Thursday, January 20, 2011

Do You Think The New Youtube Layout Sucks?

Recently Youtube changed the website's homepage layout yet again in an effort to keep on top of the everchanging world of online video, but many are saying the new layout sucks. Youtube, in a post on the Youtube Blog claims "some" have mentioned that they don't like it and that others say they love it. You can read about the changes here: New YouTube homepage launches to all users.

What is your opinion? The video below is from jussttom who expresses in no uncertain terms what his impression of the changes made to Youtube are:



Looking at the numerous negative comments made on many videos about the changes, there seems to be a large portion of users of the website who feel the usability of Youtube suffers with the changes made.

Like jussttom mentions, the grid showing all the latest videos has been removed with a scrolling tower (similar to comments on Twitter or Facebook) has replaced it forcing users to scroll down the list to find those videos they want to watch. Personally I think the new format diminishes the enjoyment of site.

Most websites want their important content above the fold or immediately visable to visitors of the website and with the grid, you had a quick scan of almost all of the youtubers you were subscribed to right there in front of you. Now you have to scroll and scoll down the page. This new layout takes away the option to a certain extent to view those videos you really want to watch immediately.

Suppose you are a fan of Ray William Johnson or Phil DeFranco or Shane Dawson. With the old layout you could see almost immediately when they posted a new video and could quickly click to watch them. With the new layout, you are forced to bypass others who you are subscribed in order to watch your particular favorites.

There are some channels that you want to watch as soon as they post and not have to search for by scrolling down the page. Not everyone spends hours and hours on Youtube and with this new format some of those who are not the most subscribed or popular will lose views from the casual Youtube user. That means less money for Youtube partners with smaller audiences.

No comments:

Post a Comment