How did YouTube's interface look when it was first launched?

When YouTube was first launched in February 2005, its interface was quite basic compared to modern standards. Here's a description of its early design and features:

### **1. **Simple Layout:**
   - **Minimalist Design**: The initial interface featured a clean, minimalist design with a focus on functionality over aesthetics. The layout was straightforward, with a simple color scheme dominated by white and blue.
   - **Top Navigation Bar**: The top of the page included a navigation bar with links to key sections such as "Home," "Browse," and "Upload." This bar provided access to the platform's main areas and features.

### **2. **Video Player and Display:**
   - **Basic Video Player**: The video player was basic, with simple controls for play, pause, and volume. The design of the player was functional but not as advanced as today's players.
   - **Video Thumbnails**: Video thumbnails were small and displayed in a grid format, allowing users to browse and select videos to watch. These thumbnails were basic and often captured from the video content itself.

### **3. **Search and Categories:**
   - **Search Functionality**: The search bar was prominently placed, allowing users to search for videos by keywords. This feature was essential for navigating the growing library of content.
   - **Categories and Tags**: Early YouTube included basic categories and tags to help users browse and discover content. This organization helped users find videos related to specific topics or interests.

### **4. **Video Upload and Management:**
   - **Upload Interface**: The upload feature was straightforward, allowing users to upload video files from their computers. The interface for uploading was basic, focusing on file selection and basic metadata input.
   - **Channel Pages**: User channels were simple and included basic information about the uploader, a list of their uploaded videos, and options to subscribe or view their content.

### **5. **User Interaction:**
   - **Comments and Ratings**: The ability to comment on and rate videos was available, though these features were basic compared to modern standards. Comments were displayed below the video, and ratings were shown as a simple thumbs-up/thumbs-down system.
   - **Subscriptions**: Users could subscribe to channels, though this feature was more rudimentary compared to the sophisticated subscription and notification systems of today.

### **6. **Overall Appearance:**
   - **Early Web Aesthetics**: The overall appearance of YouTube in its early days reflected the web design trends of the mid-2000s, with a focus on simplicity and functionality rather than modern visual design elements.

In summary, YouTube's initial interface was characterized by its minimalist design, basic video player, simple search and category features, and rudimentary user interaction options. This early design laid the foundation for the platform's growth and evolution into the complex and feature-rich interface seen today.