Netflix is one of the most recognizable modern companies, yet experiencing stagnation, decreasing profits, and declining subscriber growth. This project explores ways that Netflix can give more value to consumers to maintain subscribers and create a real rationale for rising prices.
Overview
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Initial Research & Competitive Analysis
User Interviews & Analysis
Create Personas
Create User Scenarios
Create User Flows
Create Wireflows
Create Low Fidelity Prototype
Round 1: User Testing
Create High Fidelity Prototype
Round 2: User Testing
Finalize Prototype and Presentation
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Alissa Brimeyer: UX Designer, UX Researcher, UX Strategist
Katie Mendoza: UX Designer, UX Researcher, UX Strategist
Insights and advice from Nitin Sampathi’s Spring 2022 UX Prototyping class
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Figma
Mural
Illustrator
Google Drive
Zoom
Otter.ai
Calendly
Background
The problem
Since Netflix was first created, streaming has had a massive rise, leading to an overly competitive market. Competitors are engaging in streaming wars, attempting to have better content at a lower price to draw viewers to their platforms. This competition is a challenge for Netflix, as they have invested in their originals, but other platforms have a backlog of their own content, including Disney+ and HBO. As companies strive for better content, they have to increase prices, and consumers then have to decide which streaming services to keep. Users need more content/options/features/access to continue paying these rising amounts. Currently, Netflix has three plans: Basic (1 device at 480p for $9.99/month), Standard (2 devices at 1080p for $15.49/month), and Premium (4 devices at 4k for $17.99/month). Netflix has been struggling with how to stop account sharing as well, as they ask that only those living in the same house may use the same account, but most people interviewed break this rule. From now on, 'subscriber' will be used to refer to the household/viewer pool on an account, and 'user' will be anyone that uses Netflix.
The audience
Netflix is the largest streaming service in the world, with 213.6 million Netflix subscribers (as of Spring 2022), with 23% of subscribers watching Netflix daily. It is estimated that 41% of users are not paying, and most subscribers primarily binge-watch a few favorite shows. Netflix users can watch on a tablet, tv, computer, or phone, but many expanded features and choices on Netflix rely on a web browser. For this reason, we are first building out the web browser version to test and analyze this problem before pairing down the features for mobile and tv.
Personas
The Long Distance Communicator
LUCY
Age: 27
Location: NYC
Occupation: Junior Marketing Associate
Behaviors:
Relaxes by streaming tv and movies
Enjoys discussing movies & shows
Communicates with family & friends with calls, texts, and on social media
Has a long list of shows to watch and many streaming services available
Needs/Goals:
Connect with long-distance loved ones through shared tv shows
Prioritize what to watch with limited leisure time
Communicate what she is watching efficiently
Pain Points:
Misses watching movies and shows with family and friends
Has no way to watch shows with others without an outside application
Has difficulty deciding which shows to watch
Doesn’t want to waste time starting a show she will not like
User Scenario 1
As a recent relocator, I want to watch movies and tv shows with people remotely, so I can connect with them long-distance.
User Scenario 2
As a busy professional, I want to know what my friends and family are watching, so I can relate to them when I see them.
The Family Follower
Farah
Age: 75
Location: Waynesville, Ohio
Occupation: Retired
Behaviors:
Watches shows based on recommendations
Doesn’t spend time searching for shows
Shares streaming accounts with family
Prefers to watch when her family is visiting as a group activity
Needs/Goals:
Find shows that she finds interesting
Find and watch the shows she hears about from her family
To categorize shows she wants to watch both alone and with family
Pain Points:
Not tech-savvy or trend-savvy enough to browse effectively
Often feels a step behind on keeping up with entertainment
There aren’t reviews that help her decide what to watch
User Scenario 1
As a grandmother, I want to know what shows my grandkids are interested in, so I can watch them and relate to them.
User Scenario 2
As a frequent host of family, I want to save movies and shows for myself and others I love, so I can have entertainment options ready.
The Constant Viewer
CURTIS
Age: 34
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Occupation: Runs a Small Business From Home
Behaviors:
Watches shows as background noise
Has a partner that he watches with at night
Has several streaming services and many shows being watched
Switches between phone, computer, and tv for streaming
Needs/Goals:
Finding shows that he can watch with and without his partner
Searching through show categories quickly
Maintaining the list of his shows being actively watched
Pain Points:
Waiting on tv shows when his partner is busy
Finding shows to watch that his partner won’t want to watch
Filtering through half-watched shows
Losing his place in shows from switching between devices
User Scenario 1
As a partner in a relationship, I want to keep track of viewing progress so I can continue watching without losing my partner’s spot.
User Scenario 2
As a person who watches several shows at once, I want to pin and manage my most important shows, so I can immediately find what I am looking for.
The Plan
Key Features
The ability to create a watch party and sync viewing with friends and family that aren’t nearby
Timestamp bookmarks to maintain your place in a show if you continue watching without someone.
Social add-ins to recommend shows directly and in a feed.
The ability to create lists of shows, both public and shared.
Testing Reactions
All new features were listed as a favorite by at least one user.
All users could also easily list how they might use every feature in their own lives.
The Design System
Testing
User Testing Plan: Round 1
Primary Goal:
To discover how to seamlessly integrate social interactions into the current Netflix experience.
Secondary Goals:
To discover how to enable users to craft their Netflix experience to fit their personal watching styles.
To focus questions on both the value and usability of the new features.
To add new features without disrupting the current Netflix experience.
