Role
Product designer
Product researcher
Project Info
Class project
Team of 4
Duration
February - March 2023
(2 months)
Tools Used
Figma
Figjam
Dovetail
PROBLEM
Media-streaming giant, Netflix, fails to uplift paramount moral tenets
Having used Netflix for 10 years, my satisfaction with the platform has steadily declined. My friends and I note similar sentiments regarding Netflix’s lack of quality content and high cost.
Upon investigating Netflix, I discovered that the platform violates the following ethical frameworks:
Libertarianism—this framework prioritizes user autonomy so long as the user does not harm others.
Virtue Ethics—this framework encourages the development of virtuous habits and behaviors among users.
Deontology—this framework states that all users are worthy of dignity and respect.
Noting unethical patterns within the platform prompted the following question: How could we design a more meaningful and virtuous Netflix experience?
HIGH-LEVEL APPROACH
Re-imagining Netflix by providing users a more meaningful experience through an ethical lens
After familiarizing myself with the ethical frameworks of Deontology, Libertarianism, and Virtue Ethics, I identified user interactions within Netflix that violated these principles. Our redesign addresses the following problem areas:
Dark patterns that reduce user autonomy
Content that disregards user welfare
User dissatisfaction with the service and utility
PRIMARY & SECONDARY RESEARCH
Identifying “evil” interactions within Netflix
Through my team’s collective experiences on Netflix, reading articles, and talking to other users, we found the following harmful interactions within Netflix:
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Learning from the competition
Our team performed a competitive analysis by researching 4 competing streaming services to gain insight into how to improve Netflix’s user experience and redesign it to be better than the alternatives.
I organized our findings based on how the platforms are unique and similar to identify opportunity areas for Netflix.
SURVEYS
62.6% of Netflix users would rate their experience as a 1-3 on a 5-point scale
I created a 13-question survey to obtain a general understanding of Netflix’s user base, what features they enjoy, and what features may cause dissatisfaction. We received a total of 114 responses by distributing the survey across various online communities, such as Reddit and Discord.
I found the following insights:
USER INTERVIEWS + QUALITATIVE CODING
Interviewees desire better content, increased functionality, and a worthwhile subscription plan within Netflix
We recruited 5 survey participants through voluntary email submission to participate in semi-structured interviews to gather qualitative data. The interviews allowed participants to elaborate on their survey responses. In addition, the interview questions further explored topics such as platform navigation, autoplay interactions, and content.
I performed qualitative coding to summarize these insights. Three significant codes stood out from the rest: unappealing content, poor utility, and hefty subscription prices.
MAIN INSIGHT
Identifying opportunities to redesign Netflix’s content, viewing experience, and subscription plan
FEATURE IDEATION
Brainstorming feature ideas and opportunity areas
Utilizing research insights, I composed a list of features to implement into Netflix’s redesign centering around 5 key areas: content & categories, subtitles, content & preview autoplay, subscription plan & account sharing policy, and progress bar.
SKETCH BOOKS
Our first design exercise: sketches
After brainstorming features, we created sketch diaries, where each member sketched 10 new or re-imagined features. This allowed us to explore various solutions to the pain points we identified, and come together to decide which features would be best suited to implement in our redesign.
SOLUTION
Applying Libertarianism, Deontology, and Virtue Ethics to unethical features within Netflix
After identifying the features we wanted to implement, we jumped into Figma to create high-fidelity interactive mockups of our solution:
USER-TESTING
Prioritizing users — identifying 3 design improvements
To verify the quality and impact of our redesigned experience, our team conducted 4 rounds of user testing. Based on feedback, we iterated on our design to include 3 improvements in our final product.
PROJECT AWARD
The award ceremony
Out of 12 teams redesigning “evil” products, our team was given the “Philosopher’s Choice Award” for excellence in incorporating ethical perspectives into technology design.
Link to my full Figma work file HERE
REFLECTION
Lessons I've learned from this project
This was my first experience redesigning a product and looking at it through an ethical lens. While this project was challenging, it opened the gateway to new knowledge of ethics, design, and research. I am incredibly proud of the work we accomplished, and we have an award to showcase our commitment to the project.
Here are a few takeaways:
Be realistic
When designing commercial products, you need to be realistic and consider company needs and restrictions. For example, our subscription plan would not be viable for Netflix and they would not have access to other platforms' exclusive content.
Continue growing
Always strive to grow and learn! My teammates introduced me to new Figma skills, such as using auto-layout and GIFs, and new platforms like Trello and Dovetail to use in future projects and industry.
Come prepared
Having a strong foundation is crucial. If I could restart this project, I would have invested more time in establishing a better understanding of the ethical frameworks, so I did not have to frequently revisit the concepts down the line.
With more time, I would have iterated on the feedback that we received from classmates and the teaching staff during the final presentation. To ensure Netflix remains viable, I would rework the subscription model. I would also implement a more compelling way to make users more aware of harmful content, such as having an “I acknowledge” button. Finally, I would explore how our design relates to other ethical frameworks.
Thanks for stopping by, feel free to explore my other projects! 🙋🏻♂️
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