UI Update ‘My Netflix’ Aims to Streamline Mobile Experience

Netflix is updating its mobile user interface to consolidate watch activity in one place. Rolling out for iOS now and Android in August, My Netflix is the new hub for watchlists, downloads and views in progress. The “one stop shop” also collects My List items, notifications, trailers and other content with which users have interacted, including TV shows or movies that have been validated with a subscriber’s thumbs-up. My Netflix replaces the Downloads section globally, and the streamer says the more users interact with it the more customized it will become.

“In theory, you’re more likely to stay subscribed if you have an easier time finding the titles you want to watch next,” is how Engadget sums up the move, noting that it “also helps Netflix boost interaction and identify popular shows using more than viewing counts.” The Home tab will still be there for those who want to explore from scratch.

CNET calls it a “time-saving feature” and writes “the rollout comes after Netflix added a new Coming Soon row for the TV app and beefed up features for My List the mobile version.”

Netflix indeed seems to be leveraging the notion that those on the go with their phones are in a hurry. “Have you ever opened up Netflix on your phone, but don’t have time to browse for something to watch?” the streamer queries in an announcement for My Netflix, explaining that the feature is “tailored to you with easy shortcuts to help you choose what you want to watch.”

“It sounds like a handy new tab to have across all of the places where you use Netflix,” writes The Verge, which asked “if it’s coming to the company’s web and TV apps.” That’s “something we’re exploring, but no exact timeframe yet,” responded Netflix spokesperson MoMo Zhou.

In addition to this straightforward UI improvement, Netflix is exploring some untraditional ways to enhance value and reinforce its reputation as a disruptor. NPR reports the streamer has launched an LA pop-up restaurant, Netflix Bites, that aims “to give fans a ‘screen-to-table’ experience where they can try dishes and drinks crafted by chefs and mixologists featured on unscripted Netflix culinary shows.”

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