From time to time, companies make key changes to their product’s user interface in an effort to make things easier. Hulu, for instance, has made such a change for Apple TV and Roku owners.
Hulu announced it has revamped the user interface for its Roku and tvOS app in an effort to make not only discovering new content even easier, but making navigation in general easier, too. For instance, moving through collections should be easier now. Users will be able to navigate through their collections vertically, and then explore within a given collection horizontally. Hulu says this navigation pattern matches what users of ESPN+ and Disney+ are accustomed to, so those customers should feel right at home with the new Hulu UI.
We’re also simplifying navigation. Categories of content like TV, Movies, and Sports will be moved to the master navigation, which gives our viewers a clear pathway to find what they’re looking for. In the mood for a dramatic movie? This new navigation provides an easy way to navigate our vast library of content with fewer clicks than before.
Hulu is changing tile sizes, too. The company says it is retaining the way it showcases content in a more focused way than some other platforms, but it will use different tile sizes to help differentiate content while browsing. Hulu says the TV shows and/or movies the service “knows you won’t want to miss” will be featured in larger tiles. The tiles in the “Keep Watching” section may be a bit smaller in comparison.
We’re always working on bettering our recommendations to help you discover more, faster. In addition to changes to the Hulu user experience, we’ve also made some backend changes to improve the way our recommendations work.
Since Hulu launched, we knew it was incredibly important to have human editors surfacing content, in addition to smart algorithms identifying the next binge-worthy series for you to watch.
The change to Hulu’s UI is rolling out beginning today for some tvOS and Roku customers. Hulu says a broader rollout of the new UI will take place “over the next few months”. So even if you’re using a Roku-branded streaming device, or using an Apple TV, it may take a bit of time before the new UI shows up on your TV.