FROM DATA TO KNOWLEDGE: AN EXPLORATION OF YOUTUBE
What began as a service to simply share personal short form videos in May 2005 has exploded into one of the most successful social media, search engine, and content sharing services around the globe. At its launch, the site and service was quite clunky and lacked intuition. Today, the site has become smarter, more intuitive, and more user-oriented. YouTube has morphed into an on-demand video content service available on various web-enabled mediums. These videos are created, posted, and shared from a wide array of publishers, from the amateur “tweenager” to the professional director and from local corporations to global entertainers. The following is an evaluation of the YouTube website: a look at where it has been and where it could go in the future.
THE BEGINNINGS OF YOUTUBE
YouTube started as a simple self enclosed video sharing service for amateurs. While certainly not the first social media platform, it was one of the first to focus solely on personal video content. At its launch, it was quite simply:
· A repository for user generated videos;
· A way to track those videos that a user found interesting;
· A way to share those videos with others (actual friends and YouTube friends that connected through the service).
HOME SCREEN (MAY 2005)
The navigation of the site was very simple, offering pages for the major functions: Favorites, Messages, Videos, and My Profile. Interestingly, there was no headline explaining the site or its purpose and the home screen simply called for the user to log in or sign up. And, there was no atmosphere. During the site’s first few weeks, it focused on capturing a dataset including:
· Videos and descriptions (including keywords)
· A basic user profile (including age and gender)
· A listing of friends with which to share
Metadata like authorship, date posted, and views was also collected as videos were downloaded and viewed by users. With each video page view, the users saw a simple data list, including the video, date added, the publisher, views, and comments. The overall taxonomy of the site was limited to the major navigation elements. Users could see videos based upon their self-designated favorites, the videos shared by their friends, and a seemingly “random” selection of videos served up by YouTube.
User flow was rudimentary, driven by the navigation bar. And, wayfinding was almost non-existent. New users were prompted immediately to sign up and create a profile. The videos served up to a non-member were a somewhat random listing of recently submitted content. Members (repeat users willing to sign up), on the other hand, had access to favorites and messages and postings from friends within the YouTube ecosystem. The videos served up to this user group were based on their self-designated profile (his/her age and gender and his/her seeking of age and gender).
A QUICKLY EVOLVING PLATFORM
Within the site’s first 9 months of operations, YouTube went through numerous changes. These modifications reflected the service’s increase in data (videos and related data posted) and its attempt to serve up greater value. Users could search for content through a simple open-ended search function (which continued to play a prominent role on the home screen) and through highlighted tags (or key words). Tags were YouTube’s first step in adding a level of semantics (or meaning) to the data points (or videos) available. It leaned on metadata (like viewership and date posted), along with critical new data accumulated from viewers (i.e. ratings). Patterns were ultimately uncovered and the site could further evolve.
During this short time period time, the site’s layout also changed pretty dramatically. Its homepage started to display a clearer (although far from perfect) taxonomy by outlining:
o Three major sections:
- Major site functions (watch, upload, and share);
- Recently viewed videos;
- Today’s featured videos.
o Four asides:
- Sign up (a more prominent call to action compared to a less visible placement at the top of the site);
- New features;
- A current contest (encouraging more video publishing);
- Recent tags (which were removed from center stage on the site).
HOME SCREEN (DECEMBER 2005)
The actual videos themselves also started to take a primary position on the site. Thumbnails of the video stills along with their associated publishers, tags, dates published, video lengths, views, comments, and average ratings were visible to the user (even before he/she made a selection) on the homepage. The visibility of this relevant and actionable data obviously assisted in the user flow (no need to jump through hoops to get to the good stuff).
Navigation and user flow on the site continued to be a real issue for YouTube. The site clearly defaulted to a philosophy of “more is better” and the information hierarchy was confusing. The site began using design techniques like proximity (or grouping) and closure (through color blocks) to help the user to understand and navigate the content, the functions, and the services offered. However, it continued to overwhelm because it overused shading and color, didn’t use negative space, and didn’t highlight enough difference in the font sizes used. The Information Architect obviously didn’t clearly delineate the crucial and optional metadata categories.
Even the navigation bar made little sense. It was unclear why Videos, Channels, and even Friends were primary navigation tabs. Aren’t Channels a classification of Videos? And, looking within the first major section of the home page, it was uncertain how the actions of Watch, Upload, and Share were different from the navigation tabs of Videos and Channels. And, while it probably made sense to have an area that listed all of a user’s YouTube friends, the actual sharing functionality and the content posted and/or shared by friends should have been integrated within the other sections (i.e. Videos and Channels). If this had been the case, the friends directory could have easily been part of an aside or relegated to a secondary or optional category on the site.
