Edit: This study was first published on July 2, 2021, long before the tweets edit feature was eventually released on Twitter. Forward thinking as a product designer if I dare say so.
Twitter is one of the most used applications in the world, estimated to have about 320 million active users. It is renowned for its 280 character style of sending out posts known as tweets.
The Twitter edit button has to be one of the most requested features on any social application. It is unlike other applications like Telegram or Facebook, which allows users to edit posts they have already sent out.
While a lot of people constantly talk about it, CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey in 2020, reiterated that an edit feature will not be added to the application in a bid to "preserve the early in the days feeling and vibes that comes with sending a text and not being able to take it back". A tweet was even sent out from the official Twitter handle, joking that the edit feature will be considered if everyone wears a mask in the midst of the soaring numbers from the COVID 19 virus outbreak in 2020.
While an option that allows editing within 30 seconds of posting was talked about, it is yet to be implemented. Several new features including Twitter stories known as "Fleets" has since been added, but no edit feature in view.
This study targets the 26% of Twitter users between the ages of 20 and 48 years according to research statistics, who are projected to find the edit feature useful in their daily Twitter experience.
A comprehensive user research would not be necessary for this redesign as the result would be the same information from the users.
Going through the popular hashtag for the edit feature campaign on the app #EditFeature, we'll find tweets such as: