Twitter’s QuickBar feature for the iPhone and iPad left the party shortly after its arrival. You can download the updated Twitter for iPhone here.
In a coy blog post following QuickBar’s removal, the company makes light of the debacle titling the post “a bar walks into an app.” Twitter goes on to briefly discuss why the feature was eliminated citing that after evaluating its merits, QuickBar didn’t improve the user experience or “serve their mission.” Twitter also used the post as an opportunity to smooth user’s ruffled feathers, explaining the app’s intention was to “help users discover what is happening in the broader world beyond people they already follow.”
Twitter’s post alludes that QuickBar was an “experiment” and defends the company’s actions and the launch saying, “We want Twitter to instantly connect people everywhere to what’s most meaningful to them. In support of this, we will frequently experiment trying new things, adding new features, and being bold in the product decisions we make.” While Twitter experienced “evidence of incredibly high usage metrics” with QuickBar, it’s unpopularity implied this Twit-trial had gone awry.
Give them credit for experimenting
A bold move, QuickBar came onto the scene in early March. The bar at the top of Twitter’s iPhone/iPad app featured trending topics and advertisements. Heavily criticized, QuickBar was dubbed “DickBar”, after CEO Dick Costolo, for allowing ads in the Twitter stream and featuring “trends” on every user’s screen that many considered irrelevant and tactless. Costolo was allegedly furious when controversy arose, given the feature was launched by a junior product manager without the approval of Twitter’s senior leadership.
QuickBar was removed only days after the company’s administration turnover where Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former chief executive, returned to serve as executive chairman and lead Twitter’s product team. While it has not been confirmed QuickBar’s elimination is the likely result of Dorsey’s homecoming. Just yesterday, Appolicious speculated how Twitter’s mobile initiatives would be impacted by Dorsey’s return (which coincided with co-founder Biz Stone departing from day-to-day responsibilities).
Ending its post, Twitter offered one last consolation saying it was heading back to the drawing board to “explore the best possible experience for in-app notification and discovery.”
