Hulu Getting a Redesign That Looks a Lot Like Disney+

Hulu is one of the more popular streaming services, especially for those who watch more television than movies. That said, one of the oft-criticized aspects of the service has to do with the user interface design. The last redesign Hulu delivered was pegged as pretty but convoluted and confusing, so fans will be relieved to hear that Hulu just revealed a major visual overhaul. Roku and Apple TV users will likely see it first, while everyone else will start to see it over the next few months. As for what inspired it, Hulu says it is definitely taking cues from Disney+ and ESPN+, and you can check out the redesign below.

As you can see, it retains the color palette and overall aesthetic of the previous version, but the way it’s laid out and how you interact with the various sliders and tabs has been reworked completely. You’ll see recommended shows in bigger image boxes, and now you will navigate collections of shows and movies vertically and find everything in that collection by moving vertically, a simplification of the past design and similar to how Disney+ works.

Hulu breaks down the new navigation in their official post, saying “Viewers can now navigate through collections vertically and explore within a collection by moving horizontally. This navigation pattern is something our viewers are accustomed to and matches the navigation pattern across Disney+ and ESPN+, making it easier for viewers who subscribe to the Disney bundle to switch between services and navigate with ease. When testing, viewers found it easy and intuitive to adjust to this updated navigation pattern.

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.”

“These updates to our UI, paired with more powerful expert and algorithmic curation, make Hulu’s content discovery and navigation experience easier to use and more personalized than ever before. These changes are just the first step in many more to come, all aimed at creating a user interface that puts our content and viewers at the forefront of the experience.”

Now, the biggest thing we want to see changed is how you scroll through a TV season, as the previous format led to a lot of confusing scrolling and accidental starts. We don’t see that laid out here, but hopefully, that’s been simplified as well.

What do you think of the new Hulu design? Let us know in the comments!