Graduation Thesis | UI/UX

DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN (SCHOOL OF CREATIVE ARTS)

2020 DEGREE PROJECT One app to stream all OTT media Sponsor: Self Sponsored Volume 1 of 1 STUDENT: PRAKASH TULI PROGRAMME: BA VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN GUIDE: SHUBHA SHRIVASTAVA

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The Evaluation Jury recommends for the BA Degree of WWI-TISS (SVE) in VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN herewith, for the project titled

on fulfilling the further requirements by*

JURY CHAIRPERSON

(name)

(signature)

JURY MEMBERS

The Jury recommends the award of the BA degree in Visual Communication Design without any follow-ups.

Jury Chairperson Signature *Subsequent remarks regarding fulfilling the requirements :

HoD, DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN

DATE 3

Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

COPYRIGHT Š 2020

Student document publication, meant for private circulation only.

All Rights reserved.

No part of this document will be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means photocopying, xerography, photography and videography recording without written permission from the publisher, Prakash Tuli and Whistling Woods International.

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One app to stream all OTT media

ORIGINALITY STATEMENT © 2020

COPYRIGHTS STATEMENT

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work

I hereby grant the Whistling Woods International,

and it contains no full or substantial copy of previously published material, or it does not even contain substantial proportions of materials which have been accepted for the award of any other degree of diploma of any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgment is made in this degree project.

Moreover I also declare none of these concepts are borrowed or copied without due acknowledgment. I further declare the intellectual content of this degree project is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from the others in the project’s

School of Design the right to archive and to make available my degree project/thesis in whole or in part in the Institute’s Library in all forms of media, now or hereafter known, subject to the provisions of Copyright Act. I have neither used any substantial portions of copyright material in any document nor have I obtained permission to use copyright material.

Student Name in Full: Date:

design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged. This degree project was not and will not be submitted as assessed work in any other academic course.

Student Name in Full: Signature: Date:

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Acknowledgments The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the assistance and support of so many people, directly or indirectly. First and foremost, I would like to thank Whistling Woods International for letting me be a part of their Institution and providing me with learning opportunities over the past three years. I also want to express my gratitude to Milindo Taid (HOD, Visual Communication Design), who provided a supportive environment for me to get my foundational knowledge in communication design and washed all my previous skepticism of getting into a graduation college late in the career. Thanks to him and my course professors, I know for sure now, there is no age for unlearning, learning and acquiring new skills.

Since this was my first UI/UX experience, my special thanks goes out to Shubha Shrivastav (Project Guide), who helped me gain new perspectives through the tenure of this thesis.

I’m thankful to my batch mates who had been sharing insightful feedback throughout the project and ofcourse, my parents for being patient with me and supporting me daily.

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One app to stream all OTT media

Preface As a part of the Visual Communication Design curriculum, all final year students are required to undertake a degree project which is a full-scale design project. The duration for the project is about 3 – 4 months.

The objective of the degree project is for the students to get a hand-on on a real time project from start to finish. The students are required to implement their learning of the course and demonstrate their design capabilities through this project and deliver a professional design assignment. This project is a chance for the students to dive into their strengths and weakness before they enter into the professional world of design.

I completed my self-sponsored degree project within the duration of 3.5 months from 15 March, 2020 to 30th to 30 June, 2020.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Synopsis The idea to create one platform for all OTT services

Though the advent of streaming movies has given the

came about from a basic and recurring observation I

user a lot of advantages over the traditional cable, but

had during conversation among peers.

it also has comes with its own set of challenges. This thesis project is an attempt to tap into those problem,

“Hey, guess what? Last weekend I watched The Game

solve for making the lives of users easier and try to

of Thrones, on Hotsar and streamed it through my Fire

some bring order to the world of streaming.

TV Stick.”

Mentioning the service is not ridiculous. As over abundance of content has created a world in which it has become almost impossible to sort through the chaos and clutter to find shows you actually want to watch. We need to be directed precisely in order to access the content that is being talked about.

“What should I watch tonight?” has become one of the most intimidating question, as we often find ourselves hopping and browsing from one OTT platform to the other. With this one app we can have the freedom to watch everything (all subscription plans) under one roof without having to leave the space.

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One app to stream all OTT media

Sketch by Carl Richards, Author - “The Behavior Gap”

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Contents

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19

43

Whistling Woods

How might we?

Mind-map

Secondary research

Affinity map

Primary research

Task analysis

Introduction

Analysis

International Communication Design at WWI About me Proposal Timeline

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Research

Redefining the problem

One app to stream all OTT media

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64

98

126

Defining the user

Information architecture

Design directions

Learning

Proposed features

Wireframes

Product icon

References

Conceptualization

Structuring

Visualization

Developing the brand

User survey

Discovery

UI style guide

Naming the product

Final product icon

Look and Feel

Final Screen Design

Conclusion

Brand Behavior

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Introduction

One app to stream all OTT media | Introduction

whistlingwoodsinternational.wordpress.com

Whistling Woods International

In July 2014, The Hollywood Reporter named Whistling

housed at Whistling Woods International, namely,

Woods International on its list of “The best film schools

School of Film-making, Actors’ Studio, School of

in the world”. The school was first ranked among the

Animation, School of Design, School of Fashion, School

top 10 film schools by The Hollywood Reporter in 2010.

of Media & Communication and School of Music.

Whistling Woods International has partnered with the

Whistling Woods International is a film, communication

Programmes offered at Whistling Woods International

Tata Institute of Social Sciences to ratify its three and

and creative arts institute located in Mumbai, India. The

vary in duration from 1 year to 4 years. All the major

four year courses with BSc, BA & BBA degrees, and

institute is promoted by the Indian Filmmaker Subhash

specializations of the Media, Communication &

Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas and Post

Ghai, Mukta Arts and Film City Mumbai.

Creative industry are catered to in the seven schools

Graduate Diplomas.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Visual Communication Design at Whistling Woods International The objective of the 3-year, 6-semester course is to

communication designers round out the learning.

nurture and create quality visual communication design professionals, to meet the rapidly growing,

Whistling Woods International has partnered with the

complex communication design needs, nationally

Tata Institute of Social Sciences to ratify its three and

and globally. The programme emphasises on students

four year courses with BSc, BA & BBA degrees, and

undergoing core design foundation inputs in the first

Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas and Post Graduate

year, followed by intensive project based semesters

Diplomas.

that culminate in a major design project in semester six.

The integrated programme allows students to choose electives in the areas of Motion, Interaction Design and Spatial/Environmental Design. Inputs in Professional Practices, Design Research and Design Strategies + Management, also go towards making the students industry ready.

The final year of the programme offers more advanced inputs. Founded on an ethos of Learning by Doing, students are expected to be hands on, minds on, while engaging proactively and productively with all individual and group learning activities. Frequent workshops and Masterclasses by professional visual

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One app to stream all OTT media | Introduction

About me

Have you ever wondered about those people who have

To this day I’ve combined my superpowers and

their laptops open at cafe’s? Are they really working or

charted a course to become a designer who can make

just pretending to work? I’m one of those people and I

a difference. Kind of felt like a calling!

can say for myself that I’m really working.

