Photo-sharing platform Instagram is reportedly testing a new layout for Stories on desktop. In the new look, Instagram Stories are expected to appear in a carousel, instead of the current single-tile format that takes up the entire page. However, the navigation process appears to be unchanged coming from the mobile app. A user can tap, click to move on to the next story but you will have a view of what you have seen and yet to see once the feature is rolled out.
A company spokesperson confirmed to a publication that testing of the new feature is indeed underway. The new-look had been appearing to a “small group” of Instagram users last month onwards, as per the spokesperson. The report suggests that navigation will remain the same – users will have to manually click through the Stories or can choose to let them play one after the other automatically. It is not clear yet if and when the new design will be rolling out to more users.
The new design for Instagram Stories will make it easier to keep track of where you are in the Stories queue. Up until now, when you check a Story on Instagram for desktop, it takes up the entire screen. There is no option to swipe to the next person’s story, although there are navigation buttons.
If this change rolls out to a wider audience, it will make Instagram on the desktop a cleaner user experience and could be particularly beneficial for those who use the desktop for Instagram regularly. Users will be able to view the last few people’s stories and the next few in a queue, and one single-story won’t take up the entire screen.
If Facebook decides to roll out the new Instagram functionality to a wider audience, more users will likely receive the new design for Stories on the desktop before it is officially launched.
