Adding a Reminder Feature to Netflix
Role: end-to-end UI/UX designer
Platform: Web, Mobile
Duration: 80 hours
Empowering Netflix users to be conscious of how much they stream on a daily basis, therefore helping them develop a healthier lifestyle
The Problem
Forbes reports the average American spends more than 13 hours a day consuming digital media. With this, Netflix is one of, if not the, biggest streaming platform with over 230 million subscribers. However, studies show “moderate to high television viewing during midlife is associated with increased memory loss and decreased fine motor skills”. Netflix therefore has a social responsibility to ensure its users can make conscious decisions towards a healthier lifestyle. Investing in this initiative helps Netflix cultivate positive brand culture which ultimately can help them solidify a loyal user base.
Research
Competitive Research
I researched the top four streaming services.
There are no health conscious features seen among the top four streaming services. Netflix does have module that asks “Are you still watching?” This is not for the User’s health but rather to keep their timestamp during the content they are watching and to preserve bandwidth. There is oppportunity for Netflix to help counter the negative effects of overconsuming digital media.
User Research
Five users, with the average age of 29, were interviewed. There was a range of those that identified as not very active to very active. The goal of the interview was to learn about their use of streaming services on a daily basis and if their streaming habits affect their health and vice versa.
Key Findings
Four out of five of the Users said they stream shows and movies to relax or destress from the day
Since streaming plays an important play of unwinding from a person’s day, a new feature added should not be invasive
Users do not actively search for their weekly screen time on their phones yet are not completely bothered by seeing a weekly push notification
The data from User Research was organized into an affinity map.
A couple of groupings from affinity map
How Might We (HMW) and Point of View (POV) Statements
After creating the affinity map, I developed a main POV statement with three corresponding HMW statements.
I’d like to explore ways to help overworked young adults become conscious of how much they are streaming because they deserve to decompress from their work day without sacrificing their physical health.
How might we inform users of their streaming habits?
How might we make users feel balanced with their use of Netflix in regards to their health?
How might we have users incorporate more healthy choices during their use of Netflix?
User Personas
Two personas emerged: Cynthia, a User that does not incorporate physical health habits into their lives and Gabriel, a User that feels balanced with their physical health and streaming time.
Define
Brainstorming
Setting Your Limits - User is able to set how much time they want to dedicate to streaming for that session
Treadmill with watching - User has a treadmill connected to Netflix and Netflix can only keep working if User is using the treadmill
Linked with a friend - User 1 and User 2 have accounts where they must record their workouts. When User 1 completes a certain amount of time working out, User 2 can use Netflix for twice the amount of time User 1 has worked out.
Tutorial - Netflix creates work out tutorials on their platform
Watch before binge - User must watch a healthy recipe or health related content before using Netflix
Link with phone - User’s phone activity (screen time, movement time) is recorded and Netflix will calculate how much time they can watch based on the calculation
Rewards program - Netflix rewards users when they are active with bonus content
Warnings - Users will get a warning if their streaming time is high
Before committing to a single solution, I did a Crazy 8s brainstorming session to explore eight possible ideas.
Storyboarding and Sketching
I created two story boards from a few of the ideas above
Idea 3: Linking your Netflix account with a Friend
Ideas 1 and 8: Setting Your Limits/Warnings
I also sketched potential UI for the warning shown to User.
Out of the ideas explored, it was ultimately decided that Users needed a solution that was minimal, optional, and gentle. Thus, the solution of setting reminders was fully developed.
User Flow
Task Flow
Develop
UI Kit
I spent some time creating a library to pull from that adheres to Netflix’s current branding.
Wireframes
Low Fidelity Screens for Desktop
I first pulled a screenshot from Netflix’s landing page and decided to add from the existing UI.
Low Fidelity Screens for Mobile
High Fidelity Screens for Desktop before Testing
High Fidelity Screens for Mobile
Test
Five users were tested as explained below
All user feedback was organized as seen below
Results Summary
All users were succesful in completing the tasks and had minimal friction
All users believed the flow for each task was intuitive and seamless
Key Findings
Some recurring feedback was mostly about the UI for setting the time of the reminder
Most notable is the spacing and UI for setting the timing of the feedback.
One user describes the cluster as “jarring”
Another user suggests being able to read the timing “like a sentence”.
There is opportunity for TV wireframes, with an idea of making sure there is less configuration since there is no native keyboard
Revisions
Potential revisions were itemized and prioritized.
The most frequent and severe feedback was the jarring presentation of setting the timing for reminders.
Prototype
You can view the full prototype here.
Users are able to edit reminder to best fit their preferences. As seen below, the User is editing an existing reminder to repeat every two hours.
Conclusion
As UX design is never over, it was exciting to take an existing product and build upon it with an unexpected goal. While Users might not look to Netflix as an expert in health, adding this reminder feature can be just the small encouragement for a User to make healthier decisions.
For next steps, I would love to develop a roll out plan to alert users of this new reminder feature. I would expect friction with such an intrusive system, but if Users were to especially dislike this new experience they do have customability. I would be interested in hearing more feedback on what else Users would like to be reminded of, or if there is a more effective way of enforcing this habit of taking a break from streaming.