Tech
Reddit app adds a Discover page straight out of Instagram’s book
The new AI-based suggestions page is the Reddit app's first major update in two years.
Today Reddit announced the introduction of a new Discover tab into the fold for users to find new communities and content. In order to access the Discover tab, users can navigate to the bottom bar of the app interface, where they’ll find a new compass icon to the right of the home button.
From there the feed can be tailored to meet specific needs, which entails filtering to hone in on specific topics of interest. Similar to existing explore pages, the Reddit discover tab operates as an infinitely scrollable grid à la Instagram, Pinterest, or TikTok. Redditors will also be prompted to use feedback mechanisms to improve the overall experience, with options like show me more of this content, show me less of that content, and hide that content.
Every user’s Discover tab will be unique in that Reddit will tailor each feed based on how a particular person spends their time on the app. So if you’re a plant obsessive, expect to see horticultural-related content. Prior to the rollout of the new feature, Reddit found during testing that one in five users joined at least one new community after using the Discover tab.
What about the existing Communities tab? — The explore feature essentially replaces the Communities/Subscriptions tab as far as its placement in the UX. Instead of accessing the communities you’re part of from the bottom of the app, Reddit is introducing community and profile drawers — now you can tap the drop-down menu at the top left of the home page to reach community and custom feeds.
From there, the community drawer is split into four sections: Moderating Entry Points, Your Communities, Following, and the r/all entry point. A profile drawer is also being introduced; by swiping left or tapping on the profile icon, users can edit or customize their profiles.
Speaking to The Verge, Jason Costa, Reddit’s director of product for community and content, outlined his hopes for the Discover tab:
“The corpus of content and communities on Reddit is pretty vast. In particular, there’s not really a place on Reddit where you can go and easily discover great video content, great imagery content, great GIF content. ... I personally think users are going to discover and join more communities as a result of this.”
While Reddit isn’t exactly Craigslist in terms of an outdated UX experience, it sits somewhere between modern social media navigation and the forums of old. The Discover tab pushes it somewhere close to the former, bringing Reddit more fully into the 2020s.
