Your Netflix is getting a makeover. After minor changes to its interface over the past few years, the platform is entering a new era with the redesign of its homepage and the integration of new features designed to make life easier for its users and encourage the discovery of new titles. Eunice Kim, Head of Product at Netflix, describes this redesign as a “huge leap forward.”. The company promises a “simpler and more intuitive” experience. Better recommendations, AI-powered search tools, and above all, a streamlined menu—what can Netflix subscribers expect in 2025?
New shortcuts on TV
Until now, the “Search” and “My List” tabs were hidden on the left side of the screen, accessible after a few manipulations that could be cumbersome on a daily basis. From now on, they are invited to the top of the page and consistently. More broadly, the company wants to put an end to the endless scrolling on its home page to allow its customers to find content they want to watch as quickly as possible. This is what the “My Netflix” tab will be used for, a highly personalized experience that allows you to access your list or content you have started in just a few clicks. A notable addition that promises to make life easier for serial bingers. The company adds that its home page has been redesigned to adapt to the new formats it is promoting and developing. This obviously includes games, which will find pride of place as soon as you open the app on TV and smartphone. But it's also, and above all, a way for the red N to shed light on its experiments with live events, such as the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul match.
The boxes dedicated to the titles have also been revised, to offer as much information as possible in a limited space. The mentions “Emmy Award Winner” or “Number 1 Series” will now be visible under the image of a show and the title for a better understanding of the strengths of each program. Finally, the homepage has a new design. Eunice Kim promises that it is more “contemporary and efficient to reflect the experience you expect from Netflix.”
AI for better recommendations…
It was only a matter of time before the company, which already uses machine learning behind the scenes, rolled out similar features for the general public. The app’s redesign integrates AI-powered tools for better content recommendations. In addition to the ability for the homepage to adapt to the time of day and the user's preferences, artificial intelligence will now be able to respond to queries to allow everyone to search the catalog for original productions as well as films and series acquired by the company.
A more personalized experience that begins with the analysis of your classic searches. “If you're looking for romantic comedies and Glen Powell, we'll subtly adapt your homepage to show you more titles that meet these two criteria.” In short, Netflix wants to make its interface more adaptive and in the least visible way possible. “You won’t even notice what’s happening. It’ll just be easier to find something to watch, it’s magic.”
… and as a personal assistant
But the major advance in this field is mainly in generative artificial intelligence, meaning it’s capable of creating text or images. First for Experience Discovery members (the platform’s testers), Netflix will offer an improved search tool.
It will be able to analyze queries to provide tailored recommendations. For example, if you ask for a fantasy movie that's a little scary but not too scary, Netflix will be able to provide you with a list of movies or series that meet those criteria. It is able to understand the subtleties of everyday language for greater efficiency.
Netflix cites as an example: “I want to watch something a little scary but not too scary and also a little funny, but not ah-ha funny. Believe it or not, this sentence will actually yield results in the new experience we have started testing and will be rolling out to more members this week.”
Between "editorialized" and "personalized" reception, the streaming giant has made the choice. Critics of this approach will say that Netflix is participating in locking its users into their preferences, a phenomenon commonly referred to as filter bubbles, but the priority of the red N is not really to present its customers with something new. It is, as for all players in the sector, to not give them the opportunity to see if the grass is greener elsewhere.
The return of the vertical feed
On smartphones, Netflix had already tried to borrow the TikTok formula to convince its users to stay a little longer. With "For laughs", the red N shared short clips from its comedy series and films. The company's main goal was to promote the diversity of its content. However, it didn't catch on and the format was quickly abandoned. Netflix is giving this recipe another try but is reinventing it to take a more direct approach. The platform wants to bring trailers into a new era by offering short videos to give a glimpse of what the films and series in question have in store. Similar to TikTok, members will have to scroll to discover the videos.
The company specifies that initially, the experience will be the same for users with and without advertising. However, it does not rule out the possibility of including advertising pages in the future. “Of course, we will learn from these experiences and they will evolve over time.”We should therefore expect the changes to be gradual and not affect all users in the first few days. The revolution is still underway for the red N, which hopes to obtain positive feedback from its customers. The firm is aware that such a change could disrupt its users but is confident in the reception given to this redesign.
“We really want to make sure that our members enjoy our platform. So it’s about whether they can discover titles and how they navigate. Do they find something that encourages them to click and continue? Do they approve? We also conduct a lot of direct market research with our members, talking with them about their experience.”
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