4 ms·

Rethinking our default profile photo

12 points by r721 10y ago

72mena 10y ago
> people have come to associate the circle head with masculinity, and because of this association, we felt that it was important to explore alternate head shapes. […] As a result of these iterations, we ended with a more gender-balanced figure. We chose grays because they feel temporary, generic, and universal. This approach reminds me of the Greendale mascot, the "Human Being”.[1] The egg was better imo, it treated identity in a more light, not-so-serious manner; no need to think of genders, and you could even see it as a symbol of possibilities waiting to happen. [1] http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Greendale_Human_Being http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Greendale_Human_Being
aratno 10y ago
I actually really liked the egg as an icon, and I'm sad to see it go. The colors should have been rethought though. Muted colors that are universal for all accounts (instead of each account getting its own bright color) would also encourage users to upload their own photos. I don't see the point of using an "alternative" head shape, or including shoulders in the default image. No matter how the head is shaped, it'll represent some users more than others. Using an egg avoided this issue of approximating a human shape.
m-p-3 10y ago
I think they misunderstood the issue. Changing an egg for a human shape isn't going to push new users to change their avatars now, and you can still distinguish a new user by its avatar like before. It's just a different but common identifier. They could have gone with a random item, or even a randomized pattern.
tribby 10y ago
this reads like an april fools joke! it is absolutely not an act of inclusion to move from an ultra non-specific abstract circle to a different abstract shape more reminiscent of a potato chip.
_petronius 10y ago
> We’ve noticed patterns of behavior with accounts that are created only to harass others – often they don’t take the time to personalize their accounts. This has created an association between the default egg profile photo and negative behavior, which isn’t fair to people who are still new to Twitter and haven’t yet personalized their profile photo. Seems like that's massively missing the point, no? Or at least trying to fix the wrong thing?
- DanBC 10y ago
  I thought it was missing the point too. >> We’ve noticed patterns of behavior with accounts that are created only to harass others – often they don’t take the time to personalize their accounts. I'd be interested to see comparison of "eggs" and "anime avatars" to see which group is worst.
- ahartman00 10y ago
  I wonder how account age correlates. Or the ratio of # replies/@ mentions to number of tweets. Or the number of followers. But yeah, I agree.

12 points by r721 10y ago

> people have come to associate the circle head with masculinity, and because of this association, we felt that it was important to explore alternate head shapes. […] As a result of these iterations, we ended with a more gender-balanced figure. We chose grays because they feel temporary, generic, and universal. This approach reminds me of the Greendale mascot, the "Human Being”.[1] The egg was better imo, it treated identity in a more light, not-so-serious manner; no need to think of genders, and you could even see it as a symbol of possibilities waiting to happen. [1] http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Greendale_Human_Being http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Greendale_Human_Being

aratno 10y ago

I actually really liked the egg as an icon, and I'm sad to see it go. The colors should have been rethought though. Muted colors that are universal for all accounts (instead of each account getting its own bright color) would also encourage users to upload their own photos. I don't see the point of using an "alternative" head shape, or including shoulders in the default image. No matter how the head is shaped, it'll represent some users more than others. Using an egg avoided this issue of approximating a human shape.

m-p-3 10y ago

I think they misunderstood the issue. Changing an egg for a human shape isn't going to push new users to change their avatars now, and you can still distinguish a new user by its avatar like before. It's just a different but common identifier. They could have gone with a random item, or even a randomized pattern.

tribby 10y ago

this reads like an april fools joke! it is absolutely not an act of inclusion to move from an ultra non-specific abstract circle to a different abstract shape more reminiscent of a potato chip.

_petronius 10y ago

> We’ve noticed patterns of behavior with accounts that are created only to harass others – often they don’t take the time to personalize their accounts. This has created an association between the default egg profile photo and negative behavior, which isn’t fair to people who are still new to Twitter and haven’t yet personalized their profile photo. Seems like that's massively missing the point, no? Or at least trying to fix the wrong thing?

DanBC 10y ago
I thought it was missing the point too. >> We’ve noticed patterns of behavior with accounts that are created only to harass others – often they don’t take the time to personalize their accounts. I'd be interested to see comparison of "eggs" and "anime avatars" to see which group is worst.
ahartman00 10y ago
I wonder how account age correlates. Or the ratio of # replies/@ mentions to number of tweets. Or the number of followers. But yeah, I agree.