I started my Netflix subscription last year. I couldn’t resist the one month free-trail offer, and I was fed up with the pop-ups from all of the online streaming websites. So, I surrendered to Netflix and became a Netflix member. Since my boyfriend, Zach, has a Xbox 360 game console and a 53" TV, we decided to watch Netflix on TV through the Xbox 360. Based on my short interaction with Netflix, I have to admit that Netflix is by far my favorite app. Here is why:
- Currently, Netflix offers three different price plans. For a minimal of $7.99 a month, I could watch unlimited movies and TV series anytime without annoying pop-ups. The ‘pop-ups free’ watching experience is, in my opinion, totally worth the money. I hate pop-ups, and hence I love Netflix.
- Netflix has a good selection of movies and TV shows. From the very early sitcom Friends to the recently popular House of Cards, I can always find something I enjoy on Netflix. According to Finder, Netflix currently offers 629 TV series and 2942 movies in Canada. The list is short comparing to what Netflix offers in the United States (1081 TV series and 4579 movies), but Netflix is frequently expanding their selection.
- Netflix allows users to setup multiple viewing profiles. For couples or friends sharing one Netflix account, they could set up their individual viewing profiles so that their viewing preferences and records are recorded separately.
- Netflix is friendly on bandwidth. For users who have 100GB+ monthly bandwidth like myself, it is rare to incur extra internet costs from streaming Netflix, even for long hours. According to Variety, Netflix is switching to a new streaming technology that will dramatically reduce the data consumption while preserving the video quality. Aiming to complete the switch in the first quarter of 2016, Netflix lovers will be able to save up to 20% on data consumption in no time.
- Netflix fits my lifestyle. I am a movie and TV fanatic. In fact, while researching for this case study, I came across the term ‘binge-watching’, which perfectly describes my Netflix watching pattern. According to Dictionary.com, binge-watching is “to watch (multiple videos, episodes of a TV show, etc.) in one sitting or over a short period of time.” My boyfriend and I once watched the first four seasons of American Horror Story in less than 2 weeks. Netflix has become a major entertainment source for us.
The persona below was created based on me.
Getting Netflix on Xbox 360 is straightforward - simply sign up for a Xbox Live account and then download the Netflix app to the Xbox 360 console. After Netflix is installed, sign-in to a Netflix account and start browsing for shows. The experience map below summarizes my typical interaction with Netflix.
Weekend Marathon
Since Zach and I only spend the weekends together, we often choose a TV series and binge-watch it like there is no tomorrow. Despite the unhealthy lifestyle, this weekend marathon is our favourite activity. Sometimes, we randomly pick a show and start watching it from the beginning. Other times, we watch different series separately, and invite the other person to jump into the middle of the show. Here is a detailed walkthrough:
Friday night
We often start the marathon by picking a show based on our mutual preferences. After we have decided on the show, we turn on Netflix and search for it.
Before we start the show, I always turn on the subtitles as I sometimes find it difficult to understand the dialogue. After the show has been playing for an hour or so, Netflix pauses and asks for confirmation of whether we are still watching the show. Since the blanket is super cozy and warm, neither of us wants to get up to get the controller. After 5 minutes of negotiation and begging, Zach would get up, turn on the controller, and hit ‘A’ to confirm.
Then rinse and repeat until midnight. We start to get tired and decide to pick it up on Saturday. One person would shut off the Xbox 360 console and the TV.
Saturday and Sunday
After we make breakfasts, we resume the marathon. Similar to Friday night, we binge-watch the show for hours. The only difference is that on Saturday and Sunday, sometimes Zach and I will be working on assignments or projects while ‘listening’ to Netflix. This often happens when we have chosen a show that we have both watched before. The marathon often lasts from 11am to 11pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
The following week
During the week, if I am not too busy, I would pick up where we left off on my own. Since Zach and I share one Netflix account, I leave him a note letting him know that I am continuing the show. When I first subscribed to Netflix, after we watched several episodes of a TV series together, Zach continued watching the show by himself. He watched the show using my profile since it had the record of where we left off. Without knowing this, later that night I continued playing the show and realized that it was a few episodes ahead of where we stopped watching together. This happened several times and we decided on a communication system: whenever one person continues watching a TV series without the other person, we must let the other person know where we started watching and where we stopped watching. If the other person wants to watch the show at a different time, a different profile will be used so that the original profile is not altered.
