Hello there, I'm Ting Yu,
a product designer who enjoys challenges
I am dedicated to simplifying complex problem and deliver a delightful user experience
TV user interview & usability testing
TV user interview & usability testing
My role
During the two-month duration of this project, in the initial phase, I collaborated with researchers to organize questionnaire questions and set up Google forms for conducting surveys.
During the mid-term of the research, I worked alongside the researchers to analyze and discuss the collected data, leading to valuable insights.
In the final phase, we collectively discussed the workshop's content and presentation, documenting the workshop outcomes and results. We then shared these findings with our colleagues and proposed product recommendations based on the research.
Result
Through gathering valuable feedback and insights, we gained a deeper understanding of users' experiences and behaviors. We compiled these insights to identify substantial findings regarding user perceptions and actions.
To disseminate the results of the interviews, we conducted a workshop with colleagues within the company, sharing the gathered information and encouraging brainstorming sessions. During these sessions, various solutions were proposed, and we used a Matrix analysis to evaluate and prioritize them.
As a result, we were able to outline the future direction of the product and identify potential features that could be developed to enhance the user experience further.
Time
2021 11 - 2022 01
Team
Researcher
Design
Platform
Apple TV、Andorid TV
Project context
After completing the design of TV app, we have not had the opportunity to gather actual user feedback and observe user behavior. Therefore, in collaboration with the headquarters' researchers, we conducted comprehensive user interviews and usability testing specifically targeting TV users. The results of these efforts were documented and consolidated to extract valuable insights.
Based on these insights, we aim to understand and implement future projects related to the product. This research will serve as a foundation for further development and improvements in the user experience for TV users on LINE TV.
Research Methodology
The research methodology includes the following approaches:
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User Demonstrations:
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Observe users as they perform actual interactions with the product, allowing us to understand their behavior and preferences firsthand.
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Usability Testing:
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Conduct a comprehensive usability questionnaire to gather feedback from users about their overall experience and satisfaction with the product's usability.
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SuprQ Design Validation:
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Utilize the SuprQ scale to validate the design of the product and assess its effectiveness in meeting user needs and expectations.
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Design Validation:
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Evaluating the design through images of our TV interface with the new feature is a crucial step in ensuring it aligns with user requirements and preferences. By presenting the proposed changes visually, we can gather valuable feedback from users and stakeholders.
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By employing these research methods, we can gain valuable insights into user behavior, perceptions, and the effectiveness of the product's design. This will help us validate and refine the design to create a more user-friendly and satisfactory experience for our users.
Goal
To understand the overall user experience of the target users who use the TV app of LINE TV, we aim to evaluate the design solutions. The primary goal is to assess whether these design solutions effectively address users' usage issues. Additionally, we seek to uncover any unmet needs or desires that users may have while using LINE TV on their TVs.
Project Process
1 . Preparatory Work - 1 week
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Selecting Interview Subjects: Focus on LINE TV OA users
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Open Google form for user sign-ups (320 responses)
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Contact potential candidates through phone calls for further selecting (finalizing 8 interviewees)
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Interview Equipment Preparation
2 . User Interviews - 1 week (2021/11/15-19)
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User Experience Interviews
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Usability Testing
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Design Validation
3 . Insight - 2 week
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Organizing Interview Content
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Sorting interview records, reviewing video to confirm user actions
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Analyzing user behaviors and pain points according to the usage process
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Consolidating into major insights.
4 . Workshop & Outcome - 2 week
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Invitation to all colleagues from different departments to participate in the workshop and understand the interview outcomes. We will divide into groups to discuss how to address user pain points and brainstorm potential solutions.
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Generating Solutions
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Matrix（impact - value to user / difficulty - technical evaluation）
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1 . Preparatory Work
The user interviews for this session are focused on the user experience of "television devices." We aim to gain in-depth insights into the current pain points and areas where the user experience is not smooth. Through these interviews, we hope to better understand the challenges users face while interacting with the product.
