Twitterface, “a web-based, personally-branded, multi-account Twitter interface”, launched its public beta on July 1. Being a bit of a Twitter addict, I felt compelled to try it out and see what all the hubbub was about.
According to the the Twitterface website:
Twitterface gives you the ability to design your own interface. When you show people this cool, new tool, your brand will be front and center, and you control the place you run in and out of all day long.
We also make it easier for you to view and respond to multiple accounts, and to track things like conference tweets, because you can see up to 3 accounts on your page, and change what you’re viewing in a snap.
Does the beta live up to this claim? In short, yes it does. And I’d say it can only get better from here.
Let me begin this review by telling you what Twitterface is NOT:
It’s not Tweetdeck. It’s not Seesmic. It’s not Destroy Twitter. It’s not Twhirl. It’s not any third party software/app that requires Adobe Air to work. Because it is none of these things, I won’t compare it to apps that reside on a different platform altogether.
With that out of the way, let’s get to the quick summary.
The Good:
- Above average web-based application
- Customizable with background, logo, header, icons, colors and custom footer links
- Ability to create additional pages for your account
- Accessible on any Internet-connected computer
- Multiple account usage in one interface
- Multiple column usage.
Areas for Improvement:
- Lacks the ability to add followers
- Lacks the ability to unfollow and block.
- There is a learning curve (usability)
The Details
While I normally use either Twitter’s web-based interface or Twitterfox, I have spent the past few days using Twitterface exclusively. For those who may be unfamiliar, Twitterfox is a Firefox add-on that is handy at the workplace because it has a small footprint and can easily be minimized into the browser status bar.
Because Twitterface is a customizable web application, users must create an account before using the service. Twitterface has an easy sign up process. Enter your Twitter username, password and your email address and you’re all set with your own Twitterface page. In my case, it’s http://www.twitterface.com/g33kguy. Once you have signed up you can begin customizing your Twitterface page, or not if you are so inclined. For me, customization is a must.
Twitterface has a centered column set-up, so I created a background image similar to the one I have on Twitter (http://twitter.com/g33kguy). In addition, Twitterface allows you to have your own header image. Logos can also be created and added into your design as well. There are many customizable features within Twitterface such as choice of different colored icons, link colors, text colors, footer section customization too.
Twitterface allows you to have multiple pages for your account that you can customize. Add in the ability to have mutiple columns to either view other Twitter users/view @replies/DM’s/search terms-hashtags, and now you have a web-based Twitter app that’s in your face, literally. Hmmm…Twitterface…in your face. Interesting.
I chose to go with the current 3-column view. I use the first one for my own tweeting and viewing @replies and DM’s. The middle column I set to see what my wife (@g33kgurrl) is tweeting because we converse a lot on Twitter during the day/evening. She’s awesome! ..ahem… and the third column I have set to a hashtag of #geeklove to see who is hashtagging that term. Twitterface is working well for me in this aspect. I like it more than my Twitter.com page.
However (yes you knew it was coming), there are drawbacks to this (early) beta version of Twitterface. The interface has a learning curve. Although the curve is not steep, the interface takes a little getting used to. There are several usability tweaks I believe can improve the user experience with Twitterface. Here are some observations:
- The reply icon is different from Twitter.com. You have to rely on the title tags when you put your mouse over the icons to verify it’s usage. Maybe an “RT” icon would be better usage as this acronym is more widely accepted. Just a thought there.
- The “I follow”, “follow me” and “Updates” are oddly displayed at the bottom of each column. I think these could be better served if they are set toward the top of each column for easier viewing and reference.
- On the settings page, there are icons at the bottom right of the page that are not labeled. If you want to exit out, you have to look at the status bar when you mouse over the icons to figure out where to go. Usablity pain in the rear, being honest. I think it’s better served to have these icons toward the top left of the page and labeled. Make it easy for the user to navigate out versus making the user “work” to navigate away.
The biggest issues I have right now with Twitterface are in the usability department. But, after conversing with Kris Colvin (co-creator of Twitterface) many usability fixes will be in place as well as new features rolling out when version 1.0 hits the web.
The bottom line:
Twitterface is a well above average (and will only get better) web-based application that takes tweeting to a new level. If you thought Twitter had mutiple uses before, Twitterface goes beyond that by giving you more flexibility and customizing of your personal or business brand. Even casual users of Twitterface can appreciate the many features it currently has.
Am I a fan of Twitterface? Why yes, yes I am.
I just checked this out after looking at your page! I like the multiple columns, and definitely agree with usability issues.
James, thanks so much for this detailed write-up! It’s nice to get the perspective of another UI professional also.
A couple of mild corrections: Twitter has no Retweet icon or function – that is an improvement we made. What is different is the Reply icon we use (the @ symbol is what we use, instead of an arrow, to make it more obvious since technically correct.) I see your point on the RT though as that is also technically how most of us do a retweet.
In the settings, you are not the first to mention not knowing where the Home was to get back to your page, so I do need to come up with something different or additional there. They do have tooltips over the Settings and the Home icons, but not the Support (strangely) but I think the tooltip label may not show as quickly when you hover or something, so I will look at that whole area.
I had planned, but did not force it in before Beta release, some page aids that would be on the page for first time users, that they will then close (floating tooltip instructions.) I am going to look at adding those to make figuring it out after signing up easier. (As well as a proper help system before we take the Beta label off.)
I appreciate the time you’ve spent designing your own cool page and using Twitterface, and the time it took to write this up. Thanks so much, and if you have feature suggestions that would make life sweeter on Twitter, please @tweetmeup!
Thank you Kristi for your reply. I use Troy’s Twitter script in Firefox so much, I have come to know this as a built in feature (the Retweet icon).
I have made a correction to the article based on this. Thanks again for the feedback!
Great review on Twitterface! I just signed up for it after reading this and I’m really pleased so far. I do agree with the usability issues, but I’m excited to see how these things are addressed in the next version. If this is just an early beta release, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Twitterface!
That’s great Lindsay. Let me know how it’s working out for you. There’s still much to be done with this web-based app, but it’s several steps above Twitter.com for sure.