STARZPlay — Navigation System Overhaul

Project Summary

Develop a new navigation system for the STARZPlay mobile app to improve content discoverability, ensuring users can quickly find and enjoy their desired content. The objective was to streamline the user experience by addressing pain points related to navigation, content overload, and discovery inefficiencies while enhancing app engagement.

Process

1. Discover

Stakeholder Interviews: Conducted interviews to gather insights into key goals — increasing user retention, making content discovery more intuitive, and highlighting selling points like exclusive sports content and family-friendly categories.

User Interviews: Engaged with users to understand habits, preferences, and frustrations. Key findings included the need for easier access to categories, personalized recommendations, and quicker ways to find live events.

Card Sorting: Conducted card sorting activities using OptimalWorkshop to organize content categories. This revealed four primary themes: Usage, Features I Like, General Issues, and Missing Features.

Competitor Analysis: Studied Netflix, Amazon Prime, Shahid, and other streaming platforms to identify trends and layout elements that enhanced engagement and discoverability.

2. Define

Identified key user needs through research synthesis:

• Quickly discover movies and TV shows from specific categories
• Access live sports content with ease
• View similar titles or content featuring the same actors
• Create separate profiles for kids and family members
• Receive content suggestions based on personal preferences
• Filter content by languages, ratings, and release dates
• Share content with others seamlessly

Pain Points: Users struggled with long scroll times, slow watchlist loading, difficulty searching by category or age rating, and complicated sharing functionality.

3. Prototype

Based on research insights, wireframes were created to map out the new app structure and layout. These wireframes provided better content discoverability, personalized recommendations, streamlined category navigation, and dedicated search filters.

4. Test

Conducted usability tests on wireframes, collecting user feedback and iterating on the design based on real-world interactions. Tests validated the proposed changes and provided actionable insights for refinement.

5. Design

The final navigation system included:

• Improved Category Navigation: Sports, Kids, and Featured given priority with dedicated quick-access menu.
• Live Content Highlighting: Prominent section for live sports with real-time match scores and "Now Playing" content.
• Personalized Recommendations: "Recommended for You" section with tailored suggestions based on viewing history.
• Search Redesign: Completely redesigned search with intuitive filters for content types, age ratings, release dates, and languages.
• Quick Preview Widget: Content preview feature saving time on decision-making.
• Family Profiles: Separate profiles for kids with age-appropriate content and parental controls.
• Enhanced Sharing: Simple, quick sharing option for favorite content.