The following weekend
Before Friday, if Zach and I are on different episodes, we will start at the earlier one so that neither of us is left behind. Of course, this means that one of us will re-watch some episodes, or work on assignments until the other person is caught up. The weekend marathon is repeated until we finish the entire show.
Experience Reflection
Zach and I love the weekend marathon. There are fun and exciting features, as well as annoying and frustrating ones.
The ‘yay’s
- Netflix autoplays the next episode. This is the BEST feature for many binge-watching users like me. I still remember the days when my mom binge-watched Korean dramas on DVDs. She wouldn’t let me watch them unless I keep getting the next DVDs for her.
- I LOVE how Netflix skips most of the intro and opening credits when autoplaying the next episode. After 10+ episodes, the intro really gets old and repetitive. Instead of manually fast-forwarding, Netflix skips it for you. How thoughtful!
- Netflix also provides accurate subtitles for every show. This is important for ESL viewers. Often times I have trouble following the dialogue, and the subtitles are very helpful. Comparing to downloading a separate .srt file and import into a movie, Netflix’s subtitles are accurate; they don’t skip ahead or fall behind.
The ‘nay’s
- When Netflix is in the autoplay mode, every hour of so, a window will pop up and ask “are you still watching [the show]?”. I know that this feature was designed for people who might forget to turn off Netflix when they are no longer watching and do not want to waste data consumption. It is a rational design, but not a thoughtful one. The prompt is a major interruption for people who binge-watch Netflix TV shows. While researching for this case study, I came across several forums discussing why people hate the ‘confirm watching’ feature and how to remove/disable it. Besides the “I don’t want to be interrupted” argument, some people pointed out that such question makes them feel guilt tripper. Here is a quote from Slate:“It’s not that they are wasting your time as much as they are repeatedly asking you, ‘Do you really want to watch another episode of this show?’ Yes, I do — and I don’t need you to make me reevaluate my life decisions.” It’s a bit dramatic, but I could totally relate to that guilty feeling after binge-watching for many hours.
- Netflix does not provide synchronization between two viewing profiles. This is frustrating because after watching several episodes together on my profile, Zach cannot easily pick up where we left off on his own viewing profile. If he uses my profile, which will overwrite my viewing record, I will be missing some episodes. If he uses his own profile, which does not have any record of the shows he watched on my profile, he will have to find the show, and then manually select the episode.
The reflection process
The experience reflection was summarized based on my personal experience and user research. I interviewed several friends and classmates who also use Netflix on Xbox 360. They shared with me what they loved and hated about Netflix. I also searched on multiple online forums to see what people have been praising/complaining about Netflix. Although this case study is a UX reflection based on my personal interaction with Netflix, user research helped me reflect deeper on my experience. I have also discovered more reasons of why people hate a particular feature.
What can we do about the frustrations?
After identifying the pain points, I brainstormed and searched for potential solutions. With some research and usability data, I’ve identified one design goal for each pain points that could improve the Netflix experience.
- Users should be able to opt out the prompt feature in the autoplay mode.
- Users should be able to synchronize their viewing records between different profiles.
Improvements
For the first design goal, Netflix should add an option to disable the “continue watching” pop up in the account setting. To activate this option, simply go to “My Account” and click on “Playback settings”.
Once the user is on the “Playback settings” page, click on the checkbox beside “Disable ‘Continue Watching’ pop-up” to activate this feature. Once activated, Netflix will no longer prompt users to confirm watching.
Alternatively, Netflix can take advantage of fitness tracking devices such as Fitbit. This idea was actually came up by the Netflix employees during their internal 24 hour Hack Day. Users could pair up Fitbit devices with their Netflix accounts. Netflix will then use the Fitbit data to determine when the users have fallen asleep while watching shows/movies. This is a brilliant idea given that wearing fitness tracking devices has become a growing trend. Here is a short demo from Netflix:
For the second design goal, Netflix could add an option to synchronize the viewing progress of the current profile with other profile(s) under the same account. This would allow the chosen profile(s) to access the viewing record of a particular show from the current profile. For example, if Zach and I watched Hearts In Atlantis together on my profile, after synchronizing with his profile, he will be able to pick up where we left off on his own profile without overwriting mine.
Final Remark
Although I’ve had some frustrations with Netflix, it has proven its value by constantly improving and evolving. This UX reflection has summarized my journey and interaction with Netflix, as well as my suggestions for improvement.
UX always comes from individual experiences, but UX design must be based on proper research and user testing. No app is perfect — the best it could do is to continuously thrive and improve itself. I am very hopeful about my future journey with Netflix ❤
