicates to the viewer an instant connection between the elements which helps them to understand and interact with it.

These changes, although small, allow us to identify more closely with the Facebook brand. It is interesting that by changing just a few small details and maintaining consistency across your brand you can drive engagement with your business.