Interviewee Selection
Targeting LINE TV OA users, we will provide a Google Form questionnaire to identify users who actually watch dramas on LINE TV through television devices. After receiving the questionnaire responses, we will conduct phone interviews to screen potential candidates. Ultimately, we will select 8 participants for the interviews. The questionnaire will be structured into four main aspects to distinguish users who use television devices to access LINE TV:
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TV Usage Habits
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Viewing Frequency
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Platform Preference
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Continual Subscription to the Platform.
Preparing Interview Outline and Interview Method
Despite the ongoing pandemic, we have decided to conduct "home visits" for the interviews to capture users' actual behavior and usage environment. We believe this approach will provide valuable insights. The content of the interview outline, work arrangements, and other details need to be discussed collaboratively with the researchers to determine how to proceed. We also reached a consensus on the content and methods of recording during these interviews.
Items and Equipment Preparation
For the interviewees, we need to prepare consent forms and usability evaluation forms, as well as arrange for the payment of interview fees and other related matters. Regarding recording, we must have all photography and recording equipment ready to ensure comprehensive documentation of the entire interview process. Such preparations will contribute to a smooth and effective interview and enable us to capture valuable information accurately.
Equipment Preparation
Recruitment Survey Results Analysis
Recruitment via Google Forms
2. User Interviews
Through the LINE TV OA and Google Form, we screened out actual users who watch dramas on LINE TV through television devices. We conducted "home visits" to gain a realistic understanding of users' usage scenarios and environments. As of November 2021, the pandemic had not been fully resolved, and TV users were relatively scarce, making recruitment slightly challenging. Nevertheless, we successfully interviewed 8 participants.
Interview Period: November 15, 2021, to November 19, 2021.
User Profile
Selection Criteria:
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LINE TV Television Users
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Users who have been using the LINE TV TV version for more than 3 months
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Users who use the LINE TV TV version for at least 2 days per week.
Category Statistics:
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Male: 3 / Female: 5
Age Groups:
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31-40 years: 3
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41-50 years: 4
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51-60 years: 1
Location:
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Kaohsiung: 3 / Taipei: 5
Occupation:
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Homemakers: 3 / office workers: 5
Interviewees and their Viewing Environment Records
Interview Outline
First, we aim to understand the users' platform usage and selection, and estimate the underlying values and reasons for their choices. We will then inquire about their viewing behaviors (duration, frequency, and whether they watch alone or not) to gather information about their daily viewing habits. In the third phase, we will ask users to demonstrate their interactions with LINE TV (60 minutes). This session can be roughly divided into the following stages:
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Finding Videos:
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Asked Users demonstrating how they search for dramas and how they decide which drama to watch. This includes their navigation through the platform, keyword searches, and their decision-making process when selecting a drama.
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Watching Videos:
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Users will showcase the features they use while watching dramas. This may involve playing, pausing, seeking to specific scenes, or any other functionalities available during video playback.
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Ending the Viewing:
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After finishing watching a drama, we would like to know if users engage in any other activities related to the content they have just viewed. Understanding these post-viewing behaviors will provide valuable insights into the impact of the content on users and their level of engagement with the platform.
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Other Behaviors:
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Drama Viewing History and Watchlist Usage Habits
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Login Behavior
SUPR-Q
SUPR-Q (Standardized User Experience Percentile Rank Questionnaire) is a testing method of reliability that consists of eight items for users to rate. The ratings range from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score. This questionnaire helps infer users' trust and perception of the platform's user experience.
Design Validation
Design validation focuses on upcoming features like "Thumbnail Scrubbing" and "Episode selection" to understand users' opinions about these functionalities. The validation process involves printing the current design flow and all screens, going through each step with users to confirm their expectations and feedback. This approach helps gather insights and allows for adjustments to the design based on user feedback.
Design Validation
Researcher Interview
Recording Actual Usage Behavior
3.Insight Summary
After conducting interviews with users over the course of one week, the collected data and information will undergo the process of quantitative analysis. The outcomes will be categorized into three main parts:
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Video Streaming Platform Experience:
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Analyzing users' experiences with various video streaming platforms, identifying common trends, preferences, and pain points.
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User Experience on LINE TV
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Evaluating users' interactions with the LINE TV platform, understanding their behavior, and identifying areas of satisfaction and areas that need improvement.
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Design Validation
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Validating the design of upcoming features like "Thumbnail Scrubbing" and "Episode selection" based on user feedback, ensuring the functionality aligns with users' expectations and needs.