By the end of its first year, YouTube had begun accumulating and leveraging data in small ways that helped its users screen and navigate through its ever-growing data set. Data points like ratings and views (knowledge integrated from a collective of people) helped users (and even the site) prioritize and highlight the videos served up. Video categories and channels were also established, creating more easily understood classifications of the content (although clearly in its infancy at this point). All were critical in YouTube’s evolution in driving down the path from data to information (and beginning to tip into knowledge).
While promising, the future probably looked a little uncertain in December 2005. Yes, YouTube did have a rapidly growing user and publisher base along with a similarly impressive growing content base. It was clear YouTube had tapped into key cultural drivers, including the desire for 5-minutes of fame, celebrity obsession, and the need for validation (most obvious through ratings and views). However, when taking a step back, YouTube really had unclear meaning and purpose and had a disastrous site structure. And, many barriers remained to serve up relevant videos to that growing user base. Luckily, none of these shortfalls compromised its popularity and appeal, allowing YouTube to continue on its journey to become the site it is today.
THE EVOLUTION OF YOUTUBE
By October of 2006, Google had acquired YouTube, helping it evolve to the platform it is today. Sure the target expanded well beyond the amateur social media user. Over the ten-year period that followed, YouTube not only captured the interest of more professional filmmakers, but also brands and advertisers which saw its power and influence. A few key services and functions were added over this time period:
· The partner program (May 2007) — monetizing the video submissions of its members;
· On site advertising (July 2007) — allowing advertisers to capitalize on the traffic and changing video viewing habits of their targets (initially through disappearing transparent banners);
· The content verification program (October 2007) — ensuring submissions didn’t infringe upon any copy writes;
· Video music service partnerships (May 2009) — revitalizing a dwindling art form with an initial partnership with VISO;
· Movie rentals (January 2010) — offering their first “pay to play” through a partnership with the Sundance Music Festival;
· YouTube Live (April 2011) — sharing of live events and news;
· Original YouTube channels (October 2011) — making available proprietary, professionally created shows and movies only found on YouTube;
· YouTube Kids (February 2015) and YouTube Gaming (August 2015) — launching app based channels targeted to pre-school children and the gamer set, respectively (with curated, even restricted content);
· YouTube Red (August 2015) — launching a subscription-based service allowing advertising free viewership and access to exclusive shows and content.
As the appeal of the platform grew and new users joined, YouTube also realized that it had to lift the time limits of its video submissions and add additional languages. It was also during this time period that YouTube tried to optimize its design and user experience. Some changes were successful. For example, YouTube started to remove descriptive elements on the thumbnails (like ratings), only sharing these optional elements when a user selected a given video. It also opened sharing to the other prominent social media platforms (i.e. Facebook and LinkedIn) thereby vastly expanding the “friend” network and ultimately exposure to its content. Other changes were less successful. For example, in its attempt to un-clutter its site, YouTube went through a period where icons were not only introduced but actually misused. Absence of appropriate labels and descriptions made navigation more challenging (see below).
HOME SCREEN (AUGUST 2010)
Additional services added over the decade that are worth noting included the Creator Studio, a Developer link, and a dedicated blog. While the goals of each differed, all helped improve the quality and quantity of videos submitted (thus reducing the barriers of submission). The former two also opened up an entirely new service offering that had been traditionally provided by third parties. The latter (the blog) also provided helpful tips for navigating through and using the site. The Creator and Developer links were found in the footer on the homepage (although highlighted on the What’s New aside when launched). The blog, on the other hand, remained as an aside for many years and has since been removed.
To assist in navigation of the site, YouTube become much more adept at leveraging categories (music, sports, news, etc.) and channels to layout the content served up. So, depending on the viewing behavior and preset preferences, the site began to more intelligently recommend and serve up content to the user.
WHERE IS YOUTUBE TODAY
Ironically, as the user base and uses of YouTube have continued to expand over the decade, the user experience and site structure has become much more simplified. It is intuitive with a clear eye for mark-up and hierarchy. While improved, the overall atmosphere is still a bit undefined. YouTube continues to favor content/data dissemination over visual interest. The layout of the site is as follows (see below):
o Three major sections
· Search bar
· Video content
· Content Filters (Countries, Language, Restrictions, History, Help)
o Left-side navigation bar
o A footer including site information, site administration, and tools for Creators, Advertisers, and Developers.
HOME SCREEN (NEW USER)
HOME SCREEN (NEW USER) — WITH FOOTER
The data in the video content section (the second major section) is displayed through established content patterns. In this case, the content patterns are essentially recommended videos, trending videos, categories and channels, all which are displayed in easy to track horizontal layouts. To make it easier to scan the data (videos and related information) and to minimize the challenges associated with leaving the home page prior to selecting a video, the site allows for horizontal scrolling. Vertical scrolling is also available to maximize the amount of data served up in this newer, simplified format. The ability to scroll horizontally is prompted with arrows, while vertical scrolling is apparent through the use of continuation.
