Personalization and discovery isn’t about a single feature at Netflix — it is about the full experience Netflix provides members by marrying compelling content with industry leading technology. The Netflix experience is designed with one goal in mind — making it easier, quicker and simpler for members to discover and connect with stories they will love.
In late 2016, Netflix introduced video previews to the TV user interface designed to help members browse less and watch more, helping them discover great content on Netflix even faster.
In the coming months, it will be launching mobile previews to the smartphone experience (starting with iOS and coming later to Android). Mobile previews were designed to help members find something great to watch while they are on the go — so they now have yet another way to quickly discover new content on the service.
These previews are mobile-optimized by design — the previews are presented vertically so members can quickly and easily view them, without having to turn their phones. As Netflix launches even more content, mobile previews are yet another intuitive and fun way for members to connect with new titles more easily.
Mobile previews, much like the rows, are personalized based on what members have watched and enjoyed in the past. The goal is to help members browse less, and watch more stories they will love.
The Netflix mobile team has been working on developing this feature for close to a year. They did rounds of testing to better understand what type of video is most compelling and useful for the smartphone experience — where there is less space than a TV screen and members tend to be juggling more tasks. Ultimately, their testing indicated that mobile previews drove viewing and helped members more quickly find something great to watch.