Pinterest Examines New Full-Screen, Vertical Scrolling Feed for Pin Discovery

Pinterest appears to be the latest social media app to try to capitalize on the TikTok-inspired trend of a scrolling, vertical feed style of viewing content, with a new ‘Watch' mode for Pin discovery being tested.

The new full-screen discovery feature comprises both a ‘Browse' and a ‘Watch' display, as seen in this example from user @KenSchillinger, with the ‘Browse' mode being the traditional Pinterest search feed, and the ‘Watch' mode changing to a TikTok-style display of the same, with both video and still image Pins presented in the vertical scrolling stream.

Pinterest was asked for their comment, and they responded with the following statement:

“We're always testing new products and features to help our community of Pinners discover inspiring ideas, while building more ways for Creators and brands to reach a global audience intent on trying new things.”

Pinterest hasn't revealed any details about the test, such as how many people can access the Watch feed. However, it appears that TikTok's popularity is inspiring even more UX choices in other apps, as platforms seek to align with developing usage behaviors and increase engagement.

That's understandable. For almost two years, TikTok has been the most downloaded app each month, and its rise has been unlike any other social app we've seen before. As a result, new interactive processes have emerged, prompting Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat to create their own TikTok-style content feeds in order to stay on top of audience changes.

In this regard, it's a rational development for Pinterest to at least attempt the same style. If an app contains content that is visually aligned and they know how more people look at it in a vertical, full-screen feed, why not provide them with a means of doing this to maximize user involvement.

It can be a small-scale test that could possibly fail, but it seems like a reasonable experiment - and given that Pinterest is already aligned with the social Stories trend (via Idea Pins), it also fits into the app's more progressive development approach.

Will this allow users to discover more content through Pins and help the platform grow as an eCommerce showcase tool? We'll keep you informed of any developments.