5 UX improvements for Disney+ both on Mobile and Smart TV apps
Disney+ launched in Singapore on 23 Feb 2021 and I decided to try it after I saw a notification on my Smart TV (LG WebOS). That notification was a solid execution and partnership with LG for launching Disney+.
Other than some registration, login and server issues I have experienced which I have reported, I still found that there are a few areas of improvement I would suggest as a UX designer who has also used Netflix and YouTube.
When to use PIN code
Every time I open the Disney+ app and select my profile, I’m required to enter a PIN code. While it does seem like something simple, it creates a small challenge for me to access Disney+’s content.
Netflix does this differently by getting me straight to the home screen for me to use the service and requiring a PIN code only when I’m viewing more restricted content.
I suggest that Disney+ does the same. Doing so will allow users to access content that is more friendly for children like Toy Story and Frozen, without the need to enter the PIN code.
To conclude my UX suggestions for the PIN code:
Before: Open app > Select Profile > Enter PIN code > Explore content
After: Open app > Select Profile > Explore content > Enter PIN code (before opening restricted content)
Smart TV video player microinteractions
The player works pretty okay on mobile devices, but I think that it could use a lot of improvement on the Smart TV (LG WebOS).
When I’m using my TV remote to forward and rewind, I felt that it was a lot simpler to just press the left and right on the Netflix and YouTube app to move between the different scenes in the video player.
Disney+ on my Smart TV (WebOS) requires me to press the Enter, Left or Right button to view the video playback controls. To pause the video, it requires another press on the Enter button. To go back and forward every to seconds or to skip between scenes, I need to navigate the Left and Right to control the video playback. This results in may clicks to forward or rewind.
Also, I have to press the Left and Right controls again to play my video again after using the forward and rewind features. I have always missed getting to my desired scene every time I used this feature.
While the implementations of Netflix and YouTube are lighter and does not have as many controls as Disney+, I felt that it was simpler and more suited for usage on a Smart TV.
To conclude my UX suggestions for the Smart TV:
Forward/Rewind: Click Left and Right to move between scenes.
Play/Pause: Simplify video player to just play and pause by selecting the Enter button.
Advanced features on Mobile player
On mobile, there’s actually a hidden feature on Netflix and YouTube to tap on the left and right corners of the screen to skip back and go forward by 10 seconds.
It’s very intuitive because each time I give an additional left or right tap, there is an indicator next to the forward/rewind icon to let me know how many seconds am I skipping.
Disney+ has the same feature from what I have tried, however, it does not have indicators to tell me how many seconds I am skipping.
To conclude my UX suggestions for the Mobile player:
Show how many seconds I am skipping when I am tapping on the left and right corners of the screen.
Indicators for important buttons/actions
Disney+’s UI seems to be designed for simplicity in mind. Why do I say so? Because I noticed the secondary buttons for the content such as the Add to Watchlist, GroupWatch, Download and Share buttons are shown as icons without text labels. Same goes for their navigation bar at the bottom.
While I do think that the meaning of these icons can be guessed (I’m sure every other app uses this icon to indicate a similar feature), I would prefer if it was more obvious so that I do not have to pause and assume before taking any actions.
This doesn’t have to be applied to every single icon in the app, but I think that it could be applied to important buttons such as the Add to Watchlist and GroupWatch.
To conclude my UX suggestions for button/action indicators:
Add text labels either at the side or bottom of important buttons/actions such as Add to Watchlist and GroupWatch.
Navigation to access saved Content on Mobile
I don’t know about you guys, but I use the Add to Watchlist feature on Disney+ and similar features like My List (Netflix) and Save to Playlist (Youtube) on other platforms.
The navigation on the Smart TV (LG WebOS) gives me convenient access to my Watchlist throw the side navigation. However, I’m having challenges finding it from my Mobile app.
The watchlist on the mobile app is located in my Profile. In contrast, Netflix gives me access to items added to My List directly on their Home screen, which is a lot more visible.
Alternatively, I feel that it could have been added to the bottom navigation. It is a potential option considering that the bottom navigation has enough space for one more item.
To conclude my UX suggestions to access saved Content:
Add a section for my Watchlist on the homepage
OR
Create an additional bottom navigation shortcut to the Watchlist.
What do you think?
Hope you appreciate my UX suggestions for Disney+! I enjoy the content Disney+ has to provide and I’m very sure that it will continue to improve and mature in the future. Feel free to comment or contact me for any questions or additional suggestions.