I strive daily to enhance my soft and technical skill-sets This began a few years back when I transitioned from

to better able myself to present ideas running through

being a dental student to a copyrighter in a small firm

my head, hoping one of them will help contribute

in Gurgaon, figuring out what to do with life.

something of value to the world.

I’m a social butterfly, analytical thinker, an avid book

All this doesn’t happen by itself. Hence, the hard work at

reader and tech enthusiast. I appreciate great ideas,

cafes!

stories and art. I doodle and sketch as well.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Degree Project Proposal One app to stream all OTT media

Trash Can Locator Option 2

Option 1 An application that is solving for a question often A modern media center that’s a one-stop solution for

asked by the environmentally conscious ones

all video entertainment.

- Is there a dustbin around here?

We often find ourselves hopping and browsing from

Why have an app for it?

one OTT platform to the other. With this one app we can have the freedom to watch everything (all

Each person generates on average 1 kilogram of waste

subscription plans) under one roof without having to

per day. Part of it gets recycled but a huge amount

leave the space.

of trash ends up on Illegal dumps. These dumps are everywhere, in our cities, nature, rivers and oceans.

This app is an effort to reduce illegal waste dumps, motivate and mostly educate about the waste management systems.

Name : Prakash Tuli Enrollment Number: ME0102/0677/J20 Program: Visual Communication Design Guide: Shubha Shrivastava Sponsor: Self Sponsored Duration: 15th March - 30th May (3 months)

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One app to stream all OTT media | Introduction

Brief/Plan

Contact

Final Topic

Research | (1 week)

Sagar Darshan, Tower 6/101, Sector 18A,

One app to stream all OTT media

How might we?

Nerul West, Palm Beach Road,

Affinity map

Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 400706

User personas prakash.tuli@gmail.com

Defining the Problem +91-836 90642 828 Ideate | (2 Week)

Information architecture

Wireframing Design | (2 weeks) Interface

(colors, typography, icons, logo, illustrations)

Prototyping | (3 weeks) Interactions User Testing | (1 Week) Documentation | (1 Week)

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Stage 1 6 Weeks Research Analysis

Stage 2 6 Weeks

Conceptualizations Structuring

Stage 3 5 Weeks

Visualization Final Design

Stage 4 1 Week

Documentation

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30th June 2020

15th March 2020

Timeline

Research

Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Framing the design challenge What is the problem you’re trying to solve?

What are some possible outcomes to your problem?

trying to solve, and helps you define a scope that is

A modern media center that’s one stop solution for all

Common search engine and streaming service

neither too narrow nor too broad. It guides through

video entertainment. We often find ourselves hopping

(webpage/app).

a series of steps to get the right frame on the

and browsing from one OTT platform to the other. With

Bundled OTT subscriptions plans and platform for the

challenge and get started on the right foot.

this one app/webpage the user can have the leisure

same.

A design challenge articulates the problem you are

to watch everything under one roof without having to leave the space.

Take a stab at framing it as a design question.

Finally, write down some of the context and constraints you’re facing.

Time constraint, developmental limitations, lack of legal knowledge, tight budget

How might we declutter/organize the media spread across various OTT platforms.

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Does your original question need tweak?

Try it again.

Now state the ultimate impact you’re trying to have.

How might we build an app/webpage that gives the

Enhance the media consumption experience.

OTT platforms and subscription plans.

user access to all the media spread across different

One app to stream all OTT media | Research

Secondary/desk Research Secondary research or desk research is a research method that involves using already existing data.

Existing data is summarized and collated to increase the overall effectiveness of research.

Photographed by Prakash Tuli 21

Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

What is OTT?

Getty Images/GoodLifeStudio OTT stands for “over-the-top” and refers to the

Viewers who dislike paying for bundled content are

productized practice of streaming content to

often referred to as “cord cutters”.

customers directly over the web. Over-the-top was

OTT services circumvent traditional media distribution

initially named in reference to devices that go “over”

channels such as telecommunications networks or

a cable box to give the user access to TV content. The

cable television providers. As long as you have access

term is commonly applied to video-on-demand

to an internet connection — either locally or through a

platforms, but also refers to audio streaming,

mobile network — you can access the complete service

messaging services, or internet-based voice.

at your leisure.

calling solutions.

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One app to stream all OTT media | Research

Why the shift from traditional cable TV to OTT? High-value content at low cost:

OTT vs. VOD

Streaming services are widely considered a cost-

OTT apps, like Netflix or Hulu, can serve video content

effective alternative to traditional cable packages. A

over the internet on demand. But in order to use a VOD

Netflix mobile only subscription in India currently is 199

service like HBO GO, you must authenticate your TV

INR per month. That’s a reasonable fee even if you only

provider subscription.

intend to watch a fraction of its offered content.

Original content: In recent years, OTT providers like Netflix and Amazon Prime have begun producing original content that is exclusively available through their service. Platforms like HBO Go and Disney+ also have exclusive streaming licenses for previously televised content.

Compatibility with multiple devices: For years, watching cable television required a television set. Today, we can watch OTT content from a broad range of devices. Any account holder can enjoy the same OTT experience from a gaming console, smartphone, tablet, or smart TV.

unsplash.com 23

Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

https://blog.beenius.tv/iptv-vs-ott/

Content Delivery System

IPTV

a multitude of options at their fingertips. They have

Since the mid-1990’s, digital television content

the ability to view content on a variety of platforms

delivery via Internet Protocol (IPTV) has been the

such as: Smart TVs, Roku, computers, tablets, mobile

Mobile devices: Smartphones and tablets can

common way for TV service providers to distribute

phones, or gaming consoles. They also have the

download OTT apps from a supported digital

content to customers. Reception typically requires

option to access multiple distributors for specialized

storefront.

a TV subscription, a contract, a set-top box, and a

programs and view channels by “app switching”, giving

technician to connect the array of hardware to high-

them more control over the content they choose to

Personal computers: Most computers support OTT

speed internet services in each customer’s home or

purchase and watch.

content viewing through desktop-based apps or web

office. Thus, content is distributed through private

browsers.

“multicast” mpeg transport stream networks (meaning

Current Scenario

multiple streams are pushed to multiple consumer

While they both use IP technology, IPTV is delivered

Smart TVs: The latest TV models often include pre-

locations, like digital cable and satellite TV). This locks

over private cable network compared to OTT delivered

installed OTT apps, or provide users with an option to

consumers to one service provider (restricted to

over internet services. OTT systems overcome the

download them.

whichever is available in your area) and the content

limitations of the single operator set top box (STB)

offered is limited to channels available in their

technology required by IPTV. With OTT, content is only

particular area and region.

delivered upon request. Each connected device has a

Digital media players: Third-party devices like the Apple TV support a range of OTT solutions. Many

unique connection to the source of the content via the

modern video game consoles also include the ability

OTT

internet, making it “unicast”- delivering one stream to

to download and run OTT apps on Gaming consoles

With OTT video delivery technology, people now have

one device.

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One app to stream all OTT media | Research

User classification based on content delivery

OTT video users:

IPTV users

Linear OTT users

Individuals who watch video via any app or website

Individuals who use TV sets connected to the inter-

Users who subscribe to a service that delivers live

net through built-in internet connectivity (Smart TV)

TV channel bundles over the internet for a monthly

or through other devices with the functionality such

subscription. Examples include Sling TV, DirecTV Now,

as a set-top box (STB) devices (e.g., Apple TV, Google

Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV and PlayStation Vue.

that provides streaming video content and bypasses traditional distribution. Examples include HBO Now, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Video, YouTube/YouTube Red and SlingTV.

