Opera has announced three new themes for its Opera One browser called Mirage, Isen, and Cube, with a fourth on the way called Viking. The company has developed these themes directly in response to user feedback. For example, the Mirage theme is a simple black theme that was made in response to a large number of requests for a “matte black,” “solid black,” or “just black” theme.
This direct user-to-product cycle is a deliberate shift for Opera towards a more community-driven, feature-rich customization strategy to attract and retain users.
The new themes are not just simple color changes; they come with animated backgrounds, background music, and browser sounds. The level of customization is significant because it allows for deep personalization. While not a priority for everybody, these new themes and the associated customization could help Opera to lock users into the browser if alternatives don’t offer similar levels of customization.
Opera says that the new Mirage theme, which is all-black, is a good theme for coding non-stop or getting through your uni readings without straining your eyes. This type of thing could appeal to power users.
The “Opera Listens” messaging from Opera is quite clever as it tries to set Opera apart from the faceless corporate monoliths like Google and Microsoft. It helps to give users the impression that Opera is more responsive and agile.
Additionally, many of these bigger browsers push their performance stats a lot but with this update, Opera is focused more on making the experience more enjoyable and personal. With the upcoming Viking theme, Opera introduces a new character called Olaf in an 8-bit theme, showing that the company can make its browser a bit more fun too.
Let us know in the comments how important browser themes are to you. Do you stick to the default or like to personalize?