BBC

iPlayer IPTV

Built on the foundations of the IPTV patterns I'd previously defined with the Red Button UX team

Built on the foundations of the IPTV patterns I'd previously defined with the Red Button UX team.

iPlayer IPTV was an opportunity to become part of the core iPlayer team.

The product was positioned as a fullscreen service, unlike Red Button which we designed around the edges of the broadcast. I was able to influence significant changes which helped improve the UX.

The problem

Conscious of previous experience of watching users navigate via the BACK button in Red Button, I was keen to validate some of the iPlayer IPTV product design decisions which were at odds with this.

Notes during the project

THE TEAM

Robin Gibson (Snr Designer)
Christian Statham (Mid Designer)

MY ROLE

I picked this project up half way through design and development but was able to make critical design changes.

Team lead

UX Design

Visual Design

Stakeholder management

Workshop facilitation

TIMELINE

April 2017
April 2019

Our Approach

I highlighted my concerns to the product team and importantly showed them my suggested fixes

It's easy to find problems, convincing people that you can solve them or that they are worth solving is another matter.

I filmed friends using a BETA version of the product to highlight the issues that I could see. The product team didn't need convincing but videos of users struggling to navigate a product before its launches certainly focussed the mind.

It helps when designing to list out the motivations or triggers for engaging with the service you are designing.

My experience on the Red button had given me a great understanding of how to apply IPTV patterns and the User research I'd gathered provided me with enough evidence to change the hierarchy of the app and thus a large portion of the UX.

We also were able to make changes to the focus position on-screen in time for the MVP launch.

The BBC is a big organisation with many moving parts, understanding how other products were handling playback was critical.
We documented extensively the design patterns to enable reuse across other BBC IPTV products.
TV design requires the use of much larger fonts, Welsh translation can be a challenge
Close view of the UI
Live restart was a new concept during the development of this project.

THE TEAM

Robin Gibson (Snr Designer)
Christian Statham (Mid Designer)

MY ROLE

I picked this project up half way through design and development but was able to make critical design changes.

Team lead

UX Design

Visual Design

Stakeholder management

Workshop facilitation

TIMELINE

May 2014
February 2015