Chromecast, Amazon Fire, Roku), Blu-ray players or gaming consoles.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

www.pexels.com

Business Model

subscription fee to access unlimited content available

If SVOD is a buffet of OTT, TVOD is al-a-carte OTT, where

on the platform.

you get nothing but what you order.

AVOD

SVOD makes up the largest segment of the OTT

Hybrid

Within this model, viewers receive access to free

Amazon Prime Video, HBO Now, and Showtime. But

(Ad Based Video on Demand)

universe and include some very big players, like Netflix,

Hybrid provides both a free, ad-supported service and a premium subscription offering.

content in exchange for watching ads.

SVOD also is home to hundreds of other providers, like Hallmark Movies Now and WWE Network—as well

This creates a soft transition for converting an

AVOD is unsuitable for new OTT market players, who

as a plethora of very small, niche providers, such as

audience over to a subscription model.

are yet to create their subscriber base, as AVOD is driven by volumes.

Among some of the best-known ad-supported video services are YouTube.

Curiosity Stream and Crunchyroll.

TVOD

(Transactional Video on Demand) Pay per content model on the other hand offers a more selective viewing experience by allowing you

Within this model, viewers pay a subscription fee in

single-time fee to binge-watch.

order to watch content. SVOD services are like an all-you-can-eat buffet of OTT where users pay a 26

pioneer, it now provides TVOD services as well by making premium content available for a fee. This is typical example of a hybrid monetization model.

SVOD

(Subscription Video on Demand)

Although YouTube had initially begun as an AVOD

to download the content of your choice by paying a

Unlike SVOD and AVOD, TVOD doesn’t rely on volumes.

One app to stream all OTT media | Research

Top OTT Players

Sony Liv

Netflix

Eros Now

Hotstar

Arre

Entry in India

Entry in India

Entry in India

Entry in India

Entry in India

2013

2015

2015

2015

2015

Worldwide download

Worldwide download

Worldwide download

Worldwide download

Worldwide download

in April 2019

in April 2019

in April 2019

in April 2019

in April 2019

3.08m

15m

3.4m

11.3m

11.3m

Strengths

Strengths

Strengths

Strengths

Strengths

Library consisting of 18+ years

Exposed the youth with the

Highest international content

Live cricket stream being the

Largest library of

of content from the Sony

concept of Binge watching

among OTT players in India

biggest USP

documentaries

entertainment network channel.

Has Animax that broadcasts a

Diverse content and good

Collaborations with Disney+.

interface

Showtime, FX, and HBO

wide range of anime.

Top subscribed OTT in India 27

Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Voot

Prime Videos

Alt Balaji

MX Player

Zee5

Entry in India

Entry in India

Entry in India

Entry in India

Entry in India

2016

2016

2017

2018

2018

Worldwide download

Worldwide download

Worldwide download

Worldwide download

Worldwide download

in April 2019

in April 2019

in April 2019

in April 2019

in April 2019

11.3m

7m

860k

10m

3.1

Strengths

Strengths

Strengths

Strengths

Strengths

Popular for regional content

Part of a 3 in 1 deal including,

Variety of regional content

Lifestyle Shows

International shows dubbed

online videos, music and free one day delivery Localized Content

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in Hindi

One app to stream all OTT media | Research

Other OTT platforms in India Kanopy

VB on the Web

JioCinema

USP

USP

USP

Streaming platform aimed at education and development

All things Vikram Bhatt

Spuul

BigFlix

USP

USP

Limited free films, premium at Rs99 and rental options

Premium at Rs50 per month

Cinemas of India

Mubi

USP

USP

Hoichoi

TVF Play

USP

USP

Exclusive films like Sudhir Mishra’s Dharavi

Bengali Cinema and orignals

Free for Jio customers

7 different handpicked movies every week

Originals like Tripling and Yeh Meri Family

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Challenges faced by the OTT industry

fatigue” from engaging with so many platforms. In

rights to certain titles. This user will have to pay the

time, this could prompt customers to become more

subscription fee for watching even one movie. A

selective with their managed subscriptions.

similar case was seen with the release of ‘The Game of Thrones’ exclusively on Hotstar, a sudden rise in

The freedom to watch your shows whenever you

However, a recent poll did find two words top

subscriptions was seen as consumer interest lay in one

choose is definitely appealing and the steady stream

of mind when everyday consumers think about

show but ended up getting the subscription for the full

of new content keeps viewers engaged. But, we no

streaming: overabundance and fatigue.

platform.

longer live in a world where Netflix is the only OTT Only the ‘Highly Subscribed’ viewers show positive

game in town.

intent when it comes to paying for premium services Increased competition will be a major challenge for

as they’re more willing than the other segments to

video OTT solutions in the years ahead:

pay for premium video on demand, in-app game purchases, and online news. Based on their economic

Disney has launched Disney+ — its own branded video

power and capacity to subscribe to entertainment

streaming service in collaboration with Hotstar.

services,

Amazon Prime is developing its own critically

Content Fragmentation also poses another problem.

acclaimed programming that rivals Netflix’s original

“The Content Discovery study by PwC has found that

content.

video content discovery is a bigger pain point and source of frustration for consumers than finding other types of media.”

HBO has recently entered streaming license agreements to stream content like Game of Thrones in select countries.

We’re currently witnessing a new wave of

flipboard.com

diversification across OTT markets, creating new opportunities and challenges. Recent studies suggest

Increased competition is leading to content

50% of OTT customers are experiencing “subscription

fragmentation and platforms gaining exclusive

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One app to stream all OTT media | Research

Two’s a company, Three’s a crowd

instagram.com

“There is a grain of truth in every joke” - Sigmund Freud

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Indian Media Landscape (multiple sources)

Consumption behavior •

OTT viewers spends approx.. 70 min/day Consumption frequency – 12.5 times/week (more

• • • • • •

than once a day) Accessing 2.5 platforms at a given time

• • •

subscription-based model More than 30+ OTT players in India (300+ globally) “Netflix recently (July 24, 2019) launched a mobileonly plan exclusively in India to bring a personalized experience to smartphone users of the country.

English

This plan, , is aimed at targeting the tier two and tier

87% consume in smartphones

three segment of India – a country with the biggest

28% of Smartphone users consume between 10am

smartphone user base in the world.”

