October 25, 2022
YouTube celebrated its 17th birthday earlier this year and the platform announced a few new upcoming design elements and product features. The intention is to make the app look and feel ‘cleaner, more lively’, and easier to use for different purpose.
The biggest update is ‘pinch to zoom’, which enables users to expand the playback screen to examine certain details or elements. This option already exists on Instagram and offers another way to interact with video content.
The video platform is also making the page easier on the eyes with video descriptions changing to buttons, and frequent actions such as like, share and download now formatted to minimise distractions. It seems like the subscribe button is also getting a touch up, transforming to a new shape. It’s no longer red and the idea is to make it easier to find desired content.
YouTube also changed the colours of hashtags (from blue to white), but the functionality and placement remains the same. While on this subject – the platform is also updating the dark theme to be even darker, so the colours truly pop on your screen. This will roll out on web, mobile and Smart TVs.
The video sharing company is also introducing Ambient Mode, which provides a more visually aligned viewing experience. This feature essentially adapts to the colour of the videos on screen, with the background shifting slightly to put more focus on the main content. YouTube explains that they were inspired by the light that screens cast out in a darkened room and wanted to recreate the effect, so viewers were drawn right into the content and the video takes an even greater focus on the watch page.
If you want to get the latest insights or tips for marketing on YouTube and beyond, we’re all ears. Contact us today.