YouTube Music gets a new Library section design, changing the list to a card system

YouTube Music substantially changes the look of the Library section, used for discovering new songs to listen to. The new version replaces the vertically scrolling list with a system based on cards, grouped in pairs and polished with the covers of your favorite artists.

The new Library version is currently being tested as an experiment, and is only automatically enabled for some users of the YouTube Music client for smartphones.

Not necessarily more practical or efficient to use than the somewhat more compact display list, the card-based interface emphasizes album covers, playlists, and respective artists, with Google appearing to test users’ reaction to visual stimuli, and it remains to be seen whether or not it will adopt this interface format.

What is certain is that users used to scrolling quickly through lists and albums are left with three times less information displayed on the screen, leaving them to scroll just as many extra times to find the album or song they’re interested in.

The card-based interface offers a few advantages, however, such as a one-touch button for reverting to the old list-style display format, helping users who already know their content library and want to get to the content they want without wasting time admiring cover photos. True, for casual users, the card-based format will probably seem more appealing, stimulating curiosity about discovering new artists and interesting songs to listen to. Another plus for the card-based interface would be the ease with which it can be navigated, for example while running or performing activities that reduce the accuracy of touch controls.