– 6pm (working hours) 38% of OTT user are considering cord-cutting

Metro Phenomenon (Users - 55% from metros, 36% from Tier 1 cities) Metros – Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta Tier 1 – Bengaluru, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Pune,

Language preference (most to least) Hindi > English > Telegu > Punjabi > Bengali > Marathi > Tamil > Others

Key platforms accessed in across 25 cities

Tier 2 – Ludhiana, Panipat, Nagpur, Mumbai,

Hotstar > Amazon > Sony LIV > Netflix > Voot > Zee5 > Eros

Coimbatore, Bhubaneshwar, Jamshedpur, Patna

Now > Alt Balaji > Yupp Tv > Ditto > HOOQ > Arré > Spuul

Hotstar is leading the OTT industry for sports (IPL – global record in real time streaming) and has the

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• •

Amazon Prime Videos – second highest in

30% are viewing content other than Hindi and

• India – 10th largest consumer of OTT in the world • 89% of OTT users are youngsters (16 – 35 years) Platforms •

•

in Ad based model)

30% prefer movie on OTT

Demographics •

highest penetration of non– paying users (Leading

One app to stream all OTT media | Research

Opportunities and Trends

“Cutting the cord” of the cable box is no longer a

In terms of device, mobile is surpassing TV as the

trend, but widely considered an inevitability, leading

primary content consumption channel. According to

to the largely over saturated market we know it as

a report from eMarketer, over 75% of worldwide video

today. Despite these challenges, OTT technology has

consumption occurs on mobile devices.

immense potential. Video streaming services are on the rise globally. In India, OTT subscription was worth

These OTT video streaming trends mentioned are

12 Billion in 2019 and is estimated to reach 74 Billion in

expected to impact the evolving OTT industry way

2024.

beyond 2019-20. It is entirely up to OTT platform players on how they align their businesses in synchronization

According to comScore, around 50 million households

with the maturing markets.

across the world, today consume OTT media, which they consume in the same time-of-day pattern as

While cord cutting has certainly increased OTT

traditional TV viewers.

consumer adoption, that doesn’t mean traditional networks will disappear entirely. In fact, customers

Beyond global adoption rates, major opportunities

maintain traditional cable services alongside Netflix or

exist in non-entertainment markets. One recent

Amazon Prime subscriptions. It’s also worth

survey determined that OTT subscribers pay for

remembering that OTT services are still fairly new, and

educational content, usually in the form of instructional

could undergo significant changes as best practices

streaming platforms.

are refined. For example, some experts believe OTT platforms could one day be bundled much like

OTT platforms will be considering the benefits of tiered

traditional cable packages.

monetization. While most solutions are subscription based, hybrid models will casting a wide net when it comes to monetization methods and this could help OTT solutions grow in the years ahead.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Candy Bar Theory

If you’re offered to dig into a bag of chocolates, you’re

events that you want to watch. As a result, current

hoping to get one that you already know and love,

legacy mass media companies will become the

The next big trend in the OTT industry could be around

example - KitKat. What you’re not hoping for is to get

faceless gatekeepers and quiet curators of content,

the Candy Bar theory. This thesis project is also in many

one from Nestle, which is the name of the holding

aggregating properties that will generate revenue

ways based around this concept.

company of KitKat. For them to stay behind the product

while being largely buried from the mainstream

front lines and letting you associate KitKat with a

consciousness.

momentary dopamine rush instead of the holding company makes sense on many levels.

Similarly, at no point in your quest for content do you stop and think “Well, I implicitly trust what Dharma Productions curates, so let me blindly flip over and see what they have to offer” In the digital world, OTT giants like Netflix, Hotstar, YouTube TV, PrimeVideos and others are all in a Battle Royale and acting as digital aggregators of the content that you know and love.

Consumers are only concerned about Hotstar as it offer Game of Thrones and not due to any true brand affinity to Hotstar.

Only true allegiance will be to the shows, games and 34

One app to stream all OTT media | Research

Primary Research Primary research is defined as a methodology used by researchers to collect data directly, rather than depending on data collected from previously done research. Technically, they “own” the data. Primary research is solely carried out to address a certain problem, which requires in-depth analysis.

The area of interest of learnings from the user includes:

• • • • • •

Survey Planet, an online tool was used for taking the survey and long interviews were taken over video calls

OTT awareness

and with permission the conversations were recored

Content consumption behavior

for revisiting at a later stage in the project.

Content selection criteria Search process Browsing process Spending behavior

In order to achieve this I conducted an online survey and took a set of long interviews.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Survey

88 respondents

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One app to stream all OTT media | Research

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

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One app to stream all OTT media | Research

Long interviews 6 participants

Questions Q. What is your name? Age? Sex? Profession?

Q. How and where do your search for titles?

Q. What do you understand by the term OTT?

Q. When unsure, where and how do you browse for

content?

Q. What streaming services do you use on a daily basis

and which are the occasional ones?

Q. Most frustrating part about OTT platforms? What

Why? How? When? And Where?

would you change?

Q. What sort of content you consume on these plat-

Q. Views on cord-cutting?

forms? sports/educational/movies/series/news? (including Lynda/ Udemy)

Q. How many paid subscriptions do you have? What made you select them?

Q. What is your favorite setting to watch a movie? (alone/friends)

Q. Anything that dips your viewing experience? (tech/ human)

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Participants Name: Saloni Sancheti

Participants Name: Rishab Rastogi

Age: 27

Age: 31

Sex: Female

Sex: Male

Profession: Marketing Manager at Aaza Fashions

Profession: Freelance Filmmaker

Location: Lower Parel, Mumbai

Location: Goregaon, Mumbai

Key Takeaways

“Sometimes I download through torrent only to find the same title on one of the platforms that I’m

• •

subscribed to”

• • • •

•

SVOD - Preferred revenue model as it opens up

•

He prefers to watch sports on other pirated

more options even if you intend to just watch one

channels because he finds the commentators on

show.

Hotstar lacks the expertise

Wants to see more of original content

•

Browsing through multiple OTT platforms and

Subscribed to - YouTube Premium. Netflix, Hotstar,

friend’s recommendation are the primary source

Mubi and Vimeo

for looking up new content to watch.

Laptop/Smartphone - preferred devices

•

Searching for titles is a big challenge. The biggest

OTT benefits him as he gets access to an archive,

frustration while searching for titles arises as most

play and pause convenience and enjoys the cross

OTT platforms demand for correct spelling in input

platform experience.

to generate accurate search results

Rishab finds Hotstar to be worth the money spend as it has tie ups with HBO, FX and now Disney+

•

He as completely ‘cut-the-cord’ as he enjoys the experience of watching movies in his personal space and device.

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Preferred payment model - TVOD, as she reads more book and watches only select movies. She

Key Takeaways •

Recommendations are false and unauthentic

• • •

has a yearly subscription for Kindle.

Since she lives alone she has completely cut the cord as it makes more economical sense.

Currently subscribed to Netflix, Hotstar and Prime Videos.

Despite having a smart TV at home, she prefers consuming her OTT content on her smartphone.

This saves her from the hassle of fetching the remote and turning the TV on, whereas the smartphone is always at arms reach.

One app to stream all OTT media | Research

Participants Name: Pranav Pathak

Participants Name: Akhil Prem

Age: 26

Age: 22

Sex: Male

Sex: Male

Profession: Client Servicing at Publicis

Profession: BMM student at Amity University

Location: Goregaon

Location: Panvel, Navi Mumbai

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways

•

•

•

On regular basis accesses content from Netflix, Hotstar, Prime Videos, YouTube, Sony LIV and Zee5 To search for fresh and reliable content he relies on listicals from the likes of “Top 10 movies to watch”,

•

•

• •

On daily basis he consumes content on YouTube, Netflix, Prime Videos and Hotstar.

Preferred device - Laptop and Smartphone IMDB (user generated reviews and ratings) or a

recommendations.

discussion with a friend.

