Business Problem: Streaming services are struggling to compete with one another in an increasingly saturated marketplace.
Task: Utilize available VR technologies to craft a unique immersive experience for a streaming service.
Competitive Analysis
Meta Horizons Apple Vision Pro Netflix Interactive Titles
Netflix Interactive Titles attempted to utilize streaming's unique form factor to no avail
Ways to watch films in VR such as Meta Bigscreen Beta and Apple Vision Pro are too costly and difficult to use
To compete, cinemas have previously used immersive technologies such as Smell-O-Vision, Cinerama, and 4DX
User Research & Synthesis
Crafted interview questions based on market research
Identified users' pain and gain points for adopting VR technology
Using post-its, mapped out all feedback and synthesized the findings using the cluster method
Mapped out the user journey based on narratives given during user interviews
Brainstormed various concepts for immersive streaming features, included in the below storyboards
Design Workshop
Orchestrated a multi-disciplinary design workshop via Figjam
Empathy maps and Why diagrams get researchers all on the same page to understand users
Designers are split into four teams: - half focus on crossing the barrier of entry - half focus on competing with distracting environments
Barrier of entry and Focus compared and contrasted to locate solutions that could aid both issues
Design strategies ranked from most to least effective
Wireframing
Low-fidelity grayscale wireframe
Named the experience "Marquee" after the awnings that hang over old classic theaters and list the movies currently playing
Designed the Lobby page to look like the film posters that hang in the hallways of a cinema: - Number of other users currently in a given screening is displayed below - Lobby is split between shows that are about to start and shows that are already in-progress
Theater page meant to resemble the view from cinema seat: - Other audience members can be seen seated around the user - During screenings, user can hear audience reactions like laughs and screams as if in a real theater - Options available to mute other users or oneself - Toggle switch included to turn the movie from 2D to 3D (if available)
Prototyping
Created a new homepage based on user feedback
Views from within the VR headset experience denoted with rounded corners
Cafe Chatroom added so users can discuss the film during or after the show without disturbing other users
Navigational Lobby buttons added to ease user flow
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