In March, Pinterest rolled out a new design for its profile pages. As expected, users flipped out.

It’s a little known fact that social media users don’t really adapt well to change when it comes to Facebook, Twitter and now, Pinterest. When activity on these sites is so much a part of people’s everyday routines, it’s understandable that redesigns might not be immediately accepted. But change is inevitable if social media wants to remain fresh in a constantly-changing Internet market.

While many Pinterest users are up in arms about the new profile designs, the new layout has its benefits – especially for businesses using the site to increase brand awareness.

Here’s what I love and hate about the new Pinterest design.

What to Love: 

• The user profile, avatar and info are now at the top of the page. Before the redesign, these elements were on the left-hand side of the page. At the top, the user info is more visible, which is especially beneficial to businesses using Pinterest for increased brand awareness. The profile at the top also allows for more space, making the page look less cluttered.
• Boards display the most recent pin as the largest thumbnail. Below the large thumbnail are the four most recent images after that. When they featured same-sized thumbnails, boards that were not filled yet tended to look empty on the profile page. Now, with a large thumbnail filling up most of the display, the board can still look full even with just one or two pins.
• Options and actions are on a single bar. Whereas the old design had the “Follow” button on the left hand side and page view options at the top, the new design has them all on a single line beneath the main user info for easier navigation.

What to Hate: 

• The user profile and info section is way too big. Putting it at the top of the page is great for brand awareness, but the change also draws too much attention from the boards. Many users like to focus on the images of the actual boards rather than a user’s avatar. In addition, most profiles provide short, one- to two-line bios, making the extra white space look more like wasted space.
• The top right-hand “Repins from” section is confusing. This box shows a list of three other Pinterest users. However, it’s tough to determine whether these are users who have repinned the main user’s pins, or who have pins that the main user has repinned.

By now, most people are used to the changes, and have probably already warmed up to them. Until the next redesign, of course.

So, what do you think about Pinterest’s new profile pages?

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This guest post was contributed by Jacqui Mackenzie. Jacqui is a writer for Straight North, an Internet marketing agency that specializes in Search Engine Optimization in Chicago, in addition to social media marketing, PPC and web design. Jacqui writes for clients ranging from broadcasting equipment suppliers to providers of fume hood testing. Check out the Straight North Blog, or follow @StraightNorth on Twitter.