I recall ripping Foursquare a bit in September of last year for a way-too-confusing app design. I didn’t get why “Tips” was a focal point, why “Tips” and “To-Do List” were separate, why “Places” was a stand-alone area, and why the “Check In” button (the key to the service) was buried in the upper right corner (meanwhile the “Shout” button was in the more prominent upper left corner).

Today’s update (3.2) fixes a lot of that. “Check In” is now front and center, as it should be. The excellent “Explore” tab is also now highlighted instead of the redundant “Places”. “Shout” has also been totally removed (which I agree with). And most importantly, the app now feels much faster.

I do wonder if they should have made the “Check In” nav button bright green, like it is on the actual check in page. The move to make it bright orange in the recent builds of Gowalla I think looks great and really draws your eye. It’s a visual call to action.