Amazon is rolling out a Fire TV redesign that puts more focus on the content, while also simplifying the navigation and layout. The update represents the first major Fire TV release in years from a user experience perspective, the company says, and is accompanied by a refreshed version of the Fire TV app and the arrival of new premium Fire TV televisions with colorful frames.
The company saw the need for a change to the Fire TV’s look and feel as the amount of streaming content has exploded over the years. Fire TV customers today can access TV and movies via purchases, rentals, and streaming services, but also have apps for viewing short-form content on the TV, access to numerous live TV streams, premium content, podcasts, music, games, and more.
Fire TV’s simpler design
“As we brought that content forward, the [user interface] got a little cluttered — a lot of stuff and a lot of rows,” explained Fire TV VP Aidan Marcuss in an interview with TechCrunch. “We know the data — there’s a lot of time spent searching,” he added. “We…know that it could just be easier.”
The new user interface features several design changes, including rounded corners, varied gradients, consistent typography, and increased spacing between content to make the interface feel less cluttered. While you can still scroll down to see your favorite rows, like what’s up next, you can also see your apps in an expanded horizontal row.
Before, you could only pin six apps to the Fire TV’s home screen — a common user complaint. But the update has reduced the app icons’ size, allowing more to be visible on the home screen, and offers you 20 app slots you can scroll through.
At the top of the screen, navigation has been simplified into obvious categories like Movies, TV, Live TV, Sports, and News. A search button is available to the left of the Home tab.
Across the new tabs, Fire TV centralizes access to the content…