YouTube’s new comment redesign is ‘threading’ on thin ice
Summary
- YouTube’s new comment section UI on Android and iOS introduces a visual ‘thread’ indicator, but it doesn’t actually thread replies like Reddit does.
- The visual thread is present in the condensed view, but the actual threading isn’t present in the expanded view, which creates a confusing and inconsistent experience
- True threaded replies could have significantly improved YouTube’s comment section, especially given the current reliance on manually tracking usernames and tags to follow conversations within a reply section.
YouTube’s latest comment section UI redesign is as useless as they come. If you haven’t noticed it already, go give it a look.
YouTube has silently rolled out a revamped comment section UI on Android and iOS (desktop spared for now) that tries to emulate Reddit, and Reddit users themselves seem to hate it. This comes soon after the streaming giant made UI changes that actually sat well with users.
Related
The new UI is live with YouTube version 20.05.35, and while it draws inspiration from Reddit’s threaded comment section, the implementation falls short. The new UI introduces a visual ‘thread’ indicator that connects the commenter’s profile picture with subsequent replies — and that’s about all it does (via AndroidAuthority).
Once you open a specific comment’s replies, unlike Reddit, all subsequent comments aren’t threaded, making the update feel like a change just for change’s sake.
They dropped the ball on this one
The thread is simply a visual indication that points at a comment’s replies, and in no way does it improve the platform’s previous functional, if not perfect, comment section design. For what it’s worth, unlike Reddit, replies on YouTube remain condensed, which could explain the streaming giant’s approach. However, adding the indication of a thread in condensed view only to not offer it within the expanded view creates a confusing and inconsistent experience.
This seems like a very insignificant change to complain about, but true threaded replies could have actually been huge for the platform. In YouTube’s current implementation, if you expand a reply section that has several responses, you need to manually keep track of usernames/tags to understand context and to decipher whether the response was to the original commenter or someone else entirely — precisely what threaded comments solve.
We hope that YouTube adds actual threading to the comment section in a subsequent update, considering that the current implementation adds little to no value to the platform’s comment section.
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