From the birth of OICQ in 1999 to today’s “Time Penguin”, QQ is not only a social tool, but also a youthful memory for generations. This article will take you through time and review the evolution of QQ from its original minimalist interface to today’s minimalist card design.
A few days ago, I saw a message from Tencent, which is quite interesting: the world’s first person with a QQ level of 256 appeared! Congratulations to the world’s first level 256 QQ user for winning the “Golden Penguin” It took 22 years for this “god” to achieve this achievement. What’s even more special is that reaching this level unlocks a brand new icon called “Time Penguin”.
Now you may not care much about this, but looking back to the zero years, everyone was addicted to “hanging QQ”, and the level was “rowing”. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I miss it quite a bit.
I only came into contact with QQ in high school, and what I was pursuing at that time was to rush to the sun. I remember that at that time, the level was calculated according to the online time, and in order to speed up the upgrade, we often asked our classmates who went to Internet cafes all night to help hang up. A computer hangs several QQs, which is simply a routine operation. Later, with the mobile phone QQ, the mobile phone QQ can basically be online all the time, plus the attention diversion, slowly I don’t care much about the level.
In that era when the Internet was just popular, everyone was particularly keen on creating their own identity in the virtual world. QQ level, QQ space dress-up, QQ show… Looking back now, it may be a bit difficult to understand, why are you so fascinated by these virtual things?
Later, when WeChat became popular, the number of times I logged in to QQ gradually decreased, and the only use was to log in to QQ to take screenshots. Unexpectedly, many years after graduation, I joined the QQ team and became a QQ designer!
What does a product manager need to do?
In the process of a product from scratch, it is not easy to do a good job in the role of product manager, in addition to the well-known writing requirements, writing requirements, writing requirements, there are many things to do. The product manager is not what you think, but will only ask you for trouble, make a request:
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The first design I did on QQ was QQ Movement, and then I started doing centimeter shows, from 2D to 3D. However, I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older or if I’m tired of playing with this kind of thing, and I find that I’m slowly no longer a target user of these features.
The wheels of the times keep turning forward, and each product will experience growth, maturity and fading out. But as a designer, it is still very valuable to go back and study these former “top-tier” apps and see how the design trend has changed all the way. This is not only a study, but also a commemoration.
This nostalgia can’t be stopped as soon as it comes up, so let’s just sort it out thoroughly! I have sorted out the design changes of QQ’s key interfaces from its birth to the present, and it can be regarded as recovering my “lost youth”.
Well, let’s travel back in time, starting in 1999.
1999: OICQ is born
Back in 1999, the year OICQ was born. At that time, the interface was minimalist, and there was basically no UI design, all of which were the default forms of the system. The name “OICQ” means “Oh, I Seek You”, borrowed from ICQ, and later changed its name due to copyright disputes.
The picture comes from the Internet
2000: Renamed “Tencent QQ”
In 2000, it was officially renamed “Tencent QQ”, and the interface layout was fine-tuned, but there was basically no big change in style.
The picture comes from the Internet
2001-2002: Interactive small innovation
From 2001 to 2002, the style did not change, but innovation was made in interaction. Added the “Incognito” login status option. The content to be filled in in the login process has been split, and the first interface of login is more concise and easy to understand.
The picture comes from the Internet
2003: The first major revision
In 2003, the interface was completely revised for the first time, and the icon design and button design had some texture. This version laid the foundation for QQ’s interface framework for the next ten years.
The picture comes from the Internet
2004: The sense of design began to appear
In 2004, there was a little more sense of design, and it is estimated that from this version, UI designers began to be deeply involved, with more vivid colors, more compact layouts, and design characteristics of the skeuomorphic era.
The picture comes from the Internet
2005: Optimization and streamlining
In 2005, the interface was further optimized, some text descriptions were removed, and some information was better grouped. The overall style has been maintained.
This year, I registered my first QQ account.
The picture comes from the Internet
2006-2007: Personalization begins
In 2006, the interface supported changing themes and the design was more personalized. The classic interface has gradually been finalized. The interface is cleaner, and the grouping of information is getting clearer.
The picture comes from the Internet
2008: Classic “National QQ”
The 2008 version, due to its stability and comprehensive functions, has become the most classic “national QQ” in users’ memory. There are relatively few changes in interface design.
It also seems that from this year, the days after that are getting faster and faster, and there is often an illusion that you can’t tell the difference between 2008 and 2018, I don’t know if you feel this way?
The picture comes from the Internet
2009: Significantly streamlined
In 2009, the interface content was greatly streamlined.
The picture comes from the Internet
2010: Highly customizable
In 2010, the interface can be customized with more content, and it supports full interface customization of skins (transparency, color, picture).
The picture comes from the Internet
2011-2012: Smooth transition
In 2011, the interface changed relatively little and was in a stable state.
The picture comes from the Internet
In 2012.
The picture comes from the Internet
2013: Emotionality and Natural Style
In 2013, QQ’s UI design concept was closer to nature, such as the clouds fluttering on the login interface and the dynamic effects in the weather panel. At the same time, QQ began to emphasize emotional attributes, such as weakening button design, to improve user recognition.
This year is also the day I graduated from college, and all everyone’s feelings and communication are all pinned on QQ.
The picture comes from the Internet
2014: Embrace flattening
In 2014, QQ underwent major UI design changes, introducing a flat design concept and making the interface more concise and refreshing. At the same time, QQ pays more attention to user experience, such as the optimization of chat windows and the improvement of message reminders.
The picture comes from the Internet
2015-2017: Continuation and fine-tuning
From 2015 to 2017, the style has not changed much in recent years.
The picture comes from the Internet
2018-2022: Aurora Concept & Mobile First
From 2018 to 2022, the design concept of Aurora was adopted. The continuity of the classic brand culture derives the concept of aurora from the environment around the polar region, the home of the penguins. Mobile-first and minimalist, adapting to mobile operating habits, balancing functional richness and interface simplicity.
This year, I joined QQ and started a journey to the aurora, and time was like an aurora, beautiful but brief.
The picture comes from the Internet
After 2022, I basically rarely use QQ anymore, and everyone knows the latest interface very well, so I won’t go into details.
Over the years, the interface has been changing, and QQ’s image has also changed somewhat. For the original version, the QQ team chose a chubby version (in 2000) because it was cuter. At that time, the designer Zhu Zi believed that the penguin image did not have to be symmetrical, and there was a certain difference but more flexibility, so he designed the penguin’s eyes to be wink-shaped, with wings one high and one low.
The final draft of the penguin image is hand-drawn, the picture source is Tencent QQ
Slowly now, in order to adapt to the needs of the QQ brand mentality, the proportion of QQ has become younger, and the appearance is more concise.
The picture comes from the Internet
The picture comes from the Internet
In recent years, QQ’s focus has been on the mobile side, and the interface of the PC client has changed less, and more details have been optimized. However, haven’t the design trends over the years changed much? It seems to be a confirmation. Based on the needs of users, the general direction is to reduce visual noise and make the user’s experience more focused.
Summarize the design trend of QQ in recent years:
1) Morphological evolution. Plain Text List → Stereoscopic Icons → Flat Dynamic Design → Minimalist Cards (1999 Plain Text → 2003 Stereoscopic → 2013 Flat → 2023 NT Architecture)
2) Design philosophy. Practicality → Personalization → Emotionality → Efficiency (early use→ medium-term emphasis on self-expression→ pursuit of seamless experience in the near future)
