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INDUSTRY & TECHNOLOGY
Hey, Hey, Hulu, I Don’t Like Your Views
Ameer Hosien Graduate Researcher Alexandria Gombas Undergraduate Researcher Introduction Sometimes it feels like we spend more time browsing the streaming apps than actually watching any show or movie. Given this, the experience of browsing must be simple and pleasant to navigate, and following best practices and guidelines is a good start. For this article, we focus on the best practices of consistency and matching the users' expectations by browsing Hulu on a laptop vs. tablet, where we compare the experiences and impacts. To compare the experience, we used the desktop site (Windows PC) and the mobile app (Apple iPad). Best Practices These best practices are closely related because the industry standards, with consistent application, help form the user’s expectations, such as shopping carts being in the top right-hand corner of sites. Users expect that features and functionality are similar to other websites and applications that they use. They expect the descriptions of what they are looking for are accurate and easy to understand. With consistency across platforms, users don't have to search for what they are looking for and save time. Consistency and matching the user's expectations also minimizes the
learning curve of new apps or services without creating a tutorial. Services, like Hulu, are not limited to one platform or device and are often competing to contribute to match the users' expectations. In Hulu's case, other popular streaming apps, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, have similar layouts, which leads to consumers assuming that the controls and navigation are also similar. If a Netflix user is trying out Hulu, the differences in navigation compared to Netflix may cause frustration or confusion, causing the user to abandon the app. Similar issues can occur when using different devices to access the service if there is not enough similarity or sufficient correlation between a website on a laptop and an app on a tablet. Browsing Shows We noted what steps were involved in browsing Hulu and our experiences while doing so. We noticed two different sized show cards on the homepage, a tall rectangular one with featured shows, and the typical smaller flat rectangle with just the title. On the website, the larger rectangles show a description when hovering, while neither size has a description on the tablet due to the lack of hovering ability. Show Detail Learning more about a show is a different experience based on the device. On both platforms, you se-
lect the show card. However, on the website, clicking just the image doesn’t work; instead, you have to click the words. On the tablet, you can click any part of the show card to view the details. If a tablet user went on the website, this could be frustrating because it doesn't match their expectations from using the app. When you open the show on the website, it displays a cut-off description of the first episode. There is no clear indication of where the series description is. On the tablet, the description panel presents the cutoff series description rather than the episode, showcasing another inconsistency between the different devices. Through trial and error on the tablet, you may find that tapping the description opens a popup with the full description. In contrast, you must navigate to a new tab on the website to find the series description or the first episode to find the rest of the initial description. This can turn users off because it's not what they expected, because the standard is to automatically be shown the full description, without any extra steps. Closing the Show Once you've read the description and decided whether to add it to "My Stuff," Hulu's version of a watch list, you need to close everything so you can continue to browse. On the website, this is easy and just how you might expect: either click to the sides of the card or use the "X" in the upper right-hand corner, much like you would on any other
site. This matches both consistency and standards and the users’ expectations. The tablet interface behaves contrary to expectation. Trying to close the detail panel can cause frustration because the only way to close it is the “X” in the upper left-hand corner, rather than just clicking offside (similar to how the extended description is closed). The "X" is white with no background, so it blends in with images from the show image. The button is also more difficult to find since it is in the left-hand corner, rather than the right where it is located on the website.
Image Courtesy/Alexandria Gombas
Conclusion Hulu, being known as one of the major streaming providers of its generation, provides a large selection of movies and TV shows. However, there are inconsistencies and mismatches with user expectations between the website and the app that can be confusing, impacting the user experience. Hulu needs to remember that its users stream content from many devices and should, therefore, ensure that their interfaces are consistent regardless of how they're being viewed.