The Circle — Assume Nothing
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The Circle, Channel 4’s latest foray in the competitive world of reality TV, certainly got people talking. Conceived and produced by Studio Lambert, the show asked some thought-provoking questions about how we act and react towards each other on social media, as well as providing highly entertaining and engaging viewing. And, for the first time, the digital technology aspect was absolutely central to the concept and the success of the programme, as contestants could only interact with each other via The Circle’s bespoke social media platform. With The Circle, digital interaction was about more than providing second screen engagement — it drove the entire show.
We were thrilled to win the competitive tender to build both the bespoke social media platform and the viewer engagement app for The Circle. Studio Lambert’s concept was bold, ambitious and, to be honest, a little terrifying. Because it was such a huge project, we’ve split our blog into three parts:
Part 1 — building the platform for the show
Part 2 — creating the app to support the show
Part 3 — technical details behind the platform and the app
Part 1 — Bringing the Circle to life
When we were brought into the project, the concept for the programme was at the very early stages. We collaborated closely with Studio Lambert to elaborate the way in which their ideas for a show driven by technology could be achieved. This was the first time that a working social media platform had been specially designed to appear on a TV screen as the central part of the show. The scale and challenge was significant, particularly as the entire success of the show rested on the technology.
In our approach to the Circle platform, we focused on creating a bespoke, secure application that felt very familiar to contestants and viewers, reflecting the conventions of social media experiences (using persuasive design elements such as chat bubbles; typing-in-progress dancing dots; and @-ing people’s names when addressing them in a group situation) whilst at the same time having its own unique identity.
Working with the visual identity for the show by Light Creative, we developed the entire look, feel and functionality of the many screens which made up the interface that the players would use. Profiles, private and group chat, animations, alerts, ratings, games and quizzes all served to bring the programme’s format to life. We made sure that players could intuitively understand how to interact with the Circle while, behind the scenes, producers had access to robust functionality to allow them to manage players’ interactions.
We had multiple creative challenges to tackle in developing the platform. As well as designing it so that it was easy for the contestants to use, we had to design the interface so that it coordinated with the interior set designs and would also come across well on camera. It presented a very different set of UX challenges to a standard web or app platform — we had one size of screen and hardware to support, so no need to be responsive across devices and browsers, and because all interaction was carried out by players speaking to the system, we didn’t need standard interface elements such as buttons (other than as a visual prompt). However, the interface needed to be intuitive to both contestants and behind-the-scenes crew alike.
During the design process, we tested screen designs on a big TV in our office, to see how they would look in-situ.
We knew that certain moments would be pivotal in the show’s storytelling — such as when contestants gave their ratings — so particular attention was paid to making their animations feel significant.
As well as being central to the players’ experience, the platform was a key part of the entire show’s production workflow. It was in use 24/7 throughout the series, not just by contestants chatting, but also in the gallery, edit suites and in the production village.
Throughout the duration of the project, we were working hand in glove with Studio Lambert and Channel 4 as the concept for the Circle developed and evolved. With immovable transmission date deadlines and numerous variables to juggle, the teams on all sides really pulled out the stops to bring The Circle to life.
Over its 17 episodes, The Circle averaged 500,000 viewers in overnights. The programme was especially popular with the 16–34 demographic, drawing 18% of this audience for the final episode, even outperforming Big Brother. (Source: broadcastnow.co.uk)
The Circle platform was the linchpin that brought the concept of the TV programme to life. It even took on a life of its own outside the show when the Evening Standard used it in their political cartoon.
But the key to viewer engagement was the Circle mobile app — which you can find out about in Part Two of this blog — coming soon!
