So,
what
shall we
watch?
You heard this question many times, right?
So what shall we watch tonight? Since, endless options are available (if you don’t believe me, just open Netflix right now) this question is more painful and relevant then ever!
The
problem
Have you ever struggled to pick a film on Netflix (Disney +, Amazon Prime Video, or whichever steaming services you use) when you’re not really sure what to watch? I personally get lost on the colourful, busy homepage, just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling, struggling to decide. I somehow always manage to find plenty of films all at once, or noting at all 🤷♀️
Some
numbers
9 User interviews
2 Iterations
3 User tests
3.5 Wasted hours a week
*according to user interviews, users search for up to 30 mis/day
Brief
By the way, fun fact! Did you know that Netflix originally started as a DVDs renting website back in 1997? People could get the DVDs delivered by mail and return them the same way. I guess nothing has changed since, we just skipped the posting part.
So, in this 2 week sprint, I will uncover the problems that users might have when picking films, identify the market, target users and design a standalone app or feature that helps users to accomplish their goal which is find a film quick and easy.
Have you ever…
🍿 …felt overwhelmed by Netflix’s homepage?
🍿 …struggled to find a film when you didn’t know what to watch?
🍿 …stopped a film halfway through because you didn’t like it?
🍿 …lost your mood after a short time of searching and ended up NOT watching anything?
User
research
I conducted a user research with 9 users who watch films regularly, and who would be familiar with the “so, what shall we watch tonight?” struggles.
My ultimate mission was to speak to film lovers and hear about their habits and frustrations.
The interview goal: How do users choose a film, when there are endless options available? What is influencing the decision making, what makes it hard and what would make it easier?
Key
findings
1# Research time is ideally 5, maximum 10 minutes 7/9
It only applies when the users don’t have a concrete idea. 7 out of 9 participants said they are willing to search for 5 to 10 minutes maximum.
“If I don’t know what to watch… oh man, I would give up after 10 minutes”
2# Mood is key! 9/9
All the users said (I think it’s super interesting, isn’t it?) with confidence that mood plays a key part in the selection process. They often ask themselves ‘what mood am I in?’ to help narrow their options down.
“I always choose depending on my mood”
3# Like recommendations 6/9
6 participants found recommendations helpful. It can be a tip from the past and they would remember next time or even later on. They said most of the ideas would come from friends, film trailers, social media and film posters.
”When I don’t know what to watch, I try to remember what films I heard of recently that are good”
“I like watching trailers and film reviews for inspiration”
“I decide easy if I have already an idea in my mind”
Persona
& User
Journey
Pablo
31, recruiter in a big city and works long hours
🤔 Behaviour
Sociable and openminded, but often gets mentally exhausted due to his busy lifestyle. He is watching films on a regular basis.
🤔 Needs
A better way to relax, when he wouldn’t stress about anything. A good film turns his brain (and his phone) off. Narrowing his options quickly.
🤔 Pain points
Due to his busy lifestyle, his free time is very precious. He makes decisions hard when feeling tired.
🤔 Goals
To learn about other cultures. Turn his phone off so he can’t read his work emails. Quality relaxing time.
Pablo struggles to find the right film quick and easy, that is matching his mood and taste, because he doesn’t have enough spare time to narrow down his options.
Problem
statement
💪 How might we develop a tool for Pablo that helps him find a film within 5 minutes so he can achieve his goals without any hassle: relax, learn and turn his brain off.
💪 How might we help Pablo to discover his own present emotions and mood, so he would be aware of his desired genre of films.
💪 How might we provide recommendations to Pablo, that he would find valuable and trustworthy.
How
Might We
Sketching
Starting point:
🧠 Quick, easy use for Pablo’s busy schedule
🧠 Possible to discover Pablo’s mood
🧠 Engaging, so Pablo would use it when he needs to
During the sketching session the winner idea was designing an app with interactive image collections and the user has to swipe right or left, depending on how they like what they see, with making the experiences so entertaining they feel like play.
This idea came from dating apps. Yes, dating apps, but don’t worry, you are only going to be matched up with films! And I’m only talking about the swipe mobile gesture part.
Lo-Fi
prototype
I wanted to design a ‘no effort’ feature that is as simple as possible – as the insights indicated, users just want the film that is the best match without any hassle.My priority was make it
The goal is to make it easy, quick and playful enough to make it engaging.
Testing
1# Usability overall
The users were satisfied with the design.
In terms of readability, one user found the button too small and on the last ‘Result’ screen the small copy was hard to read. Whereas one other user highlighted that the buttons on the ‘Swipe’ screens were unnecessary. There was also a (very good) question about where is the ‘Profile’ and whether they would be able to save a film list there?
“Minimal, easy to use”
“Nice and simple”
2# Engagement
Users described the experience as fun and rewarding…and useful (which made very happy 🤓 )
“I always choose depending on my mood”
Next steps
Since this was a very time-limited sprint, there is still a lot a do, discover and implement, here are a few examples:
🛠 Develop a High-Fidelity prototype and testing
I feel confident, that this is a good resolution for Pablo (the users)
🎁 New Features
Creating a menu with User Profile, Likes and Lists
🤖 Removing buttons
With onboarding I believe this feedback from the user testing would be implementable. It would also make the feature cleaner, similarly to dating apps where users already learnt to either swipe right or left to make their preference known. Swiping is also relatively intuitive, so I don’t think indicators are necessary.
👾 Onboarding
Speaking of onboarding, designing a function-oriented onboarding to walk the new users through the app’s core functions and how to use them. Especially the swiping after removing the buttons!
💏 Couple version
Based on the user interviews, this is a problem that not just individuals would experience, in fact, it can be double-trouble for couples. Well, surprise!
Takeway
Dear film freaks, cinema lovers and everyone else who sometimes struggle to pick a ‘just right’ film after a long day, I hope that you think this idea (or something like this) would be able to solve your problems! (Netflix, call me! 🤙)
Needless to say, it was a short, 2 week concept project and it’s nowhere near to be completed, but the findings and feedback made me confident that this is something that could have legs 🤓
Now, please go and watch a good film and let me know how easy it was to pick it!