•

Tomatoes or the movie suggestions by OTT

platforms that has it.

platforms.

as he enjoys the convenience of binging (getting to watch one show after another) vs scheduled

• •

content on TV.

house and he personally has ‘cut the cord’.

Does not trust the AI based inspection like Rotten

it first, in order to know if he is subscribed to any He hasn’t cut-the-cord completely, but will soon

Traditional cable is only used by elders in the

Likes to inspect film before watching them through

from Youtube, Buzzfeed, Scoopwoop and friend’s While searching for a title he prefers to google

•

largest library of films.

SVOD - preferred payment model (Cheaper than buying one title at a time) After subscribing to so many services and still having no access to foreign content and lack of regional (Malyalam) content is disappointing for

•

him Feels Hotstar is worth as it has the consolidation advantage, making it the only platform with the 41

Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Participants Name: Naveen Yadav

Participants Name: Deepak Sherawat

Age: 34

Age: 30

Sex: Male

Sex: Male

Profession: Government Servant (Customs Inspector)

Profession: BMM student at Amity University

Location: Narnaul, Rajasthan

Location: Panvel, Navi Mumbai

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways

•

•

• • •

He prefers browsing on Tv as he gets bite sized content in comparison to thumbnails Traditional cable TV is primarily used for Sports and News Has 4 shared subscription plans and is sharing the account with friends Uses google or YouTube to refer what movie to watch and also to search and inspect titles

• • • • •

On daily baisis he accesses YouTube, Prime Videos and Hotstar.

Discontinued Netflix has he has seen the movies he wanted to watch there.

Dish TV for elders at home as they are not tech savvy.

Prefers Ad based payment model for OTT over SVOD. Says that Ads don’t bother him.

Watches movies that his friends recommend or has seen it on listings on YouTube or Google.

Shares accounts with friends as he feels the recommendations don’t reflect with his interest,

•

might as well have a mix of it.

He feels going for movies is an outing experience and not exactly a movie experience as OTT provides. Hence, prefers serious movies consumption on OTT platforms.

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One app to stream all OTT media

Analysis 43

Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Mindmap A mind map is a tool for the brain that captures the thinking that goes on inside your head. Mind mapping helps you think, collect knowledge, remember and create ideas. Most likely it will make you a better thinker.

Photographed by Prakash Tuli

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One app to stream all OTT media | Analysis

Affinity Map Affinity Mapping is a practice used to organize ideas or insights. It allows large numbers of ideas stemming from brainstorming to be sorted into groups, based on their natural relationships, for review and analysis. It is also frequently used in contextual inquiry as a way to organize notes and insights from field interviews for synthesis and analysis.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

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One app to stream all OTT media | Analysis

Task Analysis Task analysis is the process of learning about ordinary users and to understand in detail how they perform their tasks and achieve their intended goals. Tasks analysis helps identify the tasks that your website

• •

What experiences (personal, social, and cultural) users bring to the tasks How users previous knowledge and experience have and influence n the workflow

and applications must support and can also help you refine or re-define your site’s navigation or search by determining the appropriate content scope.

It’s important to perform a task analysis early in your process, in particular prior to design work. Task analysis helps support several other aspects of the user-centered design process, including:

• • • •

Website requirements gathering Developing content strategy and site structure Wireframing and Prototyping Performing usability testing

Purpose

• •

What your users’ goals are and what they are trying to achieve What users actually do to achieve those goals

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Before performing the Task Analysis I created different

Triggers

personas based on how each persona might take a different route to achieve, what are the trigger and

prerequisite knowledge (e.g. – IMDB, rotten tomatoes) Fanatics – Consume new quality media

required knowledge to achieve the same goal.

Fanatics

Connoisseurs – niche content titles and platforms to Traditionalist – re-run of my comfort content, search

Explorers – subscription to multiple platforms and Indulgists – want to know more of the content before

Uses every feature, need the trailer, what’s the casting?

Connoisseurs

Curator/Engagers – platforms to share reviews and Connoisseurs – consume niche content Explorers – variety of quality content from across platforms, consume new and original content across platforms

experts, cinematography, camera angles (Mubi)

Explorers

Curator/Engagers – share quality content and initiate conversations

What’s new? How to get it? Highly subscribed, screen hoppers

Required Knowledge

Evangelists/Curators

Fanatics – names of platforms to access new quality

Please watch this, it’s awesome! (Scoopwhoop/

content, subscription plan if not free

Buzzfeed/IMDB), discusses films, gives ratings and opinions

Traditionalist – the platform where the show is licensed, subscription plan if not free

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names of the platforms available to explore

consuming (trailer, cast, review, etc.)

Same old, same old (friends/the office re-run)

Indulgists

access them, subscriptions plans if not free

for content in mind and consume

“I’ll watch everything and anything.”

Traditionalist

Indulgists – websites and forums to procure the

ratings

One app to stream all OTT media | Analysis Consume Quality Media

Sure of media to consume

Niche Platforms

OTT

Google Search

Torrent

Cable

Recall Platform

Open platform 2

Redirect

Open platform 3

Open Platform 4

Open platform

Free/ Subscribed

Subcribe

Recommendation

Search

Browse

Cast

Select media

IMDB/Google/ Rottent Tomatoes/Youtube

Trailer Personal message

Inspect Ratings

Reviews

Play

Within OTT

Pause/Play

Goal complete

Goal Complete

Share Reviews

Fanatics Traditionalist Indulgists Connoisseurs Explorers Curator/Engagers

Flowchart by Prakash Tuli

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Redefining the Problem On the basis of analysis I understood that consolidation is inevitable in the future of OTT industry, but this will yet not solve the problem of overabundance.

Curator

What we gather from the analysis as well is that viewers are looking for more guidance from fellow humans with a pinch of AI and not the other way around.

From the task analysis I understood that if funnel down to solving for the problems of the Explorer and Curators the solution might have a domino effect for the rest of

Explorer

personas. Since the process undertaken by them to achieve the goal encompasses the subtasks of the rest as well, in one way or the other.

How might we create a consolidated OTT app to stream original, regional and exclusive shows from across platforms based on user recommendations while overriding multiple subscriptions and app hopping?

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

One app to stream all OTT media

Conceptualization 51

Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Defining the user Existing Persona Our target audience is the youth and young adults who have already cut the cord and made the shift and are looking for the solutions to the challenges it poses. The existing persona will be among the first wave of app downloders as they are already looking for the solutions that we are trying to provide, with the proposed application.

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One app to stream all OTT media | Conceptualization

Aspirational Persona In the second wave of downloads we expect to have the one’s who are lured into the simplicity of the OTT experience and would skip through the painpoints that they already have foreseen and were avoiding since the get go. We expect the early adopters to set base for this persona.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Proposed Features • • • • • • • • •

Search for titles from across the internet Create App Bundles User Based Recommendations Additional Categories based on human behavior for exploring content Watch Together Voice Search Movie Matchmaker Movie Reactions Account Sharing

Identifying the MVP

As each feature adds up to the cost of development, we need to identify the most important features that will get the product in the market and set it apart from the rest of the competition. At a later stage we can always keep iterating and adding more features to the product. The features highlighted in bold text in the above list are the final features decide to go ahead with for this application.

