BBC iPlayer has undergone a “significant” change to the way it looks on TV as part of the BBC’s commitment to modernising the audience experience.
Last month BBC chief customer officer Kerris Bright announced plans to refresh some of the broadcaster’s services, including the idents for its TV channels.
Attention has now focused on the user experience across the BBC’s digital services and app, with iPlayer moving its navigation menu will move to the left hand side of the screen – making it easier to browse different categories like comedy, drama or sport.
According to Neil Hall, head of product at BBC iPlayer, the change also gives much more space on the screen for the BBC’s content, so viewers are more likely to spot something new to watch.
Changes will also follow to the user experience on mobile and web.
“It’s important to us that any changes we make to iPlayer work for everyone, so our new menu has been usability tested with adults, children, and people with accessibility needs to ensure people can continue to find and explore our many programme genres and channels with ease,” said Hall. “We’ve also gathered feedback from the people who help us test changes like this in what we call our beta group, who have helped us improve the experience further.
“This is the first of a number of iterative updates from us as we strive to create a better user experience for audiences on web, mobile and TV across BBC iPlayer, and we’ll have plenty more to come in the months ahead,” added Hall.
