Did we lose movie rentals for THIS?

The author reminisces about the good old days of visiting video stores to rent movies, where they could browse aisles, read movie descriptions, and discover new films. In contrast, streaming services like Netflix have made it difficult to find movies due to their complex and disorganized interface. The author criticizes Netflix for its lack of simplicity, citing the abundance of subgenres and the inability to sort movies by genre or alphabet. They also question the effectiveness of Netflix's personalization algorithm, which often recommends movies that are not relevant to their interests. The author suggests that Netflix should focus on providing a more user-friendly experience, allowing users to browse movies by genre or alphabet, and providing clear descriptions of each film. Despite its flaws, the author acknowledges that Netflix has some redeeming qualities, such as its ability to stream on multiple devices and its efficient onboarding process. The author concludes that simplicity is key to a good user experience and that Netflix should strive to provide a more streamlined and organized interface. The author also notes that customization, not personalization, is what users truly want, and that Netflix should give users more control over their experience.