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One app to stream all OTT media | Conceptualization

Developing the Brand

Voice & tone

Discover

Look and feel

Behavior

Logo

App

Website

A great way to design a holistic brand experience it to consider all customer touchpoints—the places the brand touches the customer. Planning a touchpoint strategy that reflects customer needs and brand positioning throughout the experience cycle is an important step toward building a consistently strong brand.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Discovery Since this is a self initiated project and due to a lack of discovery session with a real client. The basis for identifying the keywords were desk research, interview, surveys, analysis and a lot of self dialogue.

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One app to stream all OTT media | Conceptualization

Keywords The key words generated here through the discovery sessions will become a base and a point of reference for further tasks in this project.

merge empowering youth narrowcast experimental discovery confident sharing trust digital flexible platform vision explore refined innovative minimal media bundle simple reliable freedom quality social inclusive tech bold savvy curate uni dependable consolidate modern exciting fast decision curious web technology recommendations smart scalable smartphone adventurous liberating

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Naming the product Name explorations based on keywords generated during the discovery session.

den spree allstream troops movies planet spectrum neustream bundle platform oasis scoot hover oodles flock dome blender bingeall infinity streamster polyplay streamware mediaverse palette cluster jamboree allflicks

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One app to stream all OTT media | Conceptualization

Approaches to Naming a Product

Descriptive names

Deviant/arbitrary names

Descriptive names are a shade less undesirable than

an emotional connection to the product but doesn’t

To narrow down names from the explorations requires

generic names, but only barely. A descriptive name

describe it in any way. For instance, the brand name

us to understand what approach to naming will be

“immediately conveys an idea of the ingredients,

‘Apple’ is connected to the technology field by Isaac

pragmatic from a business and branding point of view.

qualities or characteristics of the goods or services,”

Newton and his ‘apple’ epiphany. However, there’s no

Associative/suggestive names Suggestive names suggest what the product might

A deviant or arbitrary name is a real word that has

direct link between an Apple and a Computer.

Neologistic/fanciful names

do, without telling you exactly what it is. These names

Finally, a ‘fanciful’ name is a unique, made-up word

are interesting because they show your creativity as a

that’s designed to describe a product without drawing

brand. For instance, Microsoft’s ‘Office’ doesn’t give you

on existing language. For example, ‘Kleenex’ didn’t

an office building, but it provides the tools you might

exist in the dictionary, but it’s something we can all

need to run an office.

associate with ‘cleaning’ things.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Associative/suggestive names As this platform is a new entry in an already cluttered OTT market. Hence, associative/suggestive name would help in understanding what the product is about and make it stand out in the market space while being suggestive of it’s USP. This approach helps build a strong conceptual association with the product.

den

platform

Why Oodles?

Out of all the associative suggestive names explored, Oodles has the potential to connect with a youthful target audience. The drive of the persona of an explorer is to have oodles of option to explore from. Hence, it

prospect of scaling. Oddles has the potential to be relatable to a global audience. It is also easy to remember, pronounce and understand (2 syllables).

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troops

neustream flock jamboree

polyplay spree oasis

allstream

mediaverse

oodles bundle dome

hover

movies planet

also relates with the core persona of the product. If we select a regional name, it becomes a limitation for the

palette

blender

bingeall

cluster infinity

streamster

spectrum

streamware scoot

allflicks

One app to stream all OTT media | Conceptualization

Look and Feel Culture

Customer

Voice

Feel

Impact

terms of brand’s voice, culture, customer, what we

Innovative

Curious

Refined

Quality driven

Freedom

want the user to feel while using the product and

Experimental

Adventurous

Empowering

Bold

Liberation

what is the ultimate impact we are trying to have.

Dynamic

Modern

Inspiring

Confidence

Simplified

Vision

Urban

Minimal

Community

Tech-savvy

Scalable

Reliability

In order to funnel the top keywords that will set the direction for our look and feel, I categorized them in

The core attributes with the most visual potential are then prioritized by applying them to the core attributes statement.

Core attribute Statement Name

Product/Service

Customer

Culture

Oodles provides a consolidated platform to a modern explorer of movies and an innovative environment with a refined voice. Helping them feel bold and confident with a simplified discovery and sharing process.

Voice

Feeling

Impact

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Brand Behavior For an explorer of movies and TV shows, the internet is like the vast expanse of space with 300+ platforms

The transition of discovery process with Oodles is like upgrading your search tool from . . . ... to this.

...this....

and each platform has varieties of options of content categories and genres.

To explore and find the areas of interest that are worth consuming and sharing they need the right tools. With this app we are creating those tools. A strong search engine will act like a telescope that will give them a closer look into any platform from one place and help build a community of explorers to exchange and record their discoveries.

Also a fresh new map in the form of revised recommendations will guide them in a direction worth looking (narrowcasting).

This product can act as a new age tool to launch the persona and supercharge it’s exploring process.

unsplash.com 62

unsplash.com

One app to stream all OTT media | Conceptualization

Brand Archetype Based on the concept discussed in the previous page, Oodles’ brand should behave like an Innovator/Creator.

About the Innovator archetype Seemingly oxymoronic by nature, the Creator archetype desires freedom while at the same time deeply motivated by control. Hanging in this delicate balance, we find visionary and innovative brands that value imagination and self-expression, particularly in the fields of the arts, design, marketing, and technology.

The Creator archetype contributes to society and provides structure to the world by bringing something into being — by realizing a vision. The Creator archetype is a natural fit for many marketing, design, and technology brands. But any brand that dismantles old systems or processes and creates something new in its place would be expressing the Creator archetype.

Levels/Phases of the Innovator archetype

Oodles’ Behavior

Each archetype has levels. The lower levels are less

Oodles will be using the level one strategy as it’s a

advanced, while higher levels are more evolved or

new entry into the market and is developing on an

developed.

existing technology while introducing an innovative twist to it. We have to communicate the same and not

Level 1: At its most basic, the Creator archetype

make it too futuristic a product, which will misguide or

is expressed by the act of creating, but not truly

intimidate the users.

innovating. At level 1, “creativity” happens by simply imitating others.

Voice – empowering, inspiring Drive – freedom, vision

Level 2: Once able to move past imitation, and starting

Culture – experimental, modern,

to give form to one’s own vision, the archetype begins

Fear – stagnation, confinement

to express authenticity. The process is deeper and

Brand experience – unique, quality driven

more introspective, coming from within instead of

Revenue Model - Hybrid

looking at what is already

Positioning Statement – Discovering movies,

out there.

reimagined.

Level 3: At its highest level, the Creator archetype fosters true innovation and beauty, and creates something enduring that is able to influence society.

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Structuring 64

One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

Information Architecture Hierarchy and navigation are two essential

Based on the user flow observed and referencing

components of any digital product. The first

other OTT application I came up with the information

component defines the structure of content, while the

architecture as a point of reference for wireframing

second involves the ways users move through it.

the application. The flow of the user as shown in the

The information architect is the key person responsible

next page will undergo changes and get adjusted

for determining how information on a website or app is

accordingly as more research and information come

displayed and accessed. In order to create a hierarchy,

to light during the wireframing stage.

the Information architect needs to consider both what the user expects to see (based on research) as well as how the business wants to show the information (based on project requirements). The deliverable that’s commonly associated with this activity is a sitemap, which illustrates the hierarchy of content across a website.

