Netflix Has Redesigned Its TV Interface With A Simplified Sidebar

Netflix has announced that it has redesigned the user interface for its television platform. The redesigned Netflix TV interface now features a side bar that houses sections for Search, Home, Series, Movies, My List and "New."

Netflix made the announcement on a blog post and informed users that the new TV interface has already begun rolling out globally. Netflix director of product of innovation Stephen Garcia said that the redesign was based on research and is intended to make it easier for users to find TV shows and movies to watch.

“The new TV interface was designed to make the Netflix experience simpler and more intuitive in a few different ways. First, it is now easier to search and view new content added to the service,” Garcia explained in a blog post. “It is also far simpler to start browsing with either a series or movie; our research has shown us that while a member generally isn’t sure what exact title they want to watch, they have a pretty good sense of whether they are in the mood for a quick series episode or a longer movie experience. We’ve also made it easier to access titles you’ve saved for later viewing in My List. In our testing of this new interface, we saw that that this simpler design helped members find something great to watch.”

Splitting TV shows and Movies into two separate sections seems like a good start in helping subscribers easily find exactly what they want to watch. My List also gets its own section, which should really make it easier for people to browse TV shows and movies that they’ve already marked and queued. Another important feature is the dedicated “New” section, which will only display shows and movies that have recently been added to the service. Overall, the redesign should help in reducing the time spent on browsing and make it easier for users to navigate the interface using the few buttons on a remote control.

“While this may feel like an obvious update to some, validating that this TV experience was better for our members took extensive research, testing and technology improvements,” Garcia said. “Along those lines, we will continuously learn from our members and evolve the TV experience so that it gets even more simple, fun and easy to find the stories that make Netflix great.”

The new TV interface will be available to Netflix’s apps for consoles, set-top boxes, built-in smart TV apps and other TV-based devices.