BT TV
Crafting a Next-Generation Viewing Experience for BT
Role
Lead Product Designer
Responsibilities
Visual direction, UX, content & product strategy, design system, user research and testing
The Challenge
Redesigning the BT TV experience to deliver a modern, intuitive, and personalized interface across set-top boxes, mobile apps, and the web. The focus is on enhancing content discovery, tailoring recommendations, and improving accessibility for families, ensuring a seamless and engaging viewing experience.
The Research
Discovering Pain Points.
I conducted a thorough evaluation of the BT TV experience using surveys, interviews, analytics reviews, and competitive analysis. Surveys helped gauge user satisfaction and expectations, while in-depth interviews with 20 users provided qualitative insights across demographics. By analyzing existing BT TV usage data, I identified common behaviors and drop-off points, helping to highlight key pain points. Additionally, I studied competitors like Sky, Virgin Media, and major streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime to understand industry standards and best practices.
From my research, I found that users struggle with content discovery due to an overwhelming number of choices, making it difficult to find relevant content. Many feel the interface is outdated compared to modern OTT platforms, highlighting the need for a more intuitive design. Families expressed a strong demand for user profiles and enhanced parental controls, ensuring a personalized and safe viewing experience. Additionally, accessibility features require improvement, with users seeking better voice control, larger text options, and overall ease of navigation. These findings emphasise the need for BT TV to modernise its interface and enhance user experience to remain competitive.
Ideation
Imagining Solutions Together.
Ideation began with collaborative design sprints. Armed with insights, I brainstormed ways to make the system modular. Whiteboards filled up with sketches of reusable components, dynamic theming options, and configuration tools.
One standout idea was to use design tokens, variables for colours, typography, and spacing, that could be easily customised without altering the core structure. It felt like unlocking a puzzle piece that could fit any shape.
Design Process
Shaping the solution.
During the ideation phase of the BT TV redesign, I explored innovative ways to enhance content discovery, personalisation, and accessibility. Drawing insights from user research, I brainstormed solutions to simplify navigation, improve recommendation algorithms, and modernise the interface.
Wireframes and concept sketches were developed to reimagine the user journey, ensuring an intuitive and engaging experience across devices. Collaboration with designers, developers, and stakeholders helped refine ideas, aligning them with technical feasibility and business goals.
Prototyping played a crucial role in validating design concepts, allowing for iterative testing and refinement. Interactive mockups were created to simulate real-world interactions, ensuring seamless content browsing and effortless user control. Special attention was given to accessibility features, such as enhanced voice navigation and customisable text sizes, to make the platform inclusive for all users. Through continuous feedback and iteration, the ideation phase set the foundation for a modern, user-centric BT TV experience.
Testing & Validation
Refining through feedback.
Usability tests were conducted with 15 participants using prototypes to evaluate key scenarios like setting up user profiles, finding a movie quickly, adjusting parental controls, and testing voice search functionality. Key metrics measured included task completion rate, time on task, error rate, and satisfaction score, gathered through post-task surveys to assess ease of use and design.
Testing revealed valuable insights: users appreciated personalised recommendations but desired more manual control. While voice search worked well, it needed better contextual understanding. Additionally, the onboarding process was too lengthy and could be simplified with progressive disclosure to improve the user experience.
Results & Impact
Measurable Outcomes.
User testing results showed a 30% increase in satisfaction scores and a 40% reduction in the average time taken to find content, highlighting significant improvements in user experience and efficiency.
In conclusion, the redesigned BT TV experience effectively bridges the gap between traditional TV and modern OTT platforms, providing users with a more streamlined, personalised, and inclusive way to interact with their entertainment.
Reflection & Learnings
Insights and Lessons Learned.
Designing the BT TV experience highlighted the need to balance user expectations with technical feasibility. Key learnings included simplifying the user journey, offering manual control over personalised recommendations, and enhancing accessibility features like voice search and customisable text sizes.
Iterative testing proved crucial, revealing areas like the onboarding process that needed simplification. Aligning modern design with traditional TV functions emphasised the importance of clear communication and user-centric design to create a seamless, engaging experience.