We should definitely start with the most basic, and that is you may be wondering what a Netflix double thumb is. It’s normal that you don’t know, because we’re talking about a new streaming service interface feature that lets you let the service and its algorithm know that you like this content, that you like it (it’s actually called I love it!), with all the consequences that this may have in the future. This feature has been introduced for all users today.

So if you access Netflix, select any content, and you’re going to give the traditional “Like,” you’ll see several options at once, thumbs down, thumbs up, and two inches also pointing up. The first two elements need no further explanation, as they have been present on Netflix for many years and are also comparable to those found in many other services and social networks.

And how did you get to the double thumb? The first impulse could lead us to the idea that one day a meeting was convened in the offices of Netflix, the possibility of having something like super jakoand a few hours later the developers were already working on its implementation. A big mistake and a very interesting article about the protocol allows us to know step by step the whole maturing process from the initial concept to the deployment of the function.

The first thing that surprises is to know the idea originated about a year and a half ago. Yes, you read that right, 18 months to implement a function that, when viewed from the outside, seems quite basic. Of course, this is what it looks like, but now is the time to remember that Netflix is ​​one of the technology companies today that prefers the time a user spends, so all the changes are well studied. , very thoroughly.

The starting point is when user feedback tells Netflix that some of them consider it a “Like” poll. gives the same conditions that we like and that excite ussomething that prepares the platform for better tuning of personalized content selection.

Once it is decided to answer this point, the design phase begins. And one of the first options is, as many would think, to keep your thumbs down, thumbs up and add heart for particularly highly rated content by. At this stage, however, other designs were tested, such as depictions of the flap, shooting stars and similar elements, which were quickly identifiable.

Among them, though it didn’t seem like the most obvious choice, was a double inchand the way Netflix ultimately chose it can be found in the many tests and interviews the company conducted with its users. And this is undoubtedly the most interesting point, because it tells us that what seems most obvious at first glance may not really be when it is subjected to in-depth analysis.

And that’s when we stop at itWhat tells us that the heart is better than a thumbs up or vice versa? It is true that if we stop to read this, we might know, but the key in these decisions is that the elements are read and “decrypted” immediately to ensure rapid interaction. The double thumb is clearly recognizable within the Netflix signage codeand no one would doubt that two “OK” is anything better than one.

This is not the first change in the content rating system, and even the most experienced Netflix users will remember this. Until 2017 onThe platform allowed each content to be rated zero to five starsa truly universal method of evaluation, which, on the other hand, forced the user to carry out a more comprehensive evaluation, which in some cases ended the immediacy of the operation and in other cases discouraged users from evaluating.

As in that case, and in tests of many other features, Netflix doesn’t take it lightly. On the contrary, these processes can take a long time. In this case, we have a perfect example with about a year and a half of A / B testing, interviews and even exposing the fact that some people taking the test will post it, ending the surprise effect.

It is undoubtedly very interesting to know how these types of processes are performed and the vast amount of intelligence and analysis that exists even after a change as seemingly simple as this. And the thing is, if Netflix spent about a year and a half adding a double inch, it’s surprising to imagine the time that may be needed to implement larger plansas a complete redesign of its interface.