This week, Nobel Prizes will be awarded in a variety of categories, and for the first time you can follow the proceedings live on YouTube. Through October 12, YouTube users can tune in to the Nobel Prize YouTube channelfor live-streamed announcements of each prize. This marks the first time that a European event will be live-streamed via YouTube.
Missed the earlier announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine? You can view it here:
The complete schedule of awards announcements is below. Click here to watch them all, live as they unfold:
Physics
Tuesday, October 6: 11.45 a.m. CET, 09.45 a.m. GMT
Chemistry
Wednesday, October 7: 11.45 a.m. CET, 09.45 a.m. GMT
Literature
Thursday, October 8: 1.00 p.m. CET, 11.00 a.m. GMT
Peace
Friday, October 9: 11.00 a.m. CET, 09.00 a.m. GMT
Prize in Economic Sciences
Monday, October 12: 1.00 p.m. CET, 11.00 a.m. GMT
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Inside User Research at YouTube
If you think about watching a video online, it may seem pretty easy. A player, a play/pause button and some content. Done. But what about if the video is being played on a mobile phone? Or on a big screen? What if it's being viewed in Nairobi? Or Shanghai? Now let's say it's being viewed by someone who wants to share her thoughts on the video and by someone who wants to do nothing more than watch more videos. Before you know it, watching a video becomes more complicated than you realize.
Enter user research. While far from providing all the answers, it can help illuminate how the site is actually used --as opposed to guessing how it might be used or assuming the user is just like the people designing the site.
So what exactly is user research like at YouTube? Sometimes it means letting users design their ideal experience. For example, last year we used a method called FIDO (first utilized by Fidelity Investments) where we cut out different elements of various video sites, stuck them on magnets, and had users arrange their ideal organization of the elements (see below for an example). Other times we use a more standard research method called a usability study, which entails seeing whether a user can or can't complete certain standard site tasks in a usability lab.
Sometimes having users come into labs is not enough, though; we want to understand how users use YouTube in their context, in their living room, with their laptop on their lap, sprawled out on the couch. In this case we might have field studies where we interview users in their homes. In addition to such qualitative research, we look closely at the behavior of millions of users through traffic analysis and try to understand what users think of the site by deploying thousands of surveys.
We still have a lot left to learn about how people use YouTube, but some things have become clear. One of the most important findings has to do with the difference between the large group of users who are on YouTube simply to watch videos and a smaller, but very important, group of more engaged users -- often uploaders. The latter group will, unsurprisingly, care about details like how to make communication with their audience easier and more effective, how to grow their audience, and even how to make money on YouTube. The former, on the other hand, want as simple of an interface as possible: "Just let me watch the video, please!" You can see this difference in the results of the FIDO experiment we mentioned earlier -- note how differently each kind of user arranged features on the pageand the sheer number of elements in the scenario on the right:
To make matters more complicated, not everyone fits nicely into one of the two aforementioned categories -- for instance, there are users who like to watch videos, but they might also occasionally comment or favorite. Their ideal experience likely looks like something in-between the two examples pictured above.
It's not always easy to know what the best balance is for everyone, but we are committed to working towards figuring it out. One thing we know for sure is that at the end of the day, we need to build a product that is easy to use and understand. If it becomes too complicated or cluttered, we'll all need to step back and think again.
If you have any thoughts on this, you can let us know here and see what a user research survey looks like if you haven't encountered one yet. In addition, if you'd like to participate in any upcoming research we have, please fill out this form.
Enter user research. While far from providing all the answers, it can help illuminate how the site is actually used --as opposed to guessing how it might be used or assuming the user is just like the people designing the site.
So what exactly is user research like at YouTube? Sometimes it means letting users design their ideal experience. For example, last year we used a method called FIDO (first utilized by Fidelity Investments) where we cut out different elements of various video sites, stuck them on magnets, and had users arrange their ideal organization of the elements (see below for an example). Other times we use a more standard research method called a usability study, which entails seeing whether a user can or can't complete certain standard site tasks in a usability lab.
