For the first time in a while, Foursquare released some new developments and boy were they big! Earlier this week, Foursquare made adjustments to their badge system; allowing users to ‘level up’ their expertise badges. This means that the months of work it took for myself and others to receive the Pizzaiolo badge now feels less distinguished. It’s okay though because now users continue to unlock new badges and level up their old badges based on their check-in habits. For an in-depth review of the changes to the badge system, check out this article from About Foursquare

Today, Foursquare released a brand spanking new website. The website, of course, carries the same features as before but also includes some more interactive features. Let’s walk through some of the changes, shall we?

Welcome to the new home page. When you log in to Foursquare, you can now see the ‘map’ feature that is on all mobile platforms in the upper half of the page. Your eye is immediately drawn to this visual as it not only shows where your friends are, but also gives recommendations based on the time of day and which venues are trending and have specials. This more visual and interactive interface can best be seen on tablets. Most of the changes made on the website could quite possibly replace the applications used on these devices.

The new personal profile pages did not change a whole lot. Of course, Foursquare adjusted them visually to include a new icon set that fits their new theme. Also, the new badges (accompanied with level) can be seen on the right hand side. The biggest difference that I noticed in personal profiles was the amount of friends/brands show up. It seems like Foursquare expanded on the number of thumbnails that appear. Overall, the profiles seem crisper. I really enjoy the simplicity in the overall re-design.

Venue pages were also given a facelift. Overall, the brand pages are much more aesthetically pleasing. Photos are displayed larger and more predominantly, in the center of the page. If the venue is running a special with Groupon or Living Social (like the one pictured) a photo that accompanies that deal is also displayed on the page. It seems that space was reduced for the map feature and more space was given for user tips and photos, making the pages much more user driven.

Bravo Foursquare. You are much prettier to look at now.

Chad Bryant (@chadATL)

Chad is the Director of Digital and Social Media Strategy at No Limit and a Foursquare junkie.