Plex has a new UNO UI, designed to offer a simple to use but powerful experience. UNO UI is now rolling out to more platforms and devices.
The company plans to roll UNI UI out universally across the Plex ecosystem. Therefore all users will need to become more familiar with the incoming changes. The rollout is being staggered across platforms and so some platform users will gain access before others. Right now, the new UI is rolling out to “all TV platforms.” This will then be followed by iOS, and then Android.
The new UI is already visible for Plex web app users, while Roku and Apple users should already be familiar with it. The new UI was previously tested and rolled out to those platform users earlier in 2019.
The main point Plex wants to get across with the new UI is its simplicity. For example, this redesign was constructed to make it easier to get to content more quickly. This can be interpreted as an easier to navigate interface, or more simply, less clicks. Either way, categories should now be easier to see, and quicker to traverse.
In spite of this more simple approach, Plex is also keen to point to the UI as being as powerful as it always has been. Basically, Plex is advertising a simple, but at the same time not so simple UI. In Plex’s own words, an “elegant, and powerful system.”
Part of this power comes from the UI’s customization options. Plex says the UI will curate an experience that’s suited to the individual. In the cases where the UI gets it wrong, users can manually adjust the experience further for a more personal look and feel.
One of the additional benefits of the new UI is the consistency of experience across devices. This UI is not only rolling out to all platforms but has been put together to ensure a familiar experience. This is regardless of what device is being used, or the number of devices a Plex user might bounce between. Part of the universal approach can be seen through the introduction of the new sidebar shown in the images above.
Once in use, users will immediately notice the new sidebar as it replaces what was a top menu in most platform apps. The exception here is the Android mobile app which utilizes a bottom tab menu. According to the company, the moving of the menu to the side has helped to free up space. This space, in turn, can be used to showcase even more content – another example of the content being quicker to access.
Plex also took a moment to explain its hopes the new user interface will prove particularly useful to web app users. After all, the web app is not only one of many Plex ecosystem access points, but also the main access point for those looking to customize or manage some of the more advanced Plex features. For example, a Plex Media Server.