Netflix prepares to launch new user experience on smart TVs
Netflix prepares to launch new user experience on smart TVs
The new experience will be rolling out to customers soon, and was first teased by the company next year.
Netflix is gearing up to launch a huge update to its user interface. The streamer is giving its smart TV user experience a big overhaul, and the changes are all designed to help customers find a new passion to stream, as well as to keep them engaged with the service while watching on their largest screen.
Key Details:
- Moving on up: Netflix is moving the left-hand menu to the top of the screen in its new UI.
- AI will help: Responsive recommendations and generative AI will help customers find something new to stream more easily.
- Vertical integration: The streamer is testing a new vertical video feed that customers can scroll through.
The biggest change that customers will note in the Netflix smart TV UI is that the left-hand navigation menu has been moved to the top of the screen. This change was first teased last year, when Netflix began testing the updated user experience. It allows the streamer to give viewers more details about a given show or movie, since the content rows now have a little more elbow room.
Categories like Action and Comedy have been moved to the search tab, which is also at the top of the screen. This streamlined approach to an interface will hopefully be less overwhelming to viewers who found Netflix’s previous smart TV experience to be too busy or have too many choices. Netflix’s Search and My List functions are now at the top of the screen for easier access.
Check out a video of how Netflix has redesigned its user experience:
Netflix also wants to make new titles easier to find and watch. Responsive recommendations will react and adapt as you’re browsing, so if you like or dislike a title while scrolling the Netflix home screen, it will change the options it recommends to you in the moment.
Check out previews of Netflix’s updated menus:
Click images to expand to full size.
Generative AI will also help viewers find the perfect title for them going forward. Netflix has leveraged AI for a long time in its recommendation algorithms, but soon viewers will be able to search using phrases like “show me something funny and upbeat” to get even more specific suggestions. This feature is currently being tested in a small, opt-in beta test for iOS users.
Click to expand image to full size.
Finally, Netflix is testing a new, vertical video feed on its mobile apps. This feed works a lot like similar features on platforms such as YouTube; viewers can swipe up and down to check out clips from Netflix titles, and tap on those clips to watch the show or add it to their list.
Click image to expand to full size.
According to Netflix chief product officer Eunice Kim, viewers who have tested the new Netflix UI are “very excited” about its introduction. Make sure to keep a lookout on your Netflix smart TV app, because the launch of the refreshed experience will be on its way to you in the coming days and weeks!
Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”