Categories: General

New Test Pilot Experiments: Custom Colour and Side View

Before we bring new features to Firefox, we give them a test run to make sure they’re right for our users. To help determine which features we add and how exactly they should work, we created the Test Pilot programme.

Since the launch of Test Pilot, we have experimented with 16 different features, and three have graduated to live in Firefox full time: Activity Stream, Containers and Screenshots. Recently, Screenshots surpassed more than 100M+ screenshots since it launched (Woot!). Thanks to active Firefox users who opt to take part in Test Pilot experiments.

This week, the Test Pilot team is continuing to evolve Firefox features with two new extensions that will offer users a more customisable and productive browsing experience.

Introducing Firefox Colour

One of the greatest things about the Test Pilot programme is being the first to try new things. Check out this video from one of our favourite extensions we’re hoping you’ll try out:

New Firefox Colour extension allows you to customise several different elements of your browser, including background texture, text, icons, the toolbar and highlights.

Colour changes update automatically to the browser as you go, so you can mix and match until you find the perfect combo to suit you. Whether you like to update with the seasons, or rep your favourite sports team during playoffs, the new colour extension makes it simple to customise your Firefox experience to match anything from your mood or your wardrobe.

You can also save and share your creation with others, or choose from a variety of pre-installed themes.

Introducing Side View

Side View is a great tool for comparison shopping, allowing you to easily scope the best deals on flights or home appliances, and eliminating the need to switch between two separate web pages. It also allows you to easily compare news stories or informational material–perfect for writing a research paper or conducting side-by-side revisions of documents all in one window.

The Side View extension allows you to view two different browser tabs in the same tab, within the same browser window.

You can also opt for Side View to log your recent comparisons, so you can easily access frequently viewed pages.

Join Test Pilot

The Test Pilot programme is open to all Firefox users. Your feedback helps us test and evaluate a variety of potential Firefox features. We have more than 100k daily participants, and if you’re interested in helping us build the future of Firefox, visit testpilot.firefox.com to learn more. We’ve made it easy for anyone around the world to join with experiments available in 48 languages.

If you’re familiar with Test Pilot then you know all our projects are experimental, so we’ve made it easy to give us feedback or disable features at any time from testpilot.firefox.com.

We’d love to hear your feedback!