Overview
OTT platforms, like STARZPLAY, target a diverse audience across various demographics and preferences. Young adults are tech-savvy and favor on-demand content. Working professionals appreciate content suitable for short bursts and offline viewing. Students prefer budget-friendly plans and binge-worthy series. STARZPLAY, with its diverse programming and features like multiple profiles for individual preferences, has played a significant role in enhancing user satisfaction and growing its subscriber base, making each user feel valued.
The Problem
STARZPLAY had many features, but its growth was stagnant. The issue was that it only provided one account per subscription, which people found to be expensive. In contrast, its competitors offered multiple profiles per account, which attracted more subscribers.
Role
User Research, High Fidelity Design
Prototyping, Testing
Tools
Figma, Sketch, Whimsical
Duration
6 Weeks
STARZPLAY
Multiple Profile
Mobile Application
STARZPLAY is a leading subscription-based streaming service that offers an extensive library of movies, TV shows, and exclusive original content. February 2024 was a significant month for STARZPLAY because millions of subscribers were finally able to share accounts and create multiple profiles for multiple users.
STEP 1
Research Phase
I started the research phase by conducting user interviews to deeply understand user needs, validate assumptions, and ensure a user-centered design process. Then, I did the competitive analysis to see what other competitors are doing and their strengths and weaknesses.
User Interviews
Once I conducted the user interviews, I addressed the user pain points and developed the user-centered design. Some comments from the interview I took are given below.
I keep getting recommendations for shows I’m not interested in because my entire family uses the same account.
I can’t let my kids watch Starzplay without supervision because there is no way to restrict their access to adult content.
It’s annoying that I can’t have my watchlist and continue watching where I left off without my family’s viewing history interfering.
Competitive Analysis
For the multiple profiles feature in the Starzplay mobile application, I chose the 4 competitors that are most frequently used in the OTT market.
The results I gained from the analysis were:
Customization options are basic in almost all of them.
Inconsistent content filtering in kids' profiles can sometimes show inappropriate content.
Kids can switch to the adult profile without any barriers.
Parental controls are account-wide, not profile-specific, reducing their effectiveness.
Result
After evaluating the interviews and the analysis, I identified key design priorities:
"Ensuring an intuitive and user-friendly interface for profile creation and switching, delivering precise, personalized content recommendations for each profile, particularly when managing kids' profiles, and maintaining seamless profile management and navigation to enhance overall user experience and satisfaction."
Simple & Clear
Ensure the interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, reducing complexity to avoid overwhelming users when switching between profiles.
Privacy and Security
Design with solid privacy and security measures to protect user data, especially when handling multiple profiles on a single device.
Personalization
Allow users to customize their profiles to reflect their preferences, enhancing their connection and satisfaction with the app.
Design Essentials
The determined points that should be in the design are as follows:
Affinity Mapping
With affinity mapping, I effectively organized the insights into clear themes and priorities for the Multiple Profiles feature. This method enabled collaborative decision-making and comprehensively ensured our design addressed key user needs.
Design Blueprint
I created sketches in collaboration with product managers, utilizing participatory design to engage end users in mapping their ideal flows. This approach allowed us to meet both user expectations and business requirements seamlessly integrated into our design process.
Low-Fi Screens
After completing the pencil sketches, I began exploring the interface and visual design. This was the ideal time to create low-fidelity prototypes, allowing me to quickly iterate on a wide range of ideas for the high fidelity screens.
STEP 1
Conceptualization Phase
Once the research was done and the pain points were identified, I started working on the concepts that we can use for creating the feature. This phase included outlining design principles, flow diagram, wireframes and low-fi designs.
Manage Profiles
Manage Profile
Edit Guest Profile
Who's Watching
Profile Screen
Account Settings
For the guest users following screens were made.
Guest Users
Manage a Profile
Who's Watching
Create Profile
Edit Profile
Profile Screen
Account Settings
Manage Profiles
For the existing users following screens were made.
Existing Users
Who's Watching
Profile Screen
Account Settings
For the kids following screens were made.
Kids
Avatar Bottom Sheet
Profile Restriction
Language Bottom Sheet
Change/Remove PIN
Some of the screens that were used for multiple flows.
Other Screens
STEP 3
Design Phase
The user interface design for the multiple profile feature aims to simplify profile creation and management, ensuring an intuitive and seamless user experience. By providing clear and straightforward navigation, personalized settings, and consistent interaction patterns, it enhances usability for all ages. Additionally, the design focuses on balancing privacy and security, particularly for children's profiles, while maintaining accessibility for all users.
Screens were made for following categories.
High Fidelity Screens
Guest Users - Users who have not made an account yet.
Existing Users - Users who have an active account.
Kids - Functionalities of adult users are different from kids.
Other - Screens made for different purposes that are used throughout the app in different flows.
Outcome
The application received positive feedback internally, serving as a catalyst for enhanced communication and subscription acquisition strategies within the company. Additionally, it sparked the redesign of existing screens and development processes, empowering the company to tackle new challenges previously unaddressed.
This experience underscored the importance of early involvement of other teams in product design for new environments, ensuring smoother project execution and alignment with business objectives.
