Unable to get used to new mobile layout

It’s been months since Discord’s mobile team has released this update and I still encounter challenges using it. I recently noticed the option to provide feedback on the new layout from within the app has been taken away. Given the lack of acknowledgement of this feedback, I can’t help but feel a little concerned given I frequently took some time over the past few months to provide thoughtful feedback, hoping that if enough people did the same, we could see some sort of response, even if it’s just, “we hear you, we will continue to monitor.”

Discord is an app I really care about and it’s been rough seeing its mobile app become more difficult to use. Still, to this day, there are frequent posts on this forum made by unhappy users complaining about the mobile layout. I am now one of these users, seeing as how the feedback option within the app has been removed.

1. I continue to be unable to become used to the new swipe-from-right behavior in server chats. I think this is a challenge for anyone who’s used the desktop app first, as the layout there is presented with the server list on the left, chat in the middle, user list on the right. Because the app still uses the swipe-from-left action to pull open the channel list, it reinforces behavior that performing this action will reveal different panels of the interface. Knowing that the member list sits to the right of chat, it’s perfectly natural to make that navigation connection mentally, knowing that swiping can reveal panels, and the member list traditionally exists on the right of chat. If you’ve ever seen the desktop layout, this will be nearly impossible to overcome due to that visual-interactive connection. Personally, I still struggle with this today. Each time I want to reveal the member list, I have to stop myself from swiping right. Often, I end up performing the gesture accidentally anyway, even though I’m well aware of the new interaction.

Suggestion: Make the swipe to reply function an option. If the UX team is married to this behavior, then you can leave it enabled by default.

Reasoning: Maybe there are folks out there who will never see the desktop app, but are they really your core audience? Discord is a community app designed for gamers first and foremost, primarily centered around PC gaming. It’s my opinion that the mobile app should serve as an extension of the main desktop app and serve those users first.

2. The app continues to feel difficult to navigate when switching from direct messages to server chats. While this issue doesn’t cause my mind to feel like it’s constantly being tricked like the swipe-from-right one, it’s more of a one-handed accessibility issue for right-handed users. The bottom left corner of the device (I use an iPhone 15 Pro) is really difficult to press while holding the device with just my right hand. To do so, I have to really stretch my thumb to the point of discomfort to reach it. As a user who consistently switches between servers chats and direct messages, this means I find myself frequently needing to either two-hand the device or perform this uncomfortable hand-yoga pose to switch between them.

I recognize that the previous solution, having messages at the top left in the server list, isn’t perfect either. Regardless, I’d personally prefer this behavior over the newer simply because I can at least shimmy the device down my hand and still have some structural support as I reach for it.

I also have noticed some users reporting this layout changing back to the previous layout version for them. It has not switched back for me.

Suggestion: Servers being the left-most option does feel “right” from an organizational viewpoint, but not from a usability one, particularly for right-handed users. Moving the “You” or “Notifications” icon to the far left would push everything else to the right, making it easier to tap the more frequently used (or what I perceive to be more frequently used) options. Additionally, if moving the “You” icon, this placement would mirror the location of the icon on the desktop app as well, providing an effortless, harmonious parallel between the two. Alternatively, rethinking how the “Notifications” or “You” screens are accessed could give way to only having three icons spread across the bottom, making the server icon less of a hassle to press.

Reasoning: I feel I did already provide the reasoning above, but to reiterate, the current placement of the server icon presents usability issues for right handed users trying to one-hand their device. Many users use their devices this way and accommodating this mode would greatly benefit them.

It would be refreshing to hear something from Discord regarding the new mobile layout. Pretending like the unhappy users don’t exist or “don’t get it” or will “get used to it” simply feels bad from a customer experience standpoint.