A major overhaul of KakaoTalk is sparking heated debate among users. With this update, KakaoTalk has essentially become more like a social networking service (SNS). The content created to decorate messenger profiles has now been converted into a feed format visible to others, fundamentally changing the user experience.

As a platform used by the entire nation, users are sensitive to even the smallest changes. However, this reorganization isn't merely a tweak; it's a shake-up of the entire app experience and direction. This change, centered around expanding advertising space and strengthening short-form content, is being seen as an example of a company's business strategy overwhelming user experience.

Kakao is facing a deeper crisis than ever before. Following legal risks, its service growth has been hampered. While it emphasizes AI-based technological transformation, its specific blueprint remains unclear. Despite expanding into diverse areas, Kakao has failed to achieve significant results outside of banking, payment, and mobility, and its new growth engine remains unclear.

Ultimately, they've begun to directly influence KakaoTalk, their most powerful asset. However, this change is having a significant impact on users, both in its scale and direction. What strategy and design approach did Kakao use to implement this overhaul? What consequences will these changes bring?.

In this article, we take a closer look at KakaoTalk's new design and the strategy behind it.

Home Feed

The new layout is similar to X and Thread, with a smaller image area than Instagram and a significant amount of white space to separate content. This layout is often used on text-heavy social networks to separate content and provide breathing room, but it doesn't quite translate well to profile pictures, which often feature image-heavy content.

1. Banner ads have been moved to the top, separating the user's friends list from the context. The overall design remains similar to the previous version.
2. The size of friend profiles has increased, and the number of friends displayed has decreased from around seven to five. Ads are also displayed in the middle of the page. The number of friends displayed has decreased, and the size of the ads has increased.
3. This is the feed area. The profile image is placed in the upper left corner, along with the same time zone and the "See More" button. Clicking "See More" reveals the "Hide Friends" and "Report" options. While they're located outside the overall visual flow, their independent location attracts attention. They overlap with the "See More" button in the navigation bar, creating a subtle cognitive friction.
4. Reactions are placed at the bottom, similar to other social media services. Reactions offer likes, comments, and saves.

Feed recommendations and ads

1. Kakao's core commerce element, gift-giving, is displayed in key areas. The first friend on the friends list is designated as the birthday friend. In the middle of the feed, a card is displayed listing friends with birthdays, encouraging gift-giving.
2. Short-form content, a new driving force in Kakao content, is displayed in a horizontal carousel in the middle of the feed. Without the algorithm in place, it's assumed that short-form content with high views is displayed.
3. Ads are displayed in random order in the list. Images and videos are supported, with a similar appearance to the content. Calls to action are placed below the text as gray buttons, and a share button is also displayed in the reaction area.
   The ad sizes are estimated to be three types: A takes up approximately 45%, B takes up approximately 55%, and C takes up approximately 75%.

profile

1. The profile image is displayed in a large background, resembling the existing KakaoTalk profile image. This appears to be a strategy to place action elements at the bottom and visual elements at the top.
2. It has a grid structure similar to Instagram. Short-form videos are displayed as icons in the upper right corner of the content.

Subscribe to

1. Short-form and open chats have been combined into a tab called "Now." Short-form, which allows users to discover new content, is the primary tab, while open chats, which require a specific purpose, are placed in the secondary tab.
2. When you scroll through the short form, the top menu and buttons disappear. To access the open chat, you must click the Now tab in the bottom navigation bar again.
3. Shortform is similar to typical short-form video services. Videos change with each scroll, and a recommended list of four videos grouped by theme appears intermittently. Ads appear as call-to-action banners at the bottom.

Kakao at the Crossroads of Collapse or Innovation

The growth of messenger services

The two main services that KakaoTalk can take as role models are Meta and WeChat.

By integrating WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger into the Meta ecosystem, Meta is strategically leveraging Messenger on its powerful platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. Without significantly altering Messenger itself, the overall structure is generating stable revenue.

In addition to its own services, WeChat has effectively established itself as a mobile operating system by incorporating various third-party features through "app-in-app" mini-programs. Users shop, pay, and even make reservations within WeChat. This essential service has created a high-profit structure.

Meanwhile, Kakao's various attempts failed to meet expectations. It attempted expansion through its own platforms, including KakaoStory, KakaoPage, and KakaoTV, but most failed to develop into open ecosystems and were forced to close or scale back operations. While it did achieve temporary success by launching various services directly, it faced criticism for its reckless expansion and a lack of strategic consistency.

KakaoTalk has no more numbers

Currently, KakaoTalk's domestic market is already saturated, making it difficult to expect any significant user growth. It has also failed to achieve significant results in the global market. Ultimately, strengthening its influence in the domestic market requires a fundamental shift in strategy, not simply adding features.

However, KakaoTalk still maintains a closed structure, and unless it transitions to an open content ecosystem, it will inevitably fall behind in terms of user experience.

Accordingly, Kakao has recently shifted its focus to a content-centric strategy. A prime example is the strengthening of short-form content. This initiative has created a structure that allows diverse creators to participate, and has designed it to actively promote user-generated content and profile images. This strategy aims to increase the amount and variety of content consumed by users and maximize monetization by placing advertising space between these content.

Overlooked User Experience

However, this strategy leaves the impression that it sacrifices user experience and focuses on optimizing an advertising-centric business structure. While KakaoTalk has already become an indispensable lifestyle platform for many, this very point could be the starting point of complacency. Industry change always begins when a weak link emerges, allowing new players to exploit the gap.

Future changes hinge on this very question. Can Kakao evolve into a truly open platform? And will someone truly identify where Kakao is missing and become the new standard? The next era of KakaoTalk hinges on the answers to these questions.