YouTube is about to roll out a brand new design today, reducing some clutter and making the video the main focus point, with everything else now moved below the video – including the metadata, like, and subscribing to the user’s video.
“The video is right at the top of the page and the subscribe button, social actions and video information are all combined directly below the player,” according to Josh Sassoon, who wrote on the YouTube blog.
While users are being notified today, YouTube creators have known for some time that a change was imminent. For YouTube creators, the new changes also include a revamped “Guide” which will showcase the channel’s activity, an increase in recommendations and a better interface for creating and watching playlists.
For users, other than the new video page, the guide will also show you new videos and channels to watch, based on your viewing habits; and what your friends are watching. When watching video playlists, items are now on the right, as opposed to being attached to the bottom.
The new design comes after one year of the current design, which was designed predominately to push users towards subscribing to channels. And with YouTube, among others, producing and/or funding more original series on the site, it has worked – though, some more than others given the wide breath of channels out there.