STARZPLAY
Multiple Profile - Mobile Application
STARZPLAY is a leading subscription-based streaming service that offers an extensive library of movies, TV shows, and exclusive original content. February 2024 was a significant month for STARZPLAY because millions of subscribers were finally able to share accounts and create multiple profiles for multiple users.
Overview
OTT platforms, like STARZPLAY, target a diverse audience across various demographics and preferences. Young adults are tech-savvy and favor on-demand content. Working professionals appreciate content suitable for short bursts and offline viewing. Students prefer budget-friendly plans and binge-worthy series. STARZPLAY, with its diverse programming and features like multiple profiles for individual preferences, has played a significant role in enhancing user satisfaction and growing its subscriber base, making each user feel valued.
The Problem
STARZPLAY had many features, but its growth was stagnant. The issue was that it only provided one account per subscription, which people found to be expensive. In contrast, its competitors offered multiple profiles per account, which attracted more subscribers.
Role
User Research, High Fidelity Design, Prototyping, Testing
Tools
Figma, Sketch, Whimsical
Duration
6 Weeks
STEP 1
Research Phase
I started the research phase by conducting user interviews to deeply understand user needs, validate assumptions, and ensure a user-centered design process. Then, I did the competitive analysis to see what other competitors are doing and their strengths and weaknesses.
User Interviews
Once I conducted the user interviews, I addressed the user pain points and developed the user-centered design. Some comments from the interview I took are given below.
I can’t let my kids watch Starzplay without supervision because there is no way to restrict their access to adult content.
It’s annoying that I can’t have my watchlist and continue watching where I left off without my family’s viewing history interfering.
I keep getting recommendations for shows I’m not interested in because my entire family uses the same account.
Competitive Analysis
For the multiple profiles feature in the Starzplay mobile application, I chose the 4 competitors that are most frequently used in the OTT market.
The results I gained from the analysis were:
Customization options are basic in almost all of them.
Inconsistent content filtering in kids' profiles can sometimes show inappropriate content.
Kids can switch to the adult profile without any barriers.
Parental controls are account-wide, not profile-specific, reducing their effectiveness.
After evaluating the interviews and the analysis, I identified key design priorities:
"Ensuring an intuitive and user-friendly interface for profile creation and switching, delivering precise, personalized content recommendations for each profile, particularly when managing kids' profiles, and maintaining seamless profile management and navigation to enhance overall user experience and satisfaction."
Result
I created sketches in collaboration with product managers, utilizing participatory design to engage end users in mapping their ideal flows. This approach allowed us to meet both user expectations and business requirements seamlessly integrated into our design process.
Design Blueprint
Design Essentials
The determined points that should be in the design are as follows:
Simple & Clear
Ensure the interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, reducing complexity to avoid overwhelming users when switching between profiles.
Privacy & Security
Design with solid privacy and security measures to protect user data, especially when handling multiple profiles on a single device.
Personalization
Allow users to customize their profiles to reflect their preferences, enhancing their connection and satisfaction with the app.
With affinity mapping, I effectively organized the insights into clear themes and priorities for the Multiple Profiles feature. This method enabled collaborative decision-making and comprehensively ensured our design addressed key user needs.
Affinity Mapping
Low-Fi Screens
After completing the pencil sketches, I began exploring the interface and visual design. This was the ideal time to create low-fidelity prototypes, allowing me to quickly iterate on a wide range of ideas for the high fidelity screens.
STEP 2
Conceptualization Phase
Once the research was done and the pain points were identified, I started working on the concepts that we can use for creating the feature. This phase included outlining design principles, flow diagram, wireframes and low-fi designs.
STEP 3
Design Phase
The user interface design for the multiple profile feature aims to simplify profile creation and management, ensuring an intuitive and seamless user experience. By providing clear and straightforward navigation, personalized settings, and consistent interaction patterns, it enhances usability for all ages. Additionally, the design focuses on balancing privacy and security, particularly for children's profiles, while maintaining accessibility for all users.
High Fidelity Screens
Screens were made for following categories.
Guest Users - Users who have not made an account yet.
Existing Users - Users who have an active account.
Kids - Functionalities of adult users are different from kids.
Other - Screens made for different purposes that are used throughout the app in different flows.
Guest Users
For the guest users following screens were made.
Who's Watching
Profile Screen
Account Settings
Manage Profiles
Edit Guest Profile
Manage Profile
Existing Users
For the existing users following screens were made.
Who's Watching
Create Profile
Edit Profile
Profile Screen
Account Settings
Manage Profiles
Manage a Profile
Kids
For the kids, following screens were made.
Who's Watching
Profile Screen
Account Settings
Other Screens
Some of the screens that were used for multiple flows.
Avatar Bottom Sheet
Language Bottom Sheet
Change/Remove PIN
Profile Restriction
Outcome
The application received positive feedback internally, serving as a catalyst for enhanced communication and subscription acquisition strategies within the company. Additionally, it sparked the redesign of existing screens and development processes, empowering the company to tackle new challenges previously unaddressed.
This experience underscored the importance of early involvement of other teams in product design for new environments, ensuring smoother project execution and alignment with business objectives.
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