HBOMax has a newsworthy interface. That’s not good.
HBO’s venture into the streaming realm came out during the entertainment industry’s race to catch up to Netflix, and that rush is evident in the final product.
Despite a wealth of exclusive programming that other services could only wish for, HBOMax has been discussed in popular media, not for its deep library, but for the issues that users have with accessing it.
Before diving into my personal gripes with the platform, however, it is important to get an idea of what HBOMax looks like.
The layout appears to be modern and sleek, utilizing a vibrant purple to stand out in comparison to other services on offer. The option to create multiple profiles suggests to the user that there is a level of personalization to the suggestions it will make, based on your viewing preferences.
Upon selecting a profile, the service previews a new program (shown above), which happens to be an HBOMax Original. Like Netflix and Hulu, HBO has a slew of programs that are only available on the service. It is unique, though, as HBO, unlike other services, also maintains a number of channels available through cable providers. Every Original is indicated as such but the small icon above the title.
The Originals also span a number of genres and mediums, with various animated programs, as well as television shows, movies, and documentaries.
Back on the topic of personalization, your prior viewing is shown for quick access. As you can tell, my profile is relatively new and I don’t watch that much content in general so this is par for the course. Below is a tab called For You that I assume is meant to provide recommendations based on prior viewing data. Though I have only viewed one show, the recommendations vary widely in their genre, which I found interesting. I am not sure if it is inviting me to watch more content so that it can hone its craft, or if the algorithm HBO has created is not all that accurate.
Upon research into the algorithm, I found out that HBO has adopted a mixed system to recommend content, opting to include human curation on top of a modest algorithm. What is interesting is that there is no clear indication of how content is recommended . Whereas Netflix displays a percentage for how much content is a Match to your viewing history and allows you to Like a piece of content, HBOMax has no mechanism to do the same.
What is unique about HBOMax, is their insistence on utilizing hyper-specific titles for their categories on the main home page. While I can deduce from the examples above that the titles featured will either be a television rendition of a book or feature a duo, there is virtually nothing that any of the titles have in common, making this feature useless. I do find it funny that such specific titles could lead to such unspecific choices. I find that this makes it particularly difficult, however, to engage with the interface, and results in many users only using HBOMax when there is something specific to view, rather than attempting to discover a new title. In this sense, HBOMax fails to obtain the stickiness that has enabled Netflix and others to be so successful at retaining users.
What I find interesting is the lack of personalization beyond the initial recommendations. The thumbnail art used on the front page is the same for every user, and is consistent from the home page to the page made for the title (as shown above). As a result, the artwork and the small blurb don’t really invite a user to tune in unless the user personally finds something compelling in the promotional material.
There are suggestions based on each title, but it seems to be rather rudimentary and does not seem to interrelate titles, opting instead to promote new HBO properties. It also buries this at the bottom of the title’s page, asking the viewer to do the work of noticing this feature at all, let alone utilize it.
This would also be a good time to discuss some of the real technical issues of HBOMax. Beyond not being very inviting for users, the viewing experience is littered with bugs and interrupted service — on the computer, phone, and television app. So much so, that Google results for HBOMax are riddled with complaints and HBOMax has a detailed page dedicated to troubleshooting this exact issue. Rewinding to repeat a scene is an arduous task and can really isolate a viewer who actively wants to use the platform.
In addition, despite providing the episodes in order, HBOMax will often skip episodes while viewing, alternate between seasons, or just interrupt the binge session all together and return to the title page. This could factor into HBOMax’s ability to retain viewers, as well as the potential for them to recommend the service to others — deeply hurting their spreadability.
Despite this, there are some great features on the service, namely the Hubs for each of their media properties. For Studio Ghibli and TCM fans, this is a great way to easily reach the titles they are likely going to watch, which is why it is a shame that it is buried at the bottom of the home page.
I think this is a good encapsulation of HBO’s strategy with the service, which is to make the content so enticing that users will look past the obvious flaws with the interface. HBO has long been considered the premier television production company and the exclusive additions of classic movies and overseas titles in the form of Crunchyroll and the aforementioned Studio Ghibli carves out a great spot for HBOMax in the streaming wars. Unless they embrace an increased interest in personalization and ease the user-based struggle of viewing content, I cannot see this strategy working for very long.
I think their answer to their issues lies largely in their sidebar tab, which features recognizable genres and allows for search by medium and what is popular on the service. It is possible that by bringing this more front and center, users will be able to navigate better and enjoy HBOMax.