On the site’s primary pages (Home or Trending), each video is supported with critical data points, including title, publisher, views, and date posted. More elaborate descriptions, ratings, comments, publishing data, and viewership analytics are available on the video selection pages (see below). It is also on these video selection screens where data (videos and publishers) can be added to a user’s subscription profile and where the videos and related data can be easily shared through a host of social media sites and through e-mail (logical position for these functions, once a video is viewed). Two important points to note:
· The sharing function has clearly taken a secondary role within the site (but, again, open to most major social media platforms).
· Once the user leaves the primary pages (Home and Trending), YouTube continually feeds relevant content in the Up Next aside based upon that particular selection and likely other associated data patterns (related tags and other user behavior).
VIDEO SELECTION SCREEN
The overall navigation structure has also been simplified immensely. Gone are the layered and repeated page and function references. The crucial metadata categories have been simplified to home (or YouTube recommended) content and trending content. The optional metadata categories, including the best of YouTube (a selection of categories and channels), channel content, and the subscription content (YouTube Red), have been placed within the left-side navigation bar.
This overall simplicity and layout of the site seems to suggest that the core user is highly interested in discovery (even serendipitous discovery). Yes, there are options to search for certain content and to further explore content by categories and channels. But, the home and trending pages simply offer up a large variety of video content suggesting users are willing (and wanting) to browse. This isn’t to say that YouTube isn’t doing its job of serving up some content they believe the user will find appealing. As the user makes his/her way through the site, YouTube learns and responds with suggestions. These recommended categories and channels (and related content) help YouTube drive towards offering more than simply data points but rather knowledge and ultimately wisdom without compromising on the user’s desire to explore.
A FEW OTHER NOTABLE CHANGES
Over the years, the ratings system has changed. While ratings have played a critical role in helping YouTube drive towards information and knowledge, it has chosen a more simplistic format (thumbs up/thumbs down versus star rating). Interestingly enough, the star rating was probably a better format to help users weed out content. The thumb rating, while an industry standard, is more descriptive than usable in organizing and filtering data. It could be assumed that users were not utilizing the original rating system (as a filter) and the site defaulted to the industry standard.
Another improvement to the current site is the use of icons. YouTube does a nice job of appropriately leveraging them throughout, thereby minimizing the descriptive complexity that once existed. The navigation bar uses both icons and appropriately descriptive labels (to limit the confusion that might exist for newer users), establishing clear definitions of content classifications. Throughout the rest of the site, however, YouTube relies simply on the icons. But, because these icons are outlined on an ever-present part of the site AND are clearly designed, there is significantly less confusion compared to earlier design iterations.
Finally, as the site expanded its reach, it made its content available not only in 66 languages, but also on country of origin (89 total countries). This function, displayed in the footer, is another layer of customization that affords the user to more effectively screen through and even understand the content.
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN USER AND SUBSCRIBER
There are a few key differences in the experiences of a subscriber compared to a new/casual visitor:
· The categories of content and the videos recommended (which are based on selected preferences and past viewing behavior);
· An additional crucial metadata category — Subscriptions (in addition to Home and Trending);
· A tailored, customizable navigation bar focusing on selected categories, channels, liked videos, subscriptions, and viewing history;
· A customized My Channel page outlining videos uploaded, a listing of subscriptions and playlists, and liked videos;
· A tailored Creator Studio with developer analytics tools.
HOME SCREEN (MEMBER)
HOME SCREEN (MEMBER) — WITH FOOTER
It is clear that the site has evolved from a self contained video social networking medium to an entertainment and education content consumption medium with broad sharing capabilities. New services like YouTube Red (ad free content and access to original content) and subscription-based channels are deemed valuable enough that users are willing to pay for a once free service. It doesn’t hurt that cable companies and other web-based services (i.e. Netflix) have helped pave the way by changing the context. Even content specific apps like YouTube Music and YouTube Kids have been launched to more effectively screen content for a particular user base and purpose. With the help of YouTube, video has also become a preferred way of consuming information and data. In fact, today it is now the second largest search engine after Google (yes, satisficing is hard at work). And, with service offerings like Creator, it is becoming easier than ever to create great looking content and track its performance. With an expanded publishing base, there is more content and data for the site. More content and data offers more choice and improves the quality. All of which contributes to wisdom and ultimately trust.
So today, given the vast amount of data, the site does a nice job of curating content and creating a clear structure for the primary user. Using simple categorizations and easy to follow navigation along with the tried and true search bar, users can quickly find content that might interest them. This is all done without compromising the user’s desire to discover new things.
