I just checked into one of my YouTube accounts and noticed that the layout for the homepage as a logged in user has changed yet again. About a week ago, I had issues with users’ channel pages where the top menu bar disappeared under the banner. I managed to get around that limitation through adding the /videos aspect to the URL. Still, this entire episode with Google/YouTube is making me increasingly frustrated with their services.
Since I tend to use two separate YouTube accounts for various purposes, it becomes quite obvious at times whenever they decide to change the layout. More than likely, the mad scientists over at Google are performing some silly A/B testing treatment. This constant change without informing their users is really hair pulling bad.
I did hear that earlier some hackers tried to do something against YouTube probably in protest to the whole Google+ comments fiasco. I don’t know if Google’s response was to re-push certain aspects of their code but it’s hard to say. The company never really publishes what they’re doing but just shoves it down your throat. When I returned to YouTube on one account, it seems as though the changes were reverted there.
But even before these changes occurred, this constant A/B testing mode has been utterly frustrating. It would really be nice to have an opt-out option somewhere or a message informing us that these layout changes are coming to better prepare. Either way, I’m itching for a rival company to come up and start beating YouTube/Google over the head because I don’t see the same usability quality that they once had.