Sometimes having users come into labs is not enough, though; we want to understand how users use YouTube in their context, in their living room, with their laptop on their lap, sprawled out on the couch. In this case we might have field studies where we interview users in their homes. In addition to such qualitative research, we look closely at the behavior of millions of users through traffic analysis and try to understand what users think of the site by deploying thousands of surveys.
We still have a lot left to learn about how people use YouTube, but some things have become clear. One of the most important findings has to do with the difference between the large group of users who are on YouTube simply to watch videos and a smaller, but very important, group of more engaged users -- often uploaders. The latter group will, unsurprisingly, care about details like how to make communication with their audience easier and more effective, how to grow their audience, and even how to make money on YouTube. The former, on the other hand, want as simple of an interface as possible: "Just let me watch the video, please!" You can see this difference in the results of the FIDO experiment we mentioned earlier -- note how differently each kind of user arranged features on the pageand the sheer number of elements in the scenario on the right:
To make matters more complicated, not everyone fits nicely into one of the two aforementioned categories -- for instance, there are users who like to watch videos, but they might also occasionally comment or favorite. Their ideal experience likely looks like something in-between the two examples pictured above.
It's not always easy to know what the best balance is for everyone, but we are committed to working towards figuring it out. One thing we know for sure is that at the end of the day, we need to build a product that is easy to use and understand. If it becomes too complicated or cluttered, we'll all need to step back and think again.
If you have any thoughts on this, you can let us know here and see what a user research survey looks like if you haven't encountered one yet. In addition, if you'd like to participate in any upcoming research we have, please fill out this form.
Release Notes: 10/1/09
News and notes from our most recent push:
Personalized recommendations on the homepage: Recommendations for you aren't just for users with accounts anymore. Now everyone can visit the YouTube homepage to get an answer to the question, "What should I watch today?" We'll automatically generate some suggestions based on your past viewing history. Of course, you'll still get better, more specific and more consistent recommendations by creating a YouTube account.
Beginning the conversion of remaining old channels: We're starting the process today to convert all remaining channels still using the older platform to the new one. (This migration could take up to two weeks to complete.) Once again, your comments and feedback have been instrumental in helping the new version evolve and grow (you can see a list of items we addressed here). Now customizing and editing your channel is a lot easier, with plenty of options for organizing videos, and the channel refocuses attention on engaging with you and your videos, which, after all, is the centerpiece of any YouTube experience. And we've got a lot of great ideas and input from you on things you'd like to see next.
YouTube in Portuguese (the European kind): We've added Portuguese (as spoken in Portugal) to the list of languages in which you can experience YouTube. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, find "Current Language" and click on "Show languages." You'll see options there for both Português and Português (Brasil).
New discount in Creator's Corner: Logitech is offering YouTube users in the U.S. 15% off select Webcams. Clickhere for the coupon code and link.
Personalized recommendations on the homepage: Recommendations for you aren't just for users with accounts anymore. Now everyone can visit the YouTube homepage to get an answer to the question, "What should I watch today?" We'll automatically generate some suggestions based on your past viewing history. Of course, you'll still get better, more specific and more consistent recommendations by creating a YouTube account.
Beginning the conversion of remaining old channels: We're starting the process today to convert all remaining channels still using the older platform to the new one. (This migration could take up to two weeks to complete.) Once again, your comments and feedback have been instrumental in helping the new version evolve and grow (you can see a list of items we addressed here). Now customizing and editing your channel is a lot easier, with plenty of options for organizing videos, and the channel refocuses attention on engaging with you and your videos, which, after all, is the centerpiece of any YouTube experience. And we've got a lot of great ideas and input from you on things you'd like to see next.
YouTube in Portuguese (the European kind): We've added Portuguese (as spoken in Portugal) to the list of languages in which you can experience YouTube. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, find "Current Language" and click on "Show languages." You'll see options there for both Português and Português (Brasil).
New discount in Creator's Corner: Logitech is offering YouTube users in the U.S. 15% off select Webcams. Clickhere for the coupon code and link.
