Driving content discovery through a cross-platform Top 10 experience.
This feature reduced subscription cancellations by 4% across a user base of over 19 million subscribers, increased views to top 10 titles by 400%, and increased average user session lengths by 13%.
company
STARZ
Role
product designer
platform
mobile, TV, web
context
STARZ's streaming apps look like one big block of content.
With 74% of STARZ users being over 35, better image visibility and variety are essential.
From previous user interviews I helped conduct, I knew that users prefer varied images to ‟break up" the screen, especially on larger screens.
competitor analysis
What do competitors all have in common?
They introduce visual variety through mixed aspect ratios and sizes, and a rotating Top 10–15 list keeps content fresh.
From my own experience, I know it’s often one of the first places people look for something to watch.
design discovery
I tested multiple iterations of a top 10 design and decided to keep things simple.
I designed multiple number variants and put them through an AI eye tracking software called FengGUI to test what designs would be most eye-catching on the screen and lead the most traffic to the top 10 titles.
I took the winners of that test and simplified designs to only include numbers & thumbnails for an A/B test.
solution
When tested against the current experience, we saw a 4% decrease in cancellations and a 400% increase in visits to the 10 titles.
My hypothesis: we called attention to the best & newest content → users are finding what to watch faster → users are less inclined to cancel subscriptions due to lack of content & more inclined to explore popular titles. Win!
2 years later, STARZ had evolved to embrace a more video-centric browsing experience.
To align with that, I tested a version of the Top 10 list that incorporated auto-playing trailers.
These initial tests saw a 3.3% increase in average session length amongst users who interacted with the feature.
autoplaying trailers
As you hover your focus on or select a number, a trailer seamlessly starts to play.
I know it's controversial, but after referencing some past user research, we realized most of our target users actually appreciated autoplay videos.
responsive design
Because of limitations on the back-end, I couldn't add a video player on mobile. Instead, the numbers were given a refresh.
smaller screen affordances
At smaller breakpoints, I removed descriptions and downsized title art in favor of a larger video player.
ai-tested designs
Designs were tested using AI eye-tracking software, and a slightly updated version of my original number designs won.
impact & outcomes
What started as a simple list to boost discovery resulted in:
✢
4% reduced subscription cancellations
✢
400% increased visits to the top 10 detail pages
✢
Increased average session length by 13%
This feature really reinforced the value of getting real results. More results → more trust in design and freedom to explore.
I also found a good balance between what the business needed, what we wanted to design, and what made sense for users. Which is always the goal ☻
thank you for reading
If you'd like to learn more about this project or work with me to create more impact - please email me at
Amartinarias@gmail.com
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