Is UI Really Everything? Facebook Paper Proves Maybe Not.
With last week’s launch of Facebook’s new app Paper, it’s hard not to wonder if every Facebook product is cursed. As doubts about the social network’s continued longevity become a growing concern, the narrative surrounding Paper has overwhelmingly skewed toward whether or not it will help the company stay relevant.
What makes Paper interesting, then, isn't whether it will shake up competition between Feedly, Flipboard, and other reader apps. It's about one question: How much of a difference can a new approach to UI make? Can it overpower a brand as familiar as Facebook, with all the connotations that come with it?
Outside of its striking design, which has been pored over and detailed at length, Paper only adds one thing to the typical Facebook experience--more outside content. It bundles your Facebook feed with a currently limited RSS reader in an extremely attractive package.