Social media giant Instagram is quietly experimenting with a redesign of user profiles that could disrupt the standard grid many have grown accustomed to. A small group of accounts have noticed their profile photos now stack vertically rather than the usual square format.
While the change may not significantly impact all users, some who carefully curated rectangular images fear the newly vertical layout could throw off the aesthetic they've crafted. Instagram acknowledges the test in a statement, noting user feedback will help determine if the redesigned profiles spread more widely.
In discussing the potential shift, Instagram head Adam Mosseri reasoned that as most shared media is vertically captured stills or video clips, framing within a square crops out portions of the content. Allowing vertical display presents more of the original post.
Though squares defined the app in early days of only square photo uploads, social media consumption has trended longer and leaner formats in recent times. A restructured vertical profile compliments this evolution while continuing Instagram's mission of easy content consumption.
Only time will tell if the disrupted grid causes an uproar or proves a welcome update. For now, a small subset of users serve as test pilots in Instagram's quest to optimize the user experience on a platform constantly reimagining how visual stories are discovered and shared.
