Instagram on desktop is getting a fancy new Stories design

Instagram is working on a new interface for its Stories feature on desktop, according to a new report, introducing a cleaner, more sleek way to view these short videos and ephemeral images. Most people watch Stories using Instagram's mobile apps, but the company has made a number of recent changes for its desktop users.

In its present form, Instagram Stories on desktop appear one at a time on a large, otherwise blank screen. According to Engadget, the company is testing a new design that adds a sleek carousel interface that fills in the blank space with previous and upcoming Stories.

The change isn't radical, but it does present a better experience for those who prefer to watch content on their laptop or desktop. The look at the content you've already watched and the content next in the pipeline makes it a bit easier to navigate and see which content remains to be watched.

The design change is being tested at this time, but it's unclear how many people are presently able to use the new interface. Instagram confirmed to Engadget that it is testing a new UI and provided an image of the change — apparently, some people have been seeing this new desktop interface since December.

Instagram on desktop still remains inferior to its mobile counterpart, though it has gotten better in recent months with some small but notable improvements. Last year saw the arrival of live streams on Instagram's desktop site, as well as desktop access to one's DMs, a feature that went into beta a year ago.