Netflix trials biggest TV app revamp in a decade
What's the story
Netflix has initiated testing for a significant redesign of its television app, the first in 10 years, with the aim of simplifying user experience and boosting viewer engagement.
The new design, currently accessible to a select group of Netflix's nearly 270 million global users, includes larger title cards, restructured information and a fresh "My Netflix" tab.
Netflix's senior executive Pat Flemming, said that the company wanted to make navigation "simpler, more intuitive" and eliminate what he termed as "eye gymnastics."
Feature update
New features introduced in Netflix's app redesign
The redesign involves several changes including the relocation of the menu button from left to top and the introduction of a "My Netflix" tab.
This new tab curates content tailored for each user, featuring shows or movies they've started or saved for later.
The home page has been revamped with larger title cards and highlighted information such as a show's duration in the top 10 list.
Engagement strategy
Netflix's redesign strategy to boost viewer engagement
Netflix has replaced static tiles with expandable boxes that trigger a short preview when hovered over.
All relevant information about a title, including its synopsis, release year, number of episodes, and genre will be displayed below the box.
This redesign is part of Netflix's strategy to increase viewer engagement time and attract subscribers to its new ad-supported tiers.
The company views engagement time as a better measure of customer satisfaction than subscriber numbers alone.
Future steps
Netflix's future plans regarding the redesign
Netflix plans to continue offering personalized suggestions to each user, with no changes to its recommendation algorithm as part of this redesign.
The company intends to gather feedback and potentially refine the design before a wider rollout.
Flemming described this as a "first effort, our best initial swing, at what we think is a great new TV experience."
Netflix also plans to cease regular reporting of subscriber numbers next year.