YouTube gets a makeover

YouTube has launched a major redesign of its pages,promising a system that is simpler to use and to view.

Information about a video is now grouped together in oneplace, aimed at reducing clutter on the page, and the actions bar has beenstreamlined for sharing, flagging, and embedding controls. The right-hand sideof the page is devoted to the next video to watch, and YouTube says the nextsuggested videos to watch are now more closely related to the clip being watchedin the first place.

The channel name and subscribe button are now both on top ofthe video, allowing viewers to see more content uploaded by a particular personbefore deciding whether to subscribe to their channels. A new playlistinterface puts the next video in the list consistently in the top right, with anew next button in the player controls allowing the user to expand that list orskip ahead.

The five-star ratings system has been replaced with asimpler “likes/dislikes” model and a new “Videos I Liked” list has been added. Commentshave a new highlights view which summarises the best discussions.

The search function has also been changed to allow users tokeep viewing one clip while searching for another. Instead of stopping theplaying clip and taking you to a search results page, the current clip keepsplaying on the left-hand side of the page while the search results come up onthe right.