Everything you need to know about Instagram’s redesign

Instagram has changed its home page, with Shopping and Reels taking pride of place

As you may have already noticed Instagram has redesigned its home page changing the locations of nearly all the icons and features.

Reels is now in the centre, where previously the icon to create a new post was located. This is a clear indication that Instagram is not shying away from going head-to-head with TikTok to own the short video clip space.

"Today we’re announcing some big changes to Instagram – a Reels tab and a Shop tab. The Reels tab makes it easier for you to discover short, fun videos from creators all over the world and people just like you." Explained Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, "This year, with the pandemic and much of the world sheltering in place, we’ve seen an explosion in short, entertaining videos on Instagram."

Another new development is the Shopping tab which has taken the place of the 'heart' button at the bottom of the screen. To access the heart button to see the posts that have been 'liked' you now have to go to the top right hand corner. The new Shopping feature is set to boost revenue in the app, as the Facebook-owned company will takes a percentage of each purchase made on Instagram.

Mosseri explains, "With the Shop tab, we’re making it easy to get inspired by creators you love, shop on Instagram, and support small businesses. You can find personalized recommendations, editors’ picks curated by our @shop channel, shoppable videos, new product collections, and more."

So far this is one of the biggest redesigns Instagram has undergone to date, but the company believe such changes are vital to staying relevant. In their official announcement Instagram stated, "The biggest risk to Instagram is not that we change too fast, but that we don’t change and become irrelevant."