This week Facebook unveiled its new profile page for users that brings a cleaner look, easier navigation and a focus on images. This round of updates ups the ante for Facebook profile redesign and implementation. Facebook certainly has its issues, but this latest update shows that the social network is on top of its game by exercising three strategies:

Effective implementation
The elevator pitch
A fresh experience

Effective Implementation

Facebook updates are notoriously met with angst from its loyal user base, but Facebook has planned for that this time around by implementing an opt-in option on its profile “About” page. It's not forcing the redesign upon users initially.

Think about it. If you have the new, clean design and your friends see it, they’ll likely ask how you did it and opt in themselves. I can't tell you how many of my Facebook Friends have asked me how I changed my profile. There’s not much to complain about if you opt-in to the change now is there?

The Elevator Pitch

Facebook profiles now feature a quick description/synopsis, called the profile summary, of who that person is front-and-center on the profile, essentially an elevator pitch. The description is developed by user information throughout his or her profile.

For example, “Taylor Wiegert is the Word of Mouth Strategist at Empower MediaMarketing. Studied Journalism….” That information is front-and-center on my profile, which provides a reason for me to make sure my profile information is updated.

With profile information updated more often, Facebook becomes much more valuable for advertisers looking to reach users with very targeted messages. If their information is out of date, messages can fall flat, losing their contextual relevance. The new incentive makes means more targeted messages for advertisers, a richer experience for users and more revenue for Facebook.

A Fresh Experience

The new approach to Facebook profiles gives users a sense of who someone is at the upfront. The profile summary adds a quick synopsis of who you are interacting with next to photos of that person, giving users a sense of who they are dealing with from the get go through a visual experience versus the text-focused experience of the past.

In addition, users can divide their friends and relationships within Facebook into lists. This could be done before, but now these lists can be featured on personal profiles, an interesting addition because of how users might divide their friends, which of course provides data on who is important to someone to Facebook, possibly important data for future advertising ventures.

Finally, navigation is greatly improved with tabs replaced by links on the left-hand side and an Infinite Scroll feature that does away with the link to see “more” photos and wall posts. Just keep scrolling!

Bottom Line

Facebook has created a more dynamic, engaging experience with Facebook profiles. The new features to enhance personal interests and the emphasis on photos makes profiles far more engaging than before.

One reason Facebook is on top of its game is its constant commitment to change. It doesn’t remain stagnant and is always working to improve the experience for its users and, ultimately, for its long-term viability.