In the wake of a controversial redesign and a lackluster explanation from the TwitchCon opening ceremony a panel showing off ways the redesign might eventually make things better was hosted in the GivePLZ to theater at TwitchCon this year. Like most TwitchCon panels, the VOD has not been cut out of the full day’s stream which can be found here. The panel discussed in this article begins at timestamp 03:14:50.

The panel consisted of Twitch staffers Meghan F. and Jeremy F. who are not public figures like most TwitchCon panelists. The panel discussion focused on some of the changes coming to Twitch meant to help new viewers get to know streamers and help streamers retain those viewers.

The panel began with an examination of the problem of discovery on Twitch. According to the panel Twitch sees the problem as one of matching the millions of viewers on Twitch with thousands of daily active streamers on Twitch. Discussion then moved on to ways the Twitch team measures discovery. New views that last for longer than five minutes are the main measure according to the Twitch team. Another problem noted by the team is the way different streamers of the same game will have completely different tones and approaches to the same game.

One change being tested would be a redesigned homepage for Twitch channels when they are offline. The new design features a space for a trailer which can be created by the streamer prominently placed above several carousels of video thumbnails. The videos shown in these sections of the channel page will change depending on whether the visitor is new or returning. Greatest hits for new viewers and most recent content for returning fans.

Another change in the works is a built in schedule page for channels. This would allow streamers to both communicate clearly when they are streaming but also when they are taking a break.

Some Direct tips for streamers were sprinkled throughout the presentation:

Keep a regular stream schedule.

Remember to use tags when you Stream .

Create searchable titles for streams

Choose specific categories for your stream

Other upcoming changes have less to do with the way the site looks and more to do with the back end. Prioritizing recommendations over popularity when showing content won’t really effect the look of Twitch much more than which thumbnails are shown. That small change could have a major impact on what ends up getting views on the site.

So while the changes to Twitch may be frightening they seem to be part of a plan to make the platform better. Who can say now if any of it will work?