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Then we separately analyze the insights for the three main parts:
3-1. Video Streaming Platform Experience:
Based on the topics related to video streaming platforms, a deeper understanding of general users' considerations and usage habits leads to the following eight insights:
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Content is Key
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OTT is Cost-Effective
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Convenience Matters
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Time Efficiency
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Time-Dependent Selection
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More Activities After the Show
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Enjoyment of TV Streaming Experience
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Audio Streaming of TV
3-2. LINE TV User experience
Through actual operational processes, we examine users' viewing habits and pain points in their current context. By doing so, we can set up the optimization items for LINE TV.
Below are the typical steps for users to use the TV. By observing their behavior and gathering insights through interviews, we aim to understand the users' feelings at each step.
1. Opening LINE TV TV App
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Users prefer to use easily accessible OTT (Over-the-top media services) as their first choice.
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Users feel that the system doesn't need to log them out so frequently from their accounts. Sometimes, when their mobile phones are not with them, it becomes inconvenient to log in again.
2. Searching for drama
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Currently, users can easily find specific videos, mainly through browsing rather than searching. However, if the number of videos increases in the future, users will require a more user-friendly search tool to efficiently locate specific content.
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Voice input prompts are often ambiguous, and different brands have varied designs, lacking unified standards for voice input functionalities.
3. Exploring Dramas
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Users rely on the watchlist feature to collect dramas, often doing so for the convenience of their family members.
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It is challenging to find suitable dramas for children, making it difficult for parents to select appropriate content for them.
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General users find it challenging to explore and discover desired dramas on LINE TV. As a result, they usually have a specific drama in mind before accessing LINE TV to watch it.
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The recommended content on the homepage, including "Recommended for You" and "Theme row," has not been very effective in engaging users.
4. Viewing Drama Information
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Checking detailed drama informations plays a crucial role in helping users make informed decisions about whether to watch a drama.
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Some users prefer to watch parts of a drama first to determine if they want to continue watching it.
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Users find that the drama page lacks some practical information, such as the release year, duration, and update date of the drama.
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Users feel that the "Related Dramas" section on the drama page contains unrelated content. They suggest incorporating user perspectives into recommendations, such as considering factors like previous and subsequent seasons, common actors, production companies, and similar plot settings to improve relevancy.
5. Watching Dramas
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Time-Saving and Skip Function: Users seek to save time while watching dramas and appreciate the option to skip the beginning and end of episodes for a more efficient viewing experience.
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Users prioritize video quality and prefer using platforms that offer higher pixel resolutions for watching dramas.
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Unsatisfactory Continuation Experience were caused by unclear access to viewing history, incorrect time tracking, difficulty in switching between episodes, and finding specific scenes.
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Users feel that some control functionalities are missing during the viewing process, such as playback speed adjustment and skipping parts of dramas.
6. Ending the Viewing
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Having bonus content or behind-the-scenes footage to watch after finishing a drama is a highly appreciated service for users.
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Some aspects of the drama management functionality are not yet fully developed, such as the inability to cancel viewing history or difficulties in canceling favorites.
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Users often resort to other platforms or channels to search for more related information or to share their favorite dramas with others.
3-3 Design Validation
In the project schedule, we plan to implement features such as "Thumbnail Scrubbing," Episode selection," "Speed adjustment," and "Video quality." Through this interview, we aim to collect user feedback and insights to incorporate into the design and implementation phase. Using Hi-fi visuals as aids, we asked users to share their anticipated usage scenarios and feedback.
Below are the interview results:
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Users find "Thumbnail Scrubbing" and "Episode Selection" highly useful as they enable quick access to specific scenes and episodes. More easy for user to review the storyline when watching a drama.
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Users appreciate the "Speed Adjustment" feature, allowing them to watch at a faster pace without missing crucial plot points. It's considered a time-saving option when time is limited.
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Regarding "Video Quality," users have different preferences for default video quality settings. To address lag issues, we will provide users with a solution to adjust the video quality settings according to their internet connection or device capabilities.
Episode Selection
Thumbnail Scrubbing
Speed Adjustment
Key takeaway
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Many users perceive LINE TV primarily as a large-scale video player.