Information architects often act as a bridge between the design and engineering teams on a project. IAs need to make sure that the visual design proposed by the design team is relevant to the data model created by the engineering team.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020 Landing Page play, pause, react, comment, recommend, rate

Sign up

Sign in

Registration

comments, reactions, recommendations, no. of friends watching/watched

description, genre, trailers, ratings, cast etc

onboarding

Home Page

overview

more like this

friend’s review

your id is linked to these OTT

Setup payment

Time in hand

Add OTT/chose plan/ preferences What my friends are watching

integrate FB/Instagram

New Stuff

popular

Geolocation

continue watching filter

Home

Account

Dashboard

Search

Profile

Genre

Category

OTT Director Watchlits

Plan Actor Settings Genre Help Production Sign out Categogry

OTT

Language

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Billing

One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

Wireframing What is wireframing?

What to keep in mind?

structural level. A wireframe is commonly used to lay

overload)

out content and functionality on a page which takes

User Confidence - build trust in brand through good

into account user needs and user journeys. Without it,

design

you will just be designing the interface based on trial

Simplicity - What is the page depicting

Wireframing is a way to design a website service at the

Clarity - Keeping out the noise (avoid information

and error.

Why do we need to wire frame?

Organise content to support the goals

Spacing, layout, functionality and hierarchy Buttons, call to action and touch points to support those goals What the user expects from the page

Where to wire frame? Software

Pen and pencil for rough (exploration and iterations) Adobe Xd for Digital

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Initial Sketches and Explorations

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

Digital Wireframe and UX Copy The approved screens are marked with a green bar at top of the screen.

9:41 Log in

Oodles

Onboarding | Introduction (option 1)

Onboarding is the equivalent of an unboxing process for a digital product. It’s the first impression.

In this option, the introduction and USP is divided into

Discovering movies, reimagined

Get Started

three scrollable pages.

.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

9:41 Log in

Recommend movie and shows you discover

Discovering movies, reimagined

Get Started

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

9:41

9:41 Log in

Discover Discover movies from across platforms Discover movies from across platforms

Oodles Onboarding | Introduction (option 2)

Discovering movies, reimagined

Recommend Share and get recommendations from friends Share and get recommendations from friends

With this approach the intent was to introduce the app and provide the basic prerequisite knowledge to the user about the product and it’s features in one page and make sure it’s not skipped if not scrolled.

CONTINUE

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Onboarding | Sign up Since our user base is predominantly a smartphone user, signing up with the phone number should be the most convenient for the user rather than using an email id. Hence, the emphasis is given to the former, but the latter is also provided but as a less encouraging option.

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

Onboarding | Sign up

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Onboarding | Sign in Leveraging the smartphone and phone number convenience for the sign in page also seems more pragmatic.

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

approach I

Onboarding | Create Service Bundle This screen represents one of the most pivotal features

The First approach is a vertical scroll of platforms and

defining the product and presents an opportunity for

horizontal toggle for categories. Both approaches have

the user to comprehend the value proposition being

the option to upgrade card at the top.

offered. I explored two approaches to communicate the same to the user.

The second approach are cards that are less intimidating and slide from out of the screen. Here

The OTT services are categorized based on AdVOD,

a copy is also provided explaining the category of

SVOD and Linear OTT platforms while leveraging the

services.

preexisting knowledge of the user.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

approach II

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

Onboarding | Add Friends To receive and share recommendations from friends we could have asked the user to have platform specific username but it makes more sense to extract data from preexisting social platforms instead of building it from scratch here. From the social profile the user links to Oodles they get a list of friend’s suggestions from the respective platforms and an option to invite who have not yet become part of Oodles.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

Onboarding | Language Preference Here we provide the user to narrow down the content recommended based on language from across platforms in the service bundle. Since this has been a major concern among users looking for regional and foreign content. This is the last step for onboarding the app and once it’s completed you get success message informing about the account being all setup.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

approach I

Homepage Information Layout The most basic and essential categorization of content is used at the top with a toggle bar - Movies and TV Shows.

In every approach there is scroll bar indicative of it not being a bottomless scroll and large cards are used reflective of the Oodles’s boldness and reliability of the content being presented.

Approaches for the cards are - one with total emphasis on one content per time. With only information presented that will make the decision faster and bold CTA’s catching the eye of the user. While the other approach, gives a glimpse of the next recommendation on the horizontal scroll and the CTA’s are condensed under the form of a FAB menu on the card. The second approach works better in terms of being bold but not pushy with the user.

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approach II

One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

Homepage Besides informational layout, the following aspects were also explored for the homescreen Navigation between content categories - Kebab menu in top nav bar vs the dropdown next to category title.

Going ahead with kebab menu option because of the users familiarity to it.

“For You” bottom navigation option that is dedicated for recommended category. This will help make the content stand out and build more trust..

FAB (condensed) works better in terms of simplicity vs open and aligned CTA’s Option to downvote was explored but was discarded as it will work counterproductive for the Oodler’s consensus we plan to give in the movie details screen.

A bar at top is also included for advertisement as Oodles is supporting a hybrid revenue model 83

Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

Explore If the user is not satisfied with the default content categories on the home screen they can dig deeper through the explore section in the bottom nav bar.

Based on research new browsing categories are also added such as duration of content, release date and most searched content on Oodles.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

Search The explore navigation also doubles as a search engine

Let’s take another example of the classic movie -The

for Oodles. Though an option to search is also available

Godfather, if the user searches the same on google,

on the homepage. Searching is also one of the most

the search results push for their own platform which

important features of this app. The power and suave of

is, Youtube (Rent for 120INR) and you might skip the

searching on Oodles is illustrated with an example.

information that it is also available on Netflix.

If the user wishes to search for all parts of the Fast and

Oodles provides an unbiased search from all platforms,

Furious saga, which has 8 parts spanning between

even if it’s not part of the service bundle. This in turn

10 years. They will otherwise search on google or on

benefits the business goals of Oodles as well, by softly

each subscribed and free platform. Since all parts are

transitioning the user to upgrade for a premium Oodles

licensed by different OTT platforms, to watch all parts

account.

the user will have to have a subscription on all the platforms and go through the hassle of remembering

As the user keeps using the search they learn about the

which OTT has which part.

simplicity of having one subscription for all platforms.

With Oodles, the user gets a refined search result for the same.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

Movie Details The key feature on the movie details screen is the user recommendations and ratings. The aim is make the users feel the app is driven by the users and not AI. At the bottom of rating and recommendations cards the app gives an “Oodler’s consensus” ranging from “must watch” to “you might want to skip this one”. With this we are aspiring to keep the platform unbiased and transparent about the real viewers opinions.

There could also be an option to click and view the list of friends recommending the title here as well but that would set the user on a different journey and increase the decision making time which is counter intutive for the USP of the app.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

Pause Screen Within the pause screen the user has the option to react to any part of the show and it will reflect in his user feed and same for the friends.

Oodles does not wish to be a full blown messenger.

Hence, the reactions approach to subtly communicate highlights of the show or a movie is taken.

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

Pause Screen The ratings showcased on the movie details screen is driven from the end of movie ratings prompt. Also, since the reactions is not a very familiar feature, for the first time user clicking on react a dialogue explaining how it works might be beneficial.

