Netflix is getting a fresh coat of paint, and it could change the way you watch content. As
the dominant streaming service
in an era of entertainment dominated by streaming services, anything Netflix does has a major impact on the way people enjoy TV and movies. In the early days of its streaming business, back when the platform would still mail DVDs to your door, the app was sparse. Rows of rectangular title cards evoked the feeling of browsing shelves at the brick-and-mortar movie rental shops Netflix would soon drive out of business.
The interface has seen numerous modifications over time, with another significant update on the horizon. Achieving an intuitive user interface similar to Netflix’s is extremely intricate. Beyond facilitating ease for users seeking particular titles, Netflix significantly depends on its algorithms to recommend content. Despite criticism regarding insufficient promotion of original works, the company maintains that their recommendation system serves as a more effective method for presenting suitable content to viewers. Apart from enhancing discoverability, Netflix must also create adaptations of the application compatible across various devices—from compact smartphones to larger screens.
enormous, 100″ TVs
, or even larger surfaces. When innovating on its interface, the company takes into account millions of data points based on things like user interaction patterns.
Now, Netflix is rolling out the biggest change to its interface in quite some time. The visual refresh is bound for TVs, and it aims to address some of the biggest headaches that have plagued the big screen streaming experience for years. Here’s everything you need to know so you won’t be blindsided when the update arrives on May 19 and the weeks following.
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The Netflix TV App Is Getting A Big Overhaul
Netflix is aiming its new update at the TV version of its app. It does not appear that the update will reach computers or mobile devices. The major theme of the update seems to be visual simplicity. The soon to be outdated version of the app shows you one row of title cards at a time, with a preview for the currently selected title taking up the top half of the screen. That’s been one of
Netflix’s most annoying issues
Since trailers automatically play when you scroll through the preview section right after opening them by default. With the updated design, this top preview area won’t be present anymore. Rather, the image of the currently chosen title will enlarge into a bigger, rectangular frame.
The knock-on effect of this is that you’ll see fewer title cards at a time, which users who enjoy information density may find frustrating. However, you’ll see the basic information about each title displayed more concisely, with information like award wins and key cast in addition to synopsis and runtime. Netflix is focusing on showing more information about each title as part of an effort to combat “decision fatigue,” which is when you deliberate on what to watch for so long that you ultimately give up and watch nothing, or fall back on a comfort show.
This new design papers over a deeper change, which Netflix calls “responsive recommendations.” As you navigate the app and watch content, the rows of content will update in real time in response. Netflix demonstrated this by showing how the next row of recommendations changes after the user lingers on a title for a few seconds. Again, Netflix says this is to make choosing content easier.
Netflix Aims to Alleviate Decision Fatigue with Updated Interface
The primary objective of the recent TV update for the Netflix application is to simplify navigation. Key menu options will remain consistently visible at the upper part of the display, facilitating swift access to essential sections such as Home, Search, Shows, Movies, Games, and the My Netflix area. In regard to this, the My Netflix segment represents a fresh addition within the app designed to help users monitor ongoing series they’re engaged with, their saved lists, among others. Currently, this feature appears under different names across platforms; notably, both Android and iOS versions present it as “My List” initially, succeeded by listings of previewed videos, recently viewed items, along with supplementary material from favorite productions.
As mentioned earlier, the update will start rolling out on May 19, and most users will receive it within the following weeks. This release is happening globally, so regardless of your location, you’ll be able to see this update.
promises
“Most TVs and TV streaming gadgets will qualify,” making it fair to anticipate that widely used smart TV systems such as
Roku and Google TV
To get the update shortly after the May release date. When you launch the app for the first time following this update, Netflix will display a welcoming message designed to walk you through the new layout, ensuring you won’t be left scratching your head over unfamiliar features.
While it’s easy to balk at change, especially coming from a company that’s arguably made bad UI decisions in the past, this update does look like a genuine improvement over the current paradigm. If it can help people find more content they actually like, that’s a good thing, since it’s all too easy for content to get buried amid a never-ending stream of new releases.
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original article on Efwebe
.