Check out this Post; Upcoming Proposed Changes for Hardfork 0.17.0, making Steemit Simple for Everyone using the K.I.S.S Principle

With the Proposal of Hardfork 17, Users can expect many changes to take place in 2017, with the Goal of making Steemit a lot of more Simple by applying the K.I.S.S principle. Lead developers are aware that Steemit is an over-complicated platform for the average user to fully figure out

Majority of us are struggling to understand the idea's behind Blockchain Implications, as it's rather complex to learn the technical aspect of this digital technology and it's relatively new to many of us

The fact that Steemit is build on top Steem makes it complex, thus this is a new concept(project) that involves a lot technical understanding, this can be especially complicated for Users who wish to only Invest Money into this platform, so it is the Dev Team's mission to make Steemit more user-friendly for New & Existing Individuals

The aim with the new Hardfork is to primarily simplify the platform by removing unnecessary & over-complicated protocols, in order to make Steemit a more preferred blockchain service

The community will have the final say on what changes are adopted and which ones are rejected, so as time progresses it's the Community that will ultimately support the project in the long run

With continuous updates, over time Steemit the final prodct/service backed by it's growing Community will be ready for mass adoption, as Social medias tend to grow over time as Content attracts & brings value to both existing and new users

Summarize

Steemit Community of Users & Developers vote their Steem Witnesses who will have the final say on what changes are adopted and which ones are rejected

It's the Steem Witnesses who approve Hardforks, this means that Lead Developers may suggest any changes but it's Steem Witnesses that decide whether or not a new Hardfork shall be implemented. Ned & Dan need a majority of Steem Witnesses to approve their proposal in order for changes or updates to take effect

a.k.a Blockchain goes through a Hardfork, where instead of following old rules new rules will be implemented and the blockchain continues from there

Any new update implemented is the result of Steem Witnesses approving them, developers may have their say but it generally comes down to all Steemit Users a.k.a Steemians are granted the right to vote their preferrend Witnesses

As a newly established Crypto Community, it's users elect those that support Steem's network in a Decentralized manner, while lead developers work on Steemit to ensure that the project grows into stable platform that receives the support of the crowd; a People's Platform

What is Hardfork?
A Hardfork is a radical change to the protocol that makes previously invalid blocks/transactions valid (or vice-versa), and as such requires all nodes or users to upgrade to the latest version of the protocol software.

Every Steemit account is entilted to vote, so Steem Witnesses tend to be dedicated Steemit User who on the regular basis interact with the Community

If the Lead Developers wanted to make changes to Steemit they will have to present their idea to all Witnesses, the consensus of the group will decide which proposal shall be approve or rejected

While still in ''Beta'', Steemit is a new cryptocurrency project has gone through several Hardforks, thus User will likely experience changes to the current platform while expecting future features to be added as there is a growing community of developers supporting Steemit

Since Steemit is an open-source social network, developers & Witnesses are working on ways to improve platform on the daily basis, discussions of idea on how to improve Steemit can be found all over the platform

To improve the overall success of the project, it's best to make it easy for an individual to sign-up & familiarize themselves with Steemit. Steemit is simplifying it's platform in hopes of improving user-experience, while rolling out new updates that allow Developers to integrate Steemit directly with their services