BUILDING TRUST WITH ITS USERS
Staying successful in the digital world requires an entity’s ability to take data and drive towards wisdom, which includes the ability to instill a high, sustaining level of trust amongst its user base. YouTube has been highly successful here. Sure, YouTube benefited from being one of the first video sharing services and having the financial backing of Google. But, it has also served up content that is relevant and appealing as well as regularized and organized. And, to instill trust in its offering and ultimately the information and knowledge it shares, YouTube has ensured the following:
o An improved user experience on its site and apps — more simplified and intuitive
o The readily available data (including recommendations) that seems to match a user’s interests
- YouTube is continually learning and continually serving up more options based on prior behavior (that specific user AND the entire YouTube universe) and current selection
o The ability to navigate the data without compromising that serendipitous discovery:
- Through traditional search
- Through categorization by subject, channel, and publishers
- Through thoughtful filters like language and country of origin
o A customized experience for members that reflects topics and subject areas deemed most important to the user
o An ever growing quantity of data, ensuring a user will get what he/she wants with less effort
o A large user base that will call out data and content that is either incorrect, inconsistent, unusable, or of poor quality
The above has contributed to what many believe is a great and trusted user experience, making the data more valuable and the content so much more than simply information. In fact, in 2016, YouTube was rated tops in customer service (across all companies in a US based survey conducted by 24/7 Wall St.). 38% reported an excellent experience with YouTube. This is quite surprising given the minimal personal contact the company has with its “customers”.
So, what is the desired action of the user of this trust instilled by YouTube? Yes, it’s return visits and increased consumption, choosing YouTube over the myriad of entertainment, education, and social channels available today. But, it also means that users are continuing to contribute to the data set and the evolution of the site experience, willing to share more information themselves, and bringing other potential users into the experience (advocacy).
WHAT’S NEXT STEP YOUTUBE
As context evolved (along with user base, technology, entertainment, search, and social media), YouTube followed suit. Certainly, being able to capture (and playback) longer form video has allowed YouTube to take advantage of delivering and sharing interesting content in a preferred form. But, it has also been able to stay on top of viewing and recording technologies, ensuring timely availability of High Definition/4K/8K and even 360 videos. The site is also taking advantage of the seemingly insatiable quest for quality (even unique) on demand video content, offering exceptional content from publishers outside of the major studios and networks. YouTube’s offering of proprietary Channels, original content shows, and even advertising free service (YouTube Red) continue to raise the bar of a video creating, consuming, and sharing service.
Looking forward, the future is really driven by (3) forces:
· The continued evolution of technology available to users;
· The ability of getting to know the continually expanding user more intimately (likes, dislikes, needs, and requirements);
· The ability to understand and serve up the rapidly growing data set (300 hours of video are downloaded every minute).
As mentioned earlier, as video capturing and displaying technologies evolve, so will the types of videos demanded. The latest is 360 degree videos. What might be next? This also applies to the popularity of other up and coming social media platforms. YouTube will need to interface with them so that the reach of its content will continue to grow.
The content and data served up by YouTube must also become smarter. Certainly, this can be based on viewing, search, and navigation behaviors on the site itself. But, this will most likely include understanding behaviors displayed well beyond YouTube (on other sites or other traceable mediums). And, while a smart platform might be preferable (certainly easier) compared to a user needing to create their own screens, it might make sense for YouTube to offer a more detailed filtering capability (possibly through a dynamic filter) and the ability to save that filter for future use. Today, that capability seems limited to things like categories, channels, and publishers along with language and country of origin.
Beyond a better understanding of the user, there is an opportunity to better analyze the posted content and data. In the future, YouTube should be able to more effectively tag content based upon the audio and visual (video) data. This would alleviate the pressure placed on the user (or poster) to effectively (even correctly) describe and classify the content.
Finally, while entertainment and education video consumption has become more of the site’s primary goal, there may be ways to improve content “sharability” in the future. Allowing users to easily modify the video formats others post (i.e. from longer form to shorter forms or gifs) might increase the likelihood of that content being shared.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The journey from a site providing simple data to a site providing knowledge and even wisdom is quite evident with YouTube. It’s commitment to a video focused platform along with its commitment to evolve its experience for an ever growing and changing user base has driven its success over the years. Certainly, it has benefited with the rise of the “selfie” generation, our celebrity obsessed culture (who doesn’t want to be famous), and the desire to easily come together for a cause (the rise of the Arab Spring). The experience has not only become more user friendly (including a more intuitive and simplistic site) but the service has extended to many other web enabled platforms. And, YouTube appears to be on a quest to continually learn more about its users and serve up a constant (almost unending) stream of relevant content. Will the experience be the same in the next decade? Absolutely not. Even more content will be created and shared. That will require YouTube (with the help of Google) to become smarter and serve up even more target preferred data and information the users will love in the forms and on the mediums they prefer.
