Like the title says, Korean online platform NAVER has spread its two wings. What are the two wings the NAVER we know has? This column introduces a change in Mobile NAVER, the fairy tale-like story of the 'two wings', Green Dot and Green Window.

 On October 10th, NAVER held NAVER CONNECT 2019, inviting about 1,500 of its key business partners – small businesses and creators. NAVER announced the direction of Mobile NAVER redesign in details and the background to the redesign at the conference. It was especially a venue of sharing how NAVER plans to connect and expand the diversity of many users through UX, UI and technology with a demonstration of the Mobile NAVER beta version screen.

 The number of users visiting the main screen of NAVER Mobile, Korea's largest online service, is reaching 30million a day. NAVER explained that the focus of the redesign was to 'Connect' the variety of thoughts and interests of its users and that the concept started from thinking about how its '7 news headlines' and '20 real-time trending search words' were attracting the focus of 30million users.

 The main screen of the redesigned Mobile NAVER looks similar to Google search. The home screen, which may seem a bit too simple, displays NAVER's Green Window to emphasize its signature look and the interactive search button, Green Dot, on the bottom of the screen.

 The news headlines and real-time trending search words that were displayed in the previous home screen, attracting the most focus of its users, have been boldly hidden away to 'News Pan' and 'Search Chart Pan,' in an effort to prevent the focus of 30million users falling on only a few information.

 NAVER's search screen Green Window is placed at the center of the first mobile page. When you click the theme (or 'Pan') pages, the Green Window is displayed on the top of the page (same as before). However, NAVER Mobile is redesigned to hide the Green Window in the detail pages unless you pull down the entire screen, which is when the Green Window will appear.

 The interactive search button, Green Dot, is located on the bottom of the page where it is easily accessible. The Green Dot supports access to a variety of functions with only a few touches. NAVER plans to offer various recommended keywords and menus by analyzing information such as time, location and language of individual users based on AI technology. The Green Dot is expected to 'communicate' with users as an interactive button by building a closer relationship with each user to provide convenience.

 As emphasized in the title of this column, the boldest attempt in the Mobile NAVER redesign is the 'two wings.' In general, portals, commerce platforms, magazines, and many other online services start with a screen on the left as the user flip through to the right to attain information. However, the new NAVER design places the home screen at the center with the East Land to the right, maintaining the text and list-based UI familiar to users, while displaying the West Lab to the left to offer various UI and technological attempts that were previously not tried for the sake of service consistency.

 As the two wings are different in nature, the components are also designed quite differently. The colors of the two wings are gradation colors overall providing a visually new look, while East Land uses NAVER's familiar green and blue color variations to project reliability and West Lab uses purple and pink variations to show a new side of the Lab.

 In addition, West Lab maximizes the use of image thumbnails appropriate for its creative and unconstrained feel, while the fact-centric East Land uses texts, list layouts and numbers. The UI elements, such as layout and thumbnail size, are differently designed according to each of the two wings' characteristics for the users to really see the difference.

 KakaoTalk, Naver Map and Instagram had received a lot of negative feedback from users when they redesigned their services. Most users commented that the previous services (before the redesign) were much better. However, users quickly adapted to the redesigned screens, becoming familiar to the new UX flow and the new technologies combined with the services as time passed by.

 An interesting point to watch for will be how NAVER develops and designs its services and which of the technologies and philosophy it will apply, while balancing between the negative feedback from existing users on the redesigned NAVER Mobile and users who welcome the new change.

 Personally, I think the redesign is a smart choice as NAVER offers very new and bold functions through West Lab while maintaining familiarity in East Land. Of course, changing the habits of 30million users is an incredibly difficult task. But no one knows – maybe Green Dot and West Lab will become NAVER's main services through new experience and attempts.

 The android version of the new Mobile NAVER that was unveiled on October 10th will be released on the 11th as beta version. And the iOS version will be available before the end of the year.