Netflix Watch Party

Creating a more social viewing experience for Netflix users

my role:

Researcher
UI/UX designer
Wire framing
Prototyping

timeline:

80 Hours
January 2023 - March 2023

tools:

Figma

Background

Netflix is a subscription-based online streaming platform that allows users to watch TV shows, movies, anime, documentaries and more on any internet-connected device. Netflix currently has 223 million subscribers worldwide, making it currently the largest streaming media platform in the world. For this project, I will be adding a watch-party feature to Netflix making it easier for friends and family to connect and stream online content together through a virtual theater.


I was inspired to add this feature due to the increased popularity in watch party features that exist already on many streaming platforms such as Amazon, Hulu and Disney Plus. In this digital post-covid age, people are also choosing to connect with friends online more frequently and I believe adding this feature to Netflix will help bring their existing audience even closer together.

Aligning Business Goals with User Needs: A Holistic Approach to Product Design

Due to the significant changes brought about by the pandemic on our lifestyles, I conducted market research to gain a more measurable and quantitative understanding of the extent of the impact on our lives compared to the pre-COVID era. Additionally, I reviewed Netflix's 2020 proxy statement to familiarize myself with the company's strategic roadmap and business objectives.

61% of young adults
reported feeling extreme loneliness since the start of the pandemic

51% of current users
increased their watch time compared to pre-covid

26 million+ new users
gained in the first half of the pandemic

Key Insights from User Interviews

As part of my research, I conducted individual interviews with four participants to identify their pain points and motivations for utilizing a watch party service or hosting an online watch party. The objective was to assess which features they deemed important or unimportant in creating an online watch party.

Here are my key findings:

  • All participants have had experience in creating watch parties online and do so mainly via Teleparty and Discord 

  • ¾ Participants agreed that they prefer having a chat feature or an emoji reaction feature 

  • ¾ Participants agreed that is was better to use a built in watch party feature with a streaming service because the watching experience and quality is better as opposed to sharing screens

Analyzing the Competition: A Comparison of Watch Party Features

From my research I gathered the following:

  1. The demand for virtual events and remote socializing has increased, indicating a potential market for a Netflix watch party feature.

  2. Users would likely expect features such as chat, synchronized playback controls, and the ability to add non-subscribers to the watch party, as well as customization options such as screen sharing and webcam features.

  3. Teleparty, which works with multiple streaming services and offers customizable room settings, has an advantage over the other services in terms of flexibility and customization.

Hulu Watch Party

  • Streaming service that allows users to watch TV and movies as well as original Hulu programs

  • Ability to chat in the watch party and send emojis in chat

  • Only users 18 or order can join and they must have a hulu membership

  • Up to 8 people can join a watch party

  • Host controls the watch party

  • Chat feature goes away if you enter fullscreen for the TV show/movie you're watching. If users want to watch the movie/tv show in fullscreen they won't be able to access the chat - users might get frustrated switching back and forth to see the chat

Disney Plus Watch Party

  • Steaming service that allows users to watch media owned by Disney

  • Can share emojis on screen while watching

  • No chat function, only host controls the screen, only has 6 emoji expressions to choose from

  • Layout is simple, easy to use and understand

  • Users might want more options to connect with their friends through the watch party and they might have to connect through another app or website in order to chat while watching the movie/tv show

Amazon Watch Party

  • Subscription streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription

  • Ability to chat with the watch party and send emojis in chat

  • Can allow everyone in the virtual theater to control the screen

  • Allows non-subscribers to join if they rent/purchase the movie online beforehand

  • New users might want more features like voice or video chat

Tracing the User's Path: Creating a User Journey Map

To gain a deeper understanding of the user's experience, I developed a user journey map that visualizes the steps involved in setting up and hosting a watch party. Based on a hypothetical scenario, the user journey begins with scheduling a meeting time with friends via online chat, followed by selecting a movie or TV show to watch together. On the day of the watch party, participants use the chat feature to connect with each other and share remote control access, allowing anyone to play or pause the content for the group.

Flowing with the User: Developing a User Flow Chart for Hosting Watch Parties

To further empathize with my user, I created a task flow which details the screens that will need to be made to accommodate their decision making process.

Drawing Up Ideas: Preliminary Sketches for Icons and Video Placement

After several rounds of ideation and sketching, I settled on a design that incorporated a chat panel overlaying the right-hand side of the screen, with video playback taking up the majority of the screen real estate. I decided to use a simple, clean icon design to represent the watch party feature, to ensure it was easily recognizable and distinguishable from other Netflix features.

Bringing the Watch Party to Life: Creating High-Fidelity Screens for Netflix

These high fidelity screens showcase the design I selected based on my initial sketches. The screens feature a chat function positioned on the right side of the video screen, with the settings in the same location. To ensure a sense of familiarity for users, I retained the same icon for starting and ending watch parties.

User-Tested and Approved: Final prototype for Netflix's Watch Party Feature

Overall, users responded positively to the watch party feature, citing the ease of use and seamless integration with Netflix's existing UI as strengths. They were able to navigate the site with ease and had little difficulty understanding the task before them. 

With their insight I made the following iterations:

  • Adding profile bubbles for friends who join the watch party

  • Created an additional option for the chat to be on the right-hand side of the video instead of on top

Why these iterations?

  • Many users mentioned while going through the flow, they were not sure how to see who has joined the watch party and who hasn’t

  • some users also preferred having the chat permanently on the side of the screen instead of on top

Reflections:

For my first project involving the creation of a new feature for an existing product, I found that working within the constraints of Netflix's existing UI allowed me to focus more on the usability of the watch party feature. However, I also faced a challenge in creating a visually distinctive icon that would make it easy for users to locate the feature given Netflix's limited use of icons and color palette. 

If given the opportunity to revisit the project, I would invest more time in developing a compelling icon that better aligned with Netflix's design language. Given more time, I would have liked to incorporate additional features that users mentioned during our interviews, such as an audio chat option or the ability to use emoji reactions during the watch party. These would have added another level of interactivity and fun to the feature, making it even more engaging for users.

Next steps:

Doing additional testing for more feedback
Continuing to iterate based on the feedback received
Adding more features to the website