Has two-way Library access/view been deliberately removed from Roku?

[barr88]

Server Version#: 1.31.3.6819
Player Version#: Version 7.0 build 30

Previously (and it had been this way for a very long time), two Library views were automatically available, by simply accessing a Library one of two ways.

Scroll to a given Library and the default “Recommended” view is always shown (provided you’re not set to preserve Library views, see further below).

1. If a right-arrow is then used to access the Library, the “Recommended” view is preserved.

2. If a select/OK/middle-button is used to access the Library instead of a right-arrow, the “Library” view was automatically chosen for you (instead of the “Recommended” view).

NOTE that this requires ‘Remember Selected Tab’ to be unchecked (under Settings>Experience>Remember Selected Tab) or each Library will simply remember whatever the last view was every time.

I use both views frequently so it WAS perfect (for me, at least). Both of the most-used views were immediately available based solely on which single button was used to access the library, without any additional scrolling or selecting necessary.

When I noticed this was “broken” on the Preview build a while back, I thought it was an oversight and switched over to the regular channel in the interim. Now the regular channel has updated to Ver. 7 build 30, as well, and this behavior no longer works there, either. This makes me now think it wasn’t an “oversight,” so much as it may have been, “by deliberate design.”

Can anyone Plex confirm that this behavior was deliberately removed? And, if so, may I inquire as to why? As it stands right now, a right-arrow into a Library and a Select/OK into a Library both do the exact same thing, for no apparent gain or benefit.

[Justina_plex]

Hi, I can confirm that the behaviour has been deliberately removed. There are now more pivots in each sidebar source and this behaviour worked best when there were only the two pivots (Recommended and Library). This change also simplifies the experience for users. We’ve also looked at user behaviour of where/how users are getting to content and starting playback, so there was some data to back this decision.

[barr88]

Thanks for the reply and confirmation. I’m disappointed in the decision, but it’s not the first time (this behavior was PERFECT for my use-case, and added as part of the new-UX fiasco/fix several years ago, I believe).

I disagree that it simplifies the user experience (more navigation to accomplish the same feat is not “simpler,” imo), but I would agree that it simplifies things from a user support standpoint (there’s less confusion to be had about what buttons do what on the remote when they all do the same thing).

Regardless of the current or eventual number of pivots, I’d wager that “Recommended” and “Library” will remain the top-2 for the vast majority of users for the foreseeable future, while the others (Collections, Playlists, Categories, etc.) are outliers where users would be more likely to accept more navigation steps as a requirement to access them.

Using both right-arrow AND OK/Select to accomplish the same task is just wasted UX, imo. Perhaps a more user-friendly solution would be to leave that as the default behavior (for continued ease-of-support), but provide a Settings option for power-users that would allow OK/Select to continue to function as a “direct to Library listing” button. Or, even better, customizable to whichever pivot the user prefers (the setting would just do nothing if a given Library didn’t have that preferred pivot, as it did before for Plex’s own “Live TV,” for example).

My two cents. Apparently, I’m a fringe use-case. Now on to adjusting to 4-clicks instead of the previous 1-click every time I wish to access the “Library” listing for one of my Libraries in Roku. Fun.

(yes, I’m aware I could turn on, “Remember Selected Tab,” in Settings, but that just shifts the 4-click requirement to “Recommended” instead of “Library”).

At any rate, thanks again for confirming that removing this shortcut was a deliberate choice by Plex.

[AmazingRando24]

I would also like to add my disappointment at the removal of this navigational experience. Although there may be a case for adding pivots, two of them are primary, while the others are there for convenience. Having shortcuts to the two most used pivots is massively convenient, and adding clicks to get to them really isn’t.

It seems a little odd to remove a feature that some people were using, when it didn’t take anything away from those who were not.