The Global Classroom on YouTube EDU
Class is back in session at YouTube EDU (youtube.com/edu). We're excited to welcome many new college and university partners and a few enhancements that will help you discover the wealth of educational material that they provide.
The open educational video movement is a worldwide phenomenon. That's why we're proud to announce that YouTube EDU now includes universities from the UK, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, and Israel.Cambridge University, Open University, Bocconi University and Open University of Catalonia are among the 45 new additions who've opened their doors to a global audience of students, teachers, alumni, and self-learners.
Meanwhile, the number of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada now participating in YouTube EDU tops 200 -- 2x what we launched with six months ago -- providing more than 40,000 videos of lectures, news, and campus life. Recent highlights include an Art & Technology lecture series from Columbia University and the seminal course"Justice" from Harvard.
Now that YouTube EDU is international, we are introducing a language menu so you only receive videos that you understand. In other words, if your YouTube EDU language is set to English, you will only see YouTube EDU videos in English, be they from American, British or other schools. Viewers with the French language setting can enjoy videos from HEC Paris, as well as those from French-Canadian University of Montreal. You can change the language of YouTube EDU videos at any time or even set languages to All for the full spectrum.
With so many videos to choose from, we are also providing the ability to browse by subjects such as Business, Engineering, and Literature. This is English-only for now, but look for it to expand to other languages as more universities come on board.
Happy learning!
The open educational video movement is a worldwide phenomenon. That's why we're proud to announce that YouTube EDU now includes universities from the UK, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, and Israel.Cambridge University, Open University, Bocconi University and Open University of Catalonia are among the 45 new additions who've opened their doors to a global audience of students, teachers, alumni, and self-learners.
Meanwhile, the number of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada now participating in YouTube EDU tops 200 -- 2x what we launched with six months ago -- providing more than 40,000 videos of lectures, news, and campus life. Recent highlights include an Art & Technology lecture series from Columbia University and the seminal course"Justice" from Harvard.
Now that YouTube EDU is international, we are introducing a language menu so you only receive videos that you understand. In other words, if your YouTube EDU language is set to English, you will only see YouTube EDU videos in English, be they from American, British or other schools. Viewers with the French language setting can enjoy videos from HEC Paris, as well as those from French-Canadian University of Montreal. You can change the language of YouTube EDU videos at any time or even set languages to All for the full spectrum.
With so many videos to choose from, we are also providing the ability to browse by subjects such as Business, Engineering, and Literature. This is English-only for now, but look for it to expand to other languages as more universities come on board.
Happy learning!
Wanted: Puppy and Kitty Videos for Good
Like many of you, actor Ben Stein cares deeply about animals (especially his dog Puppy Wuppy). That's why, with World Animal Day right around the corner, Ben is calling on you (and your pet, if you like) to make a video on behalf of your favorite animal welfare organization, as part of YouTube's Video Volunteers program.
The top three videos will appear on the YouTube homepage, next to Ben's video about the Humane Society, as part of a special spotlight on animal welfare at the end of the month. Here's Ben with more details:
This is just the beginning: each month, we'll feature a different relevant issue on the Video Volunteers channel with a new guest curator, and you could have the opportunity to showcase your work (and favorite org) to a huge audience.
For this month, you have until October 22 at midnight PT to submit your video to www.youtube.com/videovolunteers, so grab your camera and use it to make a difference! Then make sure to vote on October 24 for the videos you'd most like to see featured on the homepage.
The top three videos will appear on the YouTube homepage, next to Ben's video about the Humane Society, as part of a special spotlight on animal welfare at the end of the month. Here's Ben with more details:
This is just the beginning: each month, we'll feature a different relevant issue on the Video Volunteers channel with a new guest curator, and you could have the opportunity to showcase your work (and favorite org) to a huge audience.
For this month, you have until October 22 at midnight PT to submit your video to www.youtube.com/videovolunteers, so grab your camera and use it to make a difference! Then make sure to vote on October 24 for the videos you'd most like to see featured on the homepage.
Java YouTube Developers: Update Your Libraries
If you access the YouTube API via Java using the official Google Data Client Library, we want to let you know about upcoming changes to the YouTube API that may affect your existing code. Developers who are using a client library in a language other than Java, or who use Java but access the YouTube API without using the Google Data Client Library will not be affected by this change.
