Facebook appears to be testing a layout for Open Graph app stories that is similar in design to Pinterest, with boxes for individual items that allow Likes, comments and other app-specific actions.
The change makes app stories even more prominent in News Feed. Developers could benefit from the larger photos, captions and additional options for users’ friends to engage with app content.
Clicking on a photo takes users to the third-party app page or website. When users hover over a photo, they have the option to comment on the item, which wasn’t available in the old layout. Also on hover, users can take in-app actions without leaving Facebook if the app has created custom action links.
For example, in the case of the Foodspotting app, users can “want a dish” directly from News Feed.
It’s unclear how widely this change has been rolled out or if it is simply an early test. We’re looking into whether the design applies to all Open Graph stories, from games and other apps, or if it only appears when apps share multiple photos. Either way, the layout is likely to remind users of Pinterest. Although we can’t say for sure whether Facebook’s designers were thinking about Pinterest when they came up with this, we’ve previously suggested that Facebook might take some design cues from the social bookmarking site since it has quickly risen in popularity. The latest News Feed change coincidentally also applies to stories from Pinterest itself since the site integrates Open Graph.
via Inside Facebook
