Service
UI / UX
Category
TV
industry
Entertainment
One of the most common complaints about attempting to watch anything on streaming is that finding the content that you want to watch is increasingly difficult. Flooding the libraries with new titles in hopes of proving the importance in users’ day-to-day lives but ultimately, making it more difficult for customers to discover new things that they want to watch. The menu revamp was the first for DirecTV’s customers in more than five years and would offer an user interface full value and enjoyment out of their service and make television watching a brainless activity as intended.
One of the big changes would include a simple redesigned left-rail menu, a new more visually appealing homepage app carousels, shortcuts to the most popular features, and easy navigation for movies and shows info screen.
Customers can easily discover live TV, On Demand & content of interest.
Customers can quickly set and customize recordings.
Customers can manage their playlist with ease.
My focus was on one section of the experience: the INFO SCREEN of a show, episodes, movies and Live TV, which was also the starting point of the whole new redesign of the new experience. The intention was to create an immersive interface that balanced functionality with visual appeal.
Me and our team worked in delivering a solution that emphasized speed, efficiency, and an engaging user experience, ensuring the interface served as a powerful tool for DirecTV’s new launch strategy.
The Research
Our work for the new experience began with a comprehensive analysis of Key Research Findings and focusing on:
1. Customers will benefit from a friendly and easy-to-use view of the service. Current layout disjointed and features undiscoverable.
2. Remote control is complicated. Customers want less buttons that are clearly labeled.
3. Features and settings are undiscoverable. Useful functionality and settings need called out and shown on the screens where they can be used.
4. Finding interesting content to watch or record is frustrating. "I pay for all of these channels and never have anything to watch."
The Approach
Create a concise (and prioritized) list of use cases that best represent the most common show types & availability models, which we can then use to vet ideas and inform our designs. Get a clear understanding of the types of series availability that exists both with VOD and Live airings.
The Layout
I worked on different frameworks and wires explorations to ensure content clarity and intuitive navigation, that included Info about a movie, show or an episode.
Later on the team conducted working prototypes and executed usability studies using a remote control. The design that performed the best and our customers preferred would be adopted.
The Design
The main detailed info and interaction and carousel in option C were preferred and performed the best of the explorations. I adopted a hybrid approach combining the shorter menu with visible, pictorial entry points akin to the start menu.
Using these insights, I transitioned into the design process, crafting a structure that aligned with the customers’s needs of start watching and DirecTV’s business objectives, keeping the product’s cutting-edge nature at the forefront.
Moodboards helped define the visual direction, incorporating new elements that aligned with the branding and functionality.
The final version
In the UI design phase, I brought the concept to life, a whole new set of Icons, buttons and interactivity among others, these were key components.
Throwing a visual depth in the mix with DirecTV’s classic neutral color palette, and without breaking the brand guidelines, creating a polished and responsive digital experience for TV first.
RESULTS
By combining strategic research and thoughtful design, we delivered a completely new interface and experience, that combined a user’s selected favorites with their most watched content, putting their most relevant live programming upfront and center on the menu when they turned on the TV.
As part of the upgrade, “Sports Central” also provided fans easy on-screen access to their favorite games, stats, and scores, including easily finding and accessing content only available on select third-party apps, further elevating DirecTV’s super aggregation capabilities.
The result is a digital presence that inspires trust, excitement, and anticipation among its users. Customers can now watch live TV, On Demand and DVR playlist content as well as set recordings anytime, anywhere. This product differentiates DIRECTV from other content providers including cable television and web-based deliver systems.