Method:
Five participants
45-minute moderated usability tests
Held remotely (3) and in-person (2)
3 main tasks, 6 user flows
User Testing Plan: Round 2
Primary Goal:
To discover if the changes made from the first round of testing had the desired impact.
Secondary Goals:
To find possible next steps for further usability and accessibility of the new features.
To look at how users would interact with the feature in their own life.
To focus on alterations that can be implemented in the time frame with the most significant impact.
Method:
Five participants
45-minute moderated usability tests
Held remotely
3 main tasks, 6 user flows
Iterating
Homepage Updates
The main change on the homepage was adding icons and text in the header. After a first round of testing highlighted that the new icons implemented needed to be more intuitive to many users, we then tested a series of icons to find ones that communicated their job consistently. Those included the watch party icon and add-friends icon. On other pages, we also amended the list and bookmark icons.
Bookmarks in Video Overlay
The bookmark icon seen above was originally a pin icon for "pinning" different spots in the video, but users regularly categorized the task as "bookmarking" even when prompted with the word pin. Thus, we transitioned the pin feature to a bookmark feature as the "Pin" icon did not align with the users' mental models.
“In my mind, because I haven't used a 'Pin' in another app, it didn't relate to saving a spot to me. I think something else could be better... Maybe like the traditional 'Save Bookmark' icon, since we're trying to 'Save' a spot.” -User
Bookmarks in Video Play
The pin was also changed in the video player to a bookmark to match users' expectations. We moved the bookmark to the top right as all users hovered over the icons in the top right when presented with the task, and only after seeing that the top icons didn't have those capabilities did they look at the lower bar.
“So I'd say if you added a bookmark tab here at the top, and you click on that, then that would could show you all of your bookmarked locations.” - User
Social Connect
Adding social interactions to the viewing experience can incentivize users to return to the platform frequently. Even without remote watching features, 4 of 5 users stated that 75% or more of their viewing time was spent with others. To add social interaction, we needed ways for people to add friends, and it became evident that their expectations and what they were comfortable with depended on their technological expertise. Therefore, we decided to create an easy connection with existing social networks, a friend code to share however they chose, and the option to search by email or phone number. Once these options were implemented, 100% of participants said they would feel confident using a social watch feature.
Share a Show
Early interviews signaled that our main design priority should be providing a sense of connection to loved ones separated by distance. We looked for ways to seamlessly add touch points for social interaction into users' regular viewing habits. One of the main ways we did this was to create a way to share shows both to a feed and directly to a friend as a notification in the app. This feature allows for easy recommending at the time users are most likely to share with others, which is while watching the show. It also encourages the use of Netflix and gives people exposure to more content they might have missed while browsing.
Adding to Lists
A topic that came up frequently in interviews was the difficulty of having only a currently watching and a list. The challenge with this was having to search to figure out what to watch and find shows that may have been put off for some time. To solve this common problem, multiple lists were added that allow people to categorize and save shows depending on what they are saving them for.
Managing Lists
This idea was expanded to include shared lists and easy list editing. This feature allows families to make lists for movie nights, friends to share shows, and couples to sort the shows they are watching together and separately.
"As I've said, I've already done that on a different platform [Crunchyroll]. I only use my lists. I don't, like, use my queue anymore. Or, like my currently watching. I just use my lists." - User
Starting a Watch Party
The watch party was the biggest hurdle in incorporating the features into Netflix users' expectations. We realized there needed to be a way to start the movie both from within and outside the video player, as those with experience with different video players had different expectations. This redesigned flow allowed for more user flexibility and built-in directions and guides for those who had yet to manage or join a watch party.
"In my experience using Disney+, I don't think you had to start a movie or show before you create a party. I would think you would create a party and then select what you're going to watch." - User
"I like this a lot because it's just on its own platform. So you don't have to jump through hoops on other platforms." - User
Joining a Watch Party
Joining a watch party also required clarification to reach the final version. A preview was added to allow individuals to confirm they entered the correct code before entering the room, and the watch party preview had to be made very clear so people didn't think they were already in the watch party. Nevertheless, users were ready to interact with the watch parties and excited by the possibilities. This reaction hinted that the initial implementation of Netflix friends for social watch parties would likely lead to other social features being adopted over time.
Watch Party View
In the watch party view, it was evident that users had very specific expectations for Netflix features and had to be directed toward the new features. Most interviewees missed the messaging within the watch parties until we set it to be open by default, allowing people to figure out how to open and close messaging quickly. The bookmarks were placed next to the watch party icon to categorize the new advanced features together in users' minds.
The Result
The prototype
Here is the final prototype on Figma. Click through and explore to see the design answers we came up with!
The next steps
Overall
Adapt the new features for tv viewing + mobile app
Connect other social media platforms
Continue building out the “recommending shows to friends” features
Bookmarks
Add bookmark icons while scrubbing through a video
Add a recent bookmarks area
Lists
Allow for dragging and dropping items between lists
Implement an owner/controller of shared lists
Watch Party
Implement chat moderation as the host of a watch party
Create a Watch Party open to all Netflix Friends
The lessons
In-depth competitive analysis can lead to some of the most significant insights. It reduces the need for trial and error with specific approaches by observing what is and isn't working for others.
Prototyping is most useful when you have specific questions that need answers.
Prototyping allows for a deeper exploration of topics and a deeper understanding of how users interact with new features, even if the features end up not being implemented.
Reiterate and retest as often as time and budget allow.
The users' actions often give more insight than their opinions and words. Pay attention to what they do.