Besides the "Latest Popular Recommendations" on the homepage, it is challenging for users to explore and discover desired drama on LINE TV. Consequently, LINE TV is often utilized as a large player, leading to limited opportunities for many videos to be discovered. To address this, we can consider how to facilitate users in easily exploring and finding videos on LINE TV. This may involve providing more video information, enhancing the recommendation system, and increasing the chances of videos being viewed.
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Attractive Platform = Unique Content
Users select OTT based on their content preferences, and an attractive platform is one that offers content they like but is not easily accessible elsewhere. Therefore, we can consider providing and promoting attractive content on LINE TV that cannot be found on other platforms, such as exclusive, original, and classic content. By showcasing unique and high-quality content, we can attract more users to join LINE TV and enhance their overall viewing experience.
Workshop
The company has limited opportunities for direct interaction with actual users. To bridge this gap, a workshop is planned to share real user insights with colleagues from various departments and discuss potential solutions. Prior to the workshop, interviews will be conducted to gather and organize various pain points and current problems. The workshop will utilize the "How Might We" (HMW) approach to guide participants in addressing these issues during group discussions, encouraging them to explore practical problems and existing situations.
12 participants from different teams, including front-end development, data analysis, product management, marketing, and customer service. Their diverse backgrounds will contribute to a variety of ideas and suggestions. The outcome will be an Impact-Difficulty Matrix with a range of approaches.
Workshop Flow (Approximately 2 hours)
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4 people in a groups to write their ideas on sticky notes using the HMW approach.
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Utilize "World Cafe" format to exchange and brainstorm ideas. Other group members can also observe different problems and provide new perspectives.
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Each group will then organize and categorize the ideas on a large poster.
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Conduct "Wall Walking and Vote" to select the ten most impactful ideas.
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Place the top 10 impactful ideas on the corresponding Impact-Difficulty Matrix together.
Impact difficulty matrix
Researcher Sharing Interview Results
World cafe exchange ideas
Outcome
Understanding the true values that users prioritize
By understanding the true values that users prioritize, this interview provided valuable insights not only into TV users' viewing habits but also into what information they prioritize while browsing platform content and the reasons that capture their attention, ultimately influencing their viewing decisions. These insights are essential references for future implementation directions and can be used, for example, during homepage redesign to ensure the information presented aligns with users' needs.
Establishing the direction for product optimization
Moreover, this understanding helps in establishing the direction for product optimization. Through the workshop, various optimization possibilities were proposed, and different departments assessed their feasibility. This allowed colleagues in the company to grasp the actual relationship between the product and users, while providing clearer approaches and directions for the company to consider as references. Here are some direction suggestions:
Attract & Retain Subscribers
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Provide exclusive content that cannot be found on other platforms, making LINE TV stand out with a unique content library.
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Enhance the perception that LINE TV offers a wide variety of content not available on other platforms.
Increase Viewing Time
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Enhancing user access to the platform for greater convenience.
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Positioning LINE TV as the preferred platform for watching dramas available across multiple platforms.
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Empowering users to easily explore and discover their desired dramas on LINE TV.
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Improving the efficiency and accuracy of LINE TV's recommendation system.
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Assisting users in finding content with suitable durations for their viewing preferences.
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Facilitating easy selection of content suitable for children.
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Providing extended content to enhance users' overall viewing experience.
Enhance Enjoyment
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Enable users to consume more content within limited time, ensuring an enjoyable viewing experience.
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Make watching streaming videos on "TV" a delightful and enjoyable activity.
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Streaming videos can also be enjoyed as audio content.
Improve Usability
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Minimize unnecessary system logouts, ensuring a smoother and more seamless user experience.
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Enhance search capabilities, especially as the content library grows, to help users efficiently find desired videos.
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Improve continuity features to enable users to smoothly resume watching videos from where they left off.
What's next?
Sharing the results of this user interview with colleagues within the company and decision-makers is crucial to understanding users' genuine needs and voices. By doing so, we can improve and add new features to the platform that are more closely aligned with user requirements. When it comes to the new projects, we will internalize these experiences and insights to create products that truly cater to users' needs and preferences.