Twitter Inc. may be ready to up the ante when it comes to grabbing new users with a new directory currently being A/B tested on its front page.

The new directory, best described as being reminiscent of a Yahoo style, offers links to users on Twitter in various categories, including Comedians, Cute Animals, Celebrity Chefs and more via boxed menu items that include pictures.

Down the left hand side of the page is a “popular” list with more broad categories including News, Sports, Entertainment and more, categories that might be more commonly used on a news site.

Of note the list and directory will appear to all users who are not logged in (those who are exposed to the test that is,) not just potentially new users, indicating that perhaps Twitter also wants its existing user base to get more active in following others on the microblogging platform as well.

Previously new users (or those not signed in) were presented with rolling background pictures, along with text extolling the virtues of its service, along naturally with login and sign up boxes.

Twitter’s user growth problem

Problems with Twitter’s user growth first started appearing during 2014, and by the end of the year Twitter actually lost users for the first time; average monthly active users were 288 million in Q4 2014, up 20% year-over-year, but lost approximately 4 million net monthly active users in Q4 versus Q3 due to what Twitter described at the time as “changes in third party integrations.”

The company, to its credit, has been extending its reach into new areas, including the well received live video streaming Periscope application, and it claims that with the ability to embed tweets on third party sites, actual readership is increasing. Ultimately though what the market wants is more signed up users, and what this new directory service they’re testing may do is assist in that objective.

As you can see from the picture below, there is something far more appealing about seeing pictures of puppies, Rihanna and Jimmy Fallon on the front page versus the current login/sign up page that instead offers bland marketing statements imposed over stock photographs.