I don’t know about you but the TV set which sits in the corner of my living room is getting used less and less these days. All thanks to the Internet and its range of video content and catch-up services. And so we have the new YouTube design.
Hate
YouTube rolled out its new design on Dec. 1. And the complaints instantly began rolling in. Many people don’t like the changes that have been made. But they were necessary changes for YouTube to become the media center it hopes to, and that Google hopes it to.
Despite the complaints I think YouTube has got the redesign pretty much spot-on, though I’m sure it will be making changes based on the feedback in the coming weeks.
All YouTube is doing is evolving: transitioning from a destination where we watch a solitary video of a cat being cute to watching multiple videos created by dedicated video producers. This is the new YouTube, which is very different from the old YouTube.
Love
I rarely used to sign into YouTube. The only reason I had to was when a video was reserved only for registered users. And even then I would log in, watch the video, and then log out again. That is no longer the case. It’s now easier to sign in to YouTube than ever, and there is a legitimate reason to do so.
With my newly customized channel I instantly see videos that will likely interest me, as well as videos and channels suggested by YouTube. And now that I’m signed in and clicking around the site I am actively participating; liking videos, favoriting videos, commenting on videos, subscribing to channels.
Even without signing in YouTube is now a much more user-friendly, stickier website than it was before the redesign. The homepage was previously a mess, with random videos everywhere. There were highlighted videos, channels, and categories, but without the clean lines and easy navigation which are now present, I was rarely tempted to explore far.
And if you want something akin to the previous design then just click ‘See All‘ at the bottom of the channel list.
Conclusions
has to constantly adapt its products in order to stay one step ahead of its rivals. And that is just what it has done with the new YouTube.
With the Internet playing a bigger and bigger role in our society on a daily basis Google is positioning YouTube to be the television of tomorrow. And this redesign is the first step down that long road. I, for one, am along for the ride.
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