Netflix | Friends

Share movies and shows with friends

Brief

Netflix is the most popular video service with over 209 million subscribers worldwide. In a one-week sprint, I was asked to create a gamified Netflix experience with the intention to increase client retention. This feature has to be built within 3 months with a small team of 5 developers or less.           

Research

During my research, I learned the following:    

How does Netflix compare to other companies in the industry?  

I begin my research by getting to know a few indirect and direct Netflix competitors. I learned that indirect competitors Twitch and Youtube offer interactive features while Hulu and Netflix don't have such features. Netflix has an opportunity to differentiate itself from its direct competitors by building a feature where users can interact with the platform.    

After interviewing four Netflix subscribers, I found that three out of four users feel discouraged to explore new content. 

Persona 

Based on my interviews with Netflix users I created an archetype, his name is Alex.  

Frustrations

• Users don't like to waste time browsing for a new show/movie without knowing if they’ll like it.
• Users get overwhelmed with the number of options available.
• Watching the same content alone gets boring.

Needs

• Users want to feel sure about their show/movie pick. 
• Expand personal show/movie gallery.
• Connect with friends over shows/movies.

How might we help Netflix users to save time exploring new content while feeling encouraged to stay on the platform? 

This is how Netflix Friends works

With the user's problems and needs in mind, I designed Netflix Friends. This new feature will allow users to share their movie/show list with friends in their group and win the title for best content recommendation voted by friends. 

How was Netflix Friends designed?

I sketched a few ideas of how the new feature would look and function. I replicated the design of the sketches and made them into a mid-fidelity wireframe. I prototyped the wireframe and tested the new feature with three users.

During testing, I found that all users had an easy time navigating the site and completing the task given. Users were asked to create a Netflix Friends group and nominate a friend for the best content in their movie/show list. 

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Hi-Fi Prototype

After user testing, I redesigned the friend nomination board with the intention of making it easy for users to recognize the ranking board.

I designed a high-fidelity prototype that can later go through another round of testing in order to continue to better the user experience.