Today, foursquare released the latest version of its mobile app dubbed foursquare 5.0.  Previous iterations of foursquare have allowed us to rule as the Mayor of our favorite Starbucks, bookstore, or cardio craze, yet foursquare 5.0 takes us to a new frontier of social exploration. The app update encourages users to break free from the usual places we visit, drawing us in with a visual-driven interface and recommendations to explore the world around us.
Here’s what you need to know about foursquare 5.0:
Focus on the visuals.
Once you get started with the new foursquare, you might wonder if you’ve opened the right social application. Foursquare has incorporated a streamlined, visual timeline of the locations where your friends have checked into recently. Now that the masses have adjusted to the Facebook timeline and adeptly use their Instagram feed, the timeline format aligns well with other popular social media applications. For example, “Like” a check-in with the heart button, and submit a comment with the thought bubble button, just as you would in your Instagram feed. The visual elements carry throughout each tab, from friends’ check-ins, your own profile page, and onto the completely revamped Explore tab.
Get out and Explore.
The Explore tab is the hub of recommended places to visit near a user’s current location. Recommended places are generated based on friends’ check-ins and specials, and are presented appealingly through the visual timeline experience. If you’re gearing up for a trip out of town, check out what’s near your hotel by tapping the map and searching a new location. The Explore tab rolls the functionality of Yelp reviews into the sharing of foursquare, eliminating what for many was previously a two-step searching process. The design and user interface encourage searching for new spots, breaking out of the routines of the trusty, usual check-in.
With the number of social media apps, feeds, and lists we ritually check and engage in, the ones that survive have an intuitive interface, are easy on the eyes, and combine the best functions of several platforms. We see foursquare 5.0 as a leap in social media innovation– rolling in each of these elements for a better user experience.