Versions of the Java Google Data Client Library earlier than 1.41.2 (the most recent release as of this writing) are particularly picky about the data they receive back from the YouTube API and deserialize into Java objects. If our YouTube API servers are updated to start including an additional attribute for an existing element in their Atom XML responses, older versions of the Java client library will throw a deserialization exception complaining about this extra data. While this might be considered beneficial in some contexts, it unfortunately precludes our ability to extend the YouTube API’s functionality by returning back new data in its responses. We recently ran into this issue while trying to launch a new totalUploadViews attribute, for instance.
We removed the totalUploadViews attribute soon after adding it, but progress can’t be delayed forever. If you’re using the Java Google Data Client Library, we strongly recommend that you update your installation to the 1.41.2 (or newer) release. We plan on re-adding the totalUploadViews attribute in mid-July, and other new attributes may follow. If you haven’t updated to a compatible version of the Java client library by mid-July, your existing Java code will start throwing exceptions when you retrieve an Atom XML response containing the new attribute, such as a request for a user’s YouTube profile.
A special note to developers using YouTube Direct: because YouTube Direct is built on top of the Java client library, it also needs to be updated to use a compatible release. The latest archived downloads of the source code for both the 1.0 and 2.0 releases, as well as the SVN source, have been updated for compatibility. Please take the time to update your YouTube Direct deployment in App Engine before mid-July.
Versions of the Java Google Data Client Library earlier than 1.41.2 (the most recent release as of this writing) are particularly picky about the data they receive back from the YouTube API and deserialize into Java objects. If our YouTube API servers are updated to start including an additional attribute for an existing element in their Atom XML responses, older versions of the Java client library will throw a deserialization exception complaining about this extra data. While this might be considered beneficial in some contexts, it unfortunately precludes our ability to extend the YouTube API’s functionality by returning back new data in its responses. We recently ran into this issue while trying to launch a new totalUploadViews attribute, for instance.
We removed the totalUploadViews attribute soon after adding it, but progress can’t be delayed forever. If you’re using the Java Google Data Client Library, we strongly recommend that you update your installation to the 1.41.2 (or newer) release. We plan on re-adding the totalUploadViews attribute in mid-July, and other new attributes may follow. If you haven’t updated to a compatible version of the Java client library by mid-July, your existing Java code will start throwing exceptions when you retrieve an Atom XML response containing the new attribute, such as a request for a user’s YouTube profile.
A special note to developers using YouTube Direct: because YouTube Direct is built on top of the Java client library, it also needs to be updated to use a compatible release. The latest archived downloads of the source code for both the 1.0 and 2.0 releases, as well as the SVN source, have been updated for compatibility. Please take the time to update your YouTube Direct deployment in App Engine before mid-July.
YouTube API @ Google I/O 2010
Kuan Yong, Gareth McSorley and I -- representing Product Management, Engineering, and Developer Relations, respectively -- were happy to present a YouTube API session at this year’s Google I/O developer conference. We got the chance to meet many members of the developer community there, but unfortunately not everyone is able to make it out to San Francisco in person. For the benefit of those who could not attend, a recording of our session is now available on YouTube, and embedded below.
The session was titled “YouTube API Uploads: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices” and we covered all topics related to uploads from A (Android app uploads) to Z (zero-metadata uploads). We hit a few letters in between, too: B (browser-based uploads) I (iPhone app uploads), Q (upload quota questions), R (resumable uploads) and Y (YouTube Direct). There’s something for everyone in this session, so if your application uploads video to YouTube, be sure to check it out!
The session was titled “YouTube API Uploads: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices” and we covered all topics related to uploads from A (Android app uploads) to Z (zero-metadata uploads). We hit a few letters in between, too: B (browser-based uploads) I (iPhone app uploads), Q (upload quota questions), R (resumable uploads) and Y (YouTube Direct). There’s something for everyone in this session, so if your application uploads video to YouTube, be sure to check it out!
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