TV Time
UX Design Case Study • July 2022
UX Design Case Study • July 2022
TV Time is an application that enables users to keep track of the shows and movies they watch across the different TV streaming platforms. As a TV junkie, I have been using this app for over a year, and it's a lifesaver when it comes to keeping tabs on shows and movies I love.
However, I was able to quickly identify some pain points and single out the challenges that I faced throughout this time. A quick Google search led me to TV Time’s app pages on Google Play Store and Apple App Store where reviews left by users showed how they struggled while using the application too.
1 Month • July 2022
UX Researcher • Interaction Designer • Visual Designer
Figma • FigJam
1 - I am not affiliated with TV Time in any way
2 - There are some limitations to this redesign:
👉 Absence of users to interview to gather research on the product which in turn led to,
👉 A lack of an iterative process to gather post-redesign feedback, and,
👉 Pre-redesign feedback and research were gathered in the form of reviews that were left on TV Time’s app pages on Google Play Store and Apple App Store between the years 2019 and 2022
1 - Current interface design doesn't follow current & standard design principles
❌ Results in a clunky and non-intuitive interface which,
❌ Makes it hard for users to efficiently carry out their tasks on the app
2 - Current users of the app resonated the same sentiments
❌ Users struggled using the application, especially after a new update that eliminated highly rated functions
❌ Other users found it hard to locate and filter shows that they have already added into their Watchlist
Figure 1.1.1 - TV Time Homepage (Before)
Figure 1.1.2 - TV Time Homepage (After)
✅ Cleaner navigation bar by ensuring consistent padding values and optimal sized icons
✅ A central Search bar that allows users to search for shows more easily
✅ Condensed commonly used functions under one single 'kebab' button
Figure 1.2.1 - TV Time Upcoming Tab (Before)
Figure 1.2.2 - TV Time Upcoming Tab (After)
✅ Incorporated a Calendar view that enables users to see upcoming shows for the month
✅ A detailed view of shows that are coming up next and standardised to display shows that are actively tracked
✅ Added an 'Awaiting Release Dates' section to display shows that are tracked but information about release dates are not released to the public yet
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Figure 1.3.1 - Custom Lists View
Figure 1.3.2 - Custom Lists View Settings
✅ Allowing users to reorder and delete custom lists directly from the homepage
✅ Added a 'Watchlist Tabs' section under Settings where users can go to customise their homepage tabs
Figure 2.1.1 - Search View (Before)
Figure 2.1.2 - Search View (After)
✅ Added a central Search bar that allows users to search from whichever page they are on (sans the Profile page)
✅ Categorised and organised the Recommendations section based on notable categories and by TV Shows and Movies for a much cleaner look
Figure 3 - Competitive Analysis
To assess where TV Time stands in the market fro these kind of applications, I carried out a competitive analysis where I downloaded a few direct and indirect competitors’ applications onto my phone and tested them out myself for over a week. The apps that I downloaded include (1) Trakt, (2) Next Episode, (3) Hobi Time and (4) MyAnimeList.
At the same time, I identified the pros and cons for each application to:
👉 Identify and define any gaps in the market to gain a competitive advantage and,
👉 Leverage on what works, and avoid what doesn't
Figure 4 - Initial Feedback Gathered from App Store and Google Play Store
As TV Time was more widely used in America and Europe, there wasn't a solid group of users that I could target within Singapore for pre-design research. Instead, I went on the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store pages and treat them as my "feedback".
Figure 5 - Step 1: Gather
Figure 6 - Step 2: Bundle
Figure 7 - Step 3: Cluster
To make sense of what I have gathered, I did an Affinity Mapping of the reviews left by users on FigJam, where I bundled ideas together to form them into more complex solutions and further clustered and classified similar ideas into the same groups. This way, I learnt what improvements I would require to prioritise.
Figure 8 - Paper Prototyping
I decided to keep it simple for the Paper prototypes by coming up with an initial layout for just the Shows page. I focused more on exploring the different options for different components like the Add button, Search bar placement, and Watchlist tabs.
Figure 9 - Low Fidelity Prototype
As I was pretty new to Figma at this stage, I decided to work on a Lo-Fi prototype while I was concurrently learning the fundamentals of Figma.
Embedded above is the final prototype for my TV Time redesign. Feel free to explore the prototype by maximising the embed prototype. To enhance the prototype experience, kindly follow the sequence that I have included in the Description box on the left side of the screen.
There were a lot of things I’ve learned and new skills that I picked up throughout the entire duration of the project.
Among them include:
👉 Placing an importance of pre-(re)design necessities like:
👉 Conducting a competitor analysis so that we are aware of what works and what does not in the market
👉 Familiarising myself with Figma and its many and comprehensive functions like auto-layout and interaction design tools.
At the same time, there is still so much more to be learned that I hope to incorporate in future projects like:
👉 Conducting user research interviews pre and post re-design to gather more accurate feedback about the product,
👉 Collaborating with and learning from experienced designers through brainstorming sessions and user research workshops,
👉 Developing and making use of a design system to ensure consistency throughout the application
Working on this study made me understand better what Rochelle King, Spotify’s ex-VP of Design and Product Insights, meant in her Ted talk, when she said,
"Digital media products now are more about personalising of the content experience that are contained within them rather than about personalising the interfaces themselves."
As designers, we think we know what users want but we also need to bear in mind that users also want to also take control of their experience while using the product.
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All in all, I had a really great time redesigning this application! Although it seemed easy, it was actually quite the opposite, especially during the initial stages. But I’m glad I decided to challenge myself anyway. If you think there are things that I can improve on, please feel free to contact me and let me know! I’m always open to feedback and discussions 😊
