For many households, the nightly “what should we watch” routine can become tediously frustrating. The streaming market is crowded and the infinite amount of content is overwhelming. Cue decision paralysis.
Netflix wants the mindless scrolling to stop. In short, chief product officer Eunice Kim wants “people to press play and stay”.
Netflix has launched their first major redesign since 2013. Credit: Bloomberg
The streaming giant has announced a homepage makeover, its first major redesign since 2013.
Rolling out from May 19, it will include a generative AI tool, vertical-feed clips, shortcuts, and an improved recommendation algorithm.
“Our members do a lot of eye gymnastics when they’re scrolling down and right and going back and forth between rows and title details on the homepage,” Kim said. “We’re putting all the information you need to make an informed choice about what to watch front and centre.”
Here’s how your Netflix screens will change.
Generative AI-searches
In the mood for a belly laugh? Maybe you’d prefer horror, but not too scary, with a smidge of black comedy?
Netflix will offer a generative AI search feature (opt-in only) on iOS to help subscribers find movies and shows using conversational phrases, similar to prompts used for AI tools like ChatGPT.
It will recommend titles that match the prompt.
Better recommendations
Traditionally, streaming services like Netflix have relied on a “recommendation algorithm system” anchored to a user’s profile.
Netflix recommends titles based on your previous watch history.
Every time you watch something in your profile, Netflix feeds the information into its database in a bid to predict what you might like to watch in future. This is why your homepage may look different to someone else’s in your household.
Netflix said the new design would be “more responsive” with recommendations, and actively suggest fresh rows of content in response to customers’ viewing and browsing history.
In an online media briefing, Netflix chief technology officer Elizabeth Stone said the improvements would make it “magically easier to find something to watch”.
“Let’s say you give Wednesday [television series] a thumbs-up, a few rows down you might see titles similar to Wednesday,” she explained.
“Or if you’re searching for romcoms and Glen Powell, we’ll suddenly adapt your homepage to show you more titles related to both. Everything will happen seamlessly in the background.”
Revamped homepage with shortcuts
Most streaming platform’s homepages mimic shelves at a video store; where customers can scroll through a library.
The new layout – nicknamed “Eclipse” – will display fewer titles and when a viewer hovers over a choice, the title will expand and a preview will play.
Viewers will also see more information about titles, with callouts like “Emmy Award Winner” or “#1 in TV Shows” visible.
“Search” and “My Netflix” have moved from the left-hand side to the top of the page to enhance visibility.
Vertical feeds for mobile users
In the coming weeks, Netflix will also test a vertical feed (similar to TikTok), allowing subscribers to browse clips from movies. Viewers will be able to tap to watch the whole show, add it to their list or share with friends.
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