Twitter allows users to retweet with GIF, photos, and video

Starting today, Twitteratis can do something new with their retweets. Now, the same photos, videos, and GIFs that one adds to a tweet can be added to a retweet, making it easier to share what’s on one’s mind and join the conversation when one can’t find the right words. 

This update is rolling out now on iOS, Android, and mobile.twitter.com. 

During the first usability test, Twitter found that it was challenging for people to quickly understand all the content in a retweet with media. This was due to the layout – two large tweets stacked on top of each other. 

To improve comprehension, Twitter focused on creating hierarchy, prioritising the author’s voice, and providing more context around the tweet being retweeted. Next, they ran a second usability test, introducing a condensed inner tweet that was styled similar to a pull quote. This was to help differentiate the two components of the retweet. 

Twitter ran an experiment on the pull quote styling to test against the live experience. Based on feedback, they decided to return to a box container. 

The final design is a more clear visual hierarchy that includes a condensed inner tweet, featuring an avatar to give more context and help users quickly see who’s talking and a simple box container for easy interacting. 

Sarah Personette, Vice-President, Twitter Client Solutions, sees opportunity for people and marketers to tap into the new feature. She said, “We pride ourselves on being a space where the most vibrant conversations happen and we recognise that images have become a big part of how people talk to each other and express themselves. By expanding the places where you can use videos, GIFs and photos, we are also giving marketers more opportunity to add vibrancy to the way they talk to people on Twitter and add new layers to the personas they have built on the platform.”