Data
I started with gathering data and analyzed general media streaming statistics. I learned that for U.S. consumers, the most important features of music streaming services are quality of sound and price. I also found that Rap and Latin genres lead in music audio and video streams by market share. These statistics were particularly helpful because MediaVision is a free streaming platform that focuses on urban content.
Pain Points
After gathering data, I moved on to identifying pain points through hallway usability testing. From this task I identified several pain points and these were the top three:
Issue #1: Lack of context: There were several comments and questions about what exactly the app does, who it’s for and how it earns money if it’s free. There were also comments about the app being incomplete and random.
Issue #2: No explicit content warning: During the testing, the comedy channel on the app was selected and a sex scene started playing on the screen. Not only did this not meet expectations for something funny, but it was inappropriate.
Issue #3: Content opens up in a different window. After clicking on the gaming channel, the video player opened in the web browser. This forced the user to leave the app without warning. Users should not have to leave the app to watch content because that is the purpose of the app.
Personas
The observations from testing helped create personas. For this process I used the Job Stories framework to help define three personas:
Entertainment Lovers: When I’m on a break, I want to consume free content, so I can stay entertained during my downtime.
Content creators: When I create content, I want it to reach large audiences, so I can monetize my content.
Business Owners: When I’m operating my business, I want to keep customers entertained with affordable streaming content, so customers stay longer and spend money.
Ideation
After gaining a better understanding of the app and its audience, it was time for ideation. By sketching, brainstorming and creating low fidelity mockups I generated several possible solutions. I sketched design ideas and user flows which saved time and energy because I was able to rapidly test and refine ideas.
Prototype
After ideation it was on to the final phase in the process. I created an interactive prototype of the app by designing each screen based on what I gathered from earlier stages in the process. Then I uploaded each screen into InVision which allowed me to animate and get a realistic feel of the app. These are some of the solutions I implemented:
Added a content warning screen for explicit content
Added descriptions and channel information on video player screen
Added ‘About Us’ and ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ sections
Added a Menu to organize content
Removed the Printer button from Video Player screen
Updated the submission form for content creators the Submit section of the app
Evaluation and Results
After testing the prototype, I received positive feedback from a users that validated I had solved the initial pain points and provided context on the purpose of the app.
Through this project, I gathered pain points for an app and successfully implemented solutions into a high fidelity prototype. I also created a new visual identity for MediaVision that could potentially increase the time users spend on the app.
This project taught me the importance of testing. It instantly gave me an understanding of pain points and impressions of the app. Without testing, designing solutions would have been ineffective at addressing issues. I also learned the value of low fidelity mockups and sketches. These affordable tools allowed me to quickly test ideas and gain constructive feedback without wasting time rushing into a high fidelity mockup.
In hindsight, I think I spent too much time on creating the high fidelity prototype. I truly enjoy the visual design process, but many of the design details I added were not necessary.
The Process
User interface design workflow (Data > Pain points > Personas > Ideation > Scenarios > Prototype User interface)