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

User | Feed The feed is divided in 4 type of categories of friends activities, each of which is designed to positively influence the deciding factor of the user for movies and TV Show - Reactions, Recommendations, Watched and added to Whishlist.

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One app to stream all OTT media | Structuring

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Prakash Tuli | BA-VCD Degree Project 2020

User | My Activity This section is a list of activities that will reflect in users’ friends’ feed. The user also has the liberty to delete, hide or share any particular activity with an edit button at the top right of the card.

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User | Friends’ Feed If the user feels the need to see the activities of a specific friend, who they believe to have great choice of movies or TV shows, they can access the same through the navigational options in the user screen.

The user can also get more specific and toggle between only the list of watched, recommended and reactions. The specificity can be accessed of the user’s own activities as well on it’s user screen.

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Settings Under settings in the user navigation the user can change it’s profile details, account details including the billing plans or payment details and can also edit it’s service bundles.

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Visualization 98

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Design Direction This being a self sponsored project I had to get creative in getting feedback and setting definite directions for going forward. Instead of creating a mood board that is usually presented to a client, I made a leap by creating design directions based on the look and feel’s core attribute statement which will later be sent to the potential users for a survey.

Mockups?

A mockup is a visual way of representing a product.

While a wireframe mostly represents a product’s structure, a mockup shows how the product is going to look like. But still, a mockup is not clickable (just like the wireframe). As opposed to a wireframe, a mockup is either a mid or high-fidelity display of design.

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Initial Explorations Direction 1

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Direction 2

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Direction 3

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Direction 4

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Direction 5

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Direction 6

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Direction 7

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Direction 8

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Product Icon Product icons are the visual expression of a brand and product, including their services and tools.

Icons communicate the core idea and intent of a product in a simple, bold, and friendly way. While each icon is visually distinct, all product icons for a brand should be unified through concept and execution.

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Concept

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Explorations (Sketches)

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Explorations (Digital)

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A round of elimination While again being faced with the same dilemma of not having a client to present for narrowing down explorations, this time I took feedback from AI.

unclear what is

64/100

70/100

66/100

49/100

61/100

74/100

56/100

68/100

too sharp

unclear stacking

for Oodles

and negative space

coming together

First I did a self analysis and eliminated the one which did not align with the branding and then I did a logo rank through the website - brandmark.io/logo-rank/ 68/100

Logo Rank is an AI system that understands logo design. It’s trained on a million+ logo images to give you tips and ideas. It can also be used to see if your designer took inspiration from stock icons.

To get a score I had to upload the logos on the website and it would give me specific score on uniqueness, legibility, contrast and an overall score out of 100 points.

Here I’ve listed the overall score with each exploration.

60/100

feels like stacking and not consolidation

72/100

48/100

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81/100

76/100

42/100

48`/100

55/100

42/100

too common

halfway to Olympics and Audi

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45/100

look more like a bird

too common

concept not coming across

77/100

feels like a paper clip

too much momentum

65/100

81/100

59/100

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Product icon grid Applying the grid to the logo will make it easier to inspect and narrow down further. Upon further inspection I let go of two more icon options as the dot pattern in one option was similar to the concept of a competitor - Mubi and the other did not reflect with the brand ethos of Oodles.

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User survey I created app store mockups using the design directions and final icons to get a feel of the product on it’s digital shelf and giving the survey participants a visual familiarity of the brand touchpoint.

This exercise also helped me gain better perspective in terms of which direction was worth getting a poll.

After analyzing the app store mockups I let go of the white theme as a movie going is a lights out experience and others which did not have enough promise of communicating or positioning the brand as we intend to. This also would reduce the cognitive load for the survey participants as they will have just 3 prioritized options to select from.

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Survey Results 60 responses Questions Can you guess which of the three application is a 2020 release? (image ref. 1) Based on the image which application feels it would be

Image reference 1

easy to use? (image ref. 1) Out of three which application would you download, judging solely on the look and feel? (image ref. 1) One of the three is the original logo of the application, to be launched in 2020. Can you guess which one? (image ref. 2)

Image reference 2

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Consensus More than 50 percent of participants voted for the option “c� for both, logo and design direction. For final designs the logo of option c will be used and option c for design directions.

To view detailed report visit this webpage https://prakashtuli.typeform.com/report/iNAeTdYi/ lu4sLjCU3zcdFPHO

Most voted look and feel

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Most voted product icon

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UI style guide Colors

+

=

Electric Violet

Dodger Blue

Cod Gray,

Mine Shaft,

#8F48FF

#3457FF, #34B4FF

#171717

#1F1F1F

Typography

AaBbCc

AaBbCc

D-Din

Poppins

AaBbCc SF Pro

Icons and Buttons

BUTTON

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Final Product Icon

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Final Screen Design

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Learnings Anything new is challenging and an opportunity for

Also designing all of UI is pointless if it’s not

growth. So was this project as it was my very first full

comprehendable or beneficial for the user. When

blown UI/UX experience. From an academic, technical

you begin a project you begin with notions that are

and conceptual point of view this was a big learning

challenged and discarded as you learn more about

opportunity for me. Three years ago if I was asked

how actually people behave versus how you thought

to design an app, I would have opened dribble and

they do. Like I’m the traditionalist persona, who does

gone through other designer’s work and picked up

re- runs of ‘The Office’ and the whishlists keeps getting

UI elements. During the course of this project I got a

longer. The app designed is not for me but a persona

chance to understand the nuances and sacrosanct

out there who behaves very differently and diligently

required for designing an app. By the end of the

watches movies she/he sets her/his mind to.

project I had gained the foundational knowledge of UI components and it’s uses, type scape, spacing, how to

This ever changing world of design will always keep us

leverage density independent pixel to my advantage

on our toes and requires us to be constant learners.

and much more. After going through numerous

I have a feeling I have just scratched the surface of

amounts of text and tutorials from the web now that

knowledge out there with this project required for me

wonderment I felt looking at other designer’s work

to make great app for tomorrow. As I can spot a few

turned into understanding.

things in this project as well that I know would benefit with more thought and work gone into it. Nevertheless,

A lot of concepts are borrowed from traditional print

this was a wonderful learning experience for me and

design, for example using the fibonacci, golden ratio

will work to be a better designer each day and one day

or column grids and the foundation of graphic design

at a time.

remains the same. But understanding the technology and it’s limitations is what give the designer an edge.

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References www.linkedin.com

www.nvision-that.com

www.whistlingwoods.net

iconicfox.com.au

.wikipedia.org

theblog.adobe.com

whistlingwoodsinternational.wordpress.com

material.io

www.designkit.org

www.behance.net

www.questionpro.com

in.pinterest.com

clevertap.com

dribbble.com

www.tapjoy.com

color.adobe.com

blog.pixalate.com

fonts.google.com

www.iab.com

typeform.com

www.agencyreporter.com

thefutur.com

www.filmcompanion.in

chir.ag/projects/name-that-color

www.adgully.com

thenounproject.com

www.socialsamosa.com www2.deloitte.com www.kelltontech.com observer.com simplemind.eu www.usability.gov openpracticelibrary.com venngage.com peopledesign.com monkeylearn.com

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