Adding a feature Case study
My role: Lead UX/UI Designer responsible for user research, interface design, and prototyping.
Industry: Entertainment sector/streaming services
Toolkit : Figma, Illustrator and photoshop.
Timeline : October 2024 – November 2024
Paramount Plus
Project scope: The goal of this project was to design and integrate a personalized playlist feature within Paramount Plus, enhancing user engagement and content organization without disrupting the platform’s existing structure.
Add tags screen
A tagging feature allows users to customize playlists with mood tags (e.g., “Chill vibes,” “Nostalgia”), seasonal tags (e.g., “Winter,” “Valentine”), and emoji tags (e.g., “Spooky 🎃,” “Comedy 🎭”).
Users can view their playlist and make changes whether they want to edit it , share it , view analytics
New Playlist Screen
Share Playlist screen:
Users can share playlists with in app users and also share with friends and family with direct links or via social media
Share Playlist screen:
Users can share playlists with in app users and also share with friends and family with direct links or via social media
Contents
Competitive analysis
Interviews
Surveys
User testing
Hi Fi testing
Task analysis
Affinity Mapping
Personas
POvs & HMWs
Priority revisions
Final High fidelity
Conclusions
User Flows & Task Flows
Low Fi/Mid Fi
Branding
Final wireframes
Background
Problem statement :
Users of Paramount Plus lacked a personalized playlist feature, making it difficult to curate and organize content based on their preferences. The existing "My List" feature only allowed users to save content for later but did not provide the ability to create and manage custom playlists. This limitation affected content discovery, engagement, and user retention.
Target audience
Primary Users:
Paramount Plus subscribers who want a more personalized content experience.
Secondary Users:
New or potential subscribers who value curated content experiences.
User Demographics:
Streaming enthusiasts who enjoy binge-watching, organizing their watchlist, and sharing content
Why it matters :
“Users struggled to differentiate between "My List" and a true playlist feature.”
”Personalization is key in modern streaming platforms to keep users engaged.”
”Competitors like Netflix and Disney+ offer playlist-like features, meaning Paramount Plus needed to improve its offering to stay competitive.”
Research
Competitive analysis
The competitive analysis was to understand the strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats of the competitors in the market. With this analysis i can see what areas they're performing well and what areas could be improved upon.
What was discovered…
“Competing platforms like Netflix and Disney+ offer strong content personalization through AI-driven recommendations, while Paramount Plus had limited playlist customization before this feature.”
“While many competitors focus on watch history and recommendations, few offer user-generated playlists, highlighting an opportunity for differentiation with Paramount Plus.”
“Other platforms encourage content discovery through collaborative features or social sharing, which could enhance engagement for Paramount Plus.”
User Interviews
Participants :
5 participants age range : 20 - 35
Criteria:
Streaming users and people who have subscribed to similar streams like Netflix , Disney plus , Hulu.
Goals:
The interview goal was to understand users pain points , motivations , preferred features.
Surveys
Participants :
I surveyed 30 plus individuals ranging from 18 - 65 participants were from Europe to the us and Australia.
Responses…
Current paramount plus subscribers
Non paramount plus subscribers
Past paramount plus subscribers
Summary
0
Criteria :
Which of the following best represent you?
15
I discovered that more than 70% of participants had heard of paramount before
Participants who hadn't subscribed said they were either already subscribed to other platforms (Netflix , Disney plus , Amazon prime ) or had no interest in the palatforms content or aware enough ot what kind of content the platform offers
20
Streaming users and people who have subscribed to similar streams like Netflix , Disney plus , Hulu.
5
Frequency
Goals :
The goal of the survey is to gather feedback from current and past Paramount Plus users, as well as comparative streaming platform users, to better understand the navigation challenges they face when using the platform.
10
Define
Affinity Mapping
From the user interviews conducted, I created affinity maps to identify key pain points and motivations related to streaming platforms. Users highlighted challenges in organizing their saved content, with some expressing difficulty in distinguishing between "My List" and the new playlist feature. Others mentioned a desire for more personalisation options, such as the ability to add tags and personalize their playlists.
Content discovery & challenges
Kayla prefers Hulu because of content and ease of finding movies
Kayla prefers hulu because of content ane ease of finding movies
Martin finds it difficult to locate specific tv shows on paramount plus
Platform preferences & Use
Martin likes nostalgic content on paramount plus
Rachel found paramount plus to be lacking variety compared to other platforms
Rachel prefers amazon prime and Netflix for the variety and familiarity
Personas
Goal :
The goal for the personas was to determine the type of users i was designing for and to gain a clearer perspective of the goals motivations and type of experiences of the users i will be designing for.
Rayla , 29 - Organised Multi tasker
Goal : Wants a platform which offers a smooth experience while allowing her to browse for content
Needs : A platform that offers well-organized navigation and content discovery, along with reliable streaming on various devices.
Frustrations : Dislikes Netflix’s auto play trailers, finding them disruptive when browsing.
Jason , 27 - Social streamer
Goal : Wants a platform which features nostalgic content , which is reliable and easy to navigate
Needs : Jason need a platform where he can watch content with his friends remotely
Frustrations : He isn't sure whether to keep his subscription because the platform doesn't offer latest shows or up to date season he’s often frustrated because of this
Point of view statements
I would like to explore ways to help users who are busy and wouldn't want to waste too much time searching for content . A time-limited user needs a way to discover content that aligns with their interests quickly, without having to navigate through irrelevant or outdated content. This user has limited time for entertainment and prefers platforms that present relevant content without requiring extensive searching. They need an efficient way to find new and relevant content that matches their preferences without being overwhelmed by too many options.
How might we ?
HMW help users organize their watchlists and discover content that aligns with their mood or specific preferences so they are stress free in this process ?
HMW provide users with the ability to engage in social or group viewing experiences while ensuring a seamless and technically reliable streaming session ?
Design
User Flows
Personalised Playlist Flow
Purpose:
To help users create and customize playlists tailored to their preferences, enhancing their streaming experience.
Key Actions:
Navigate to "My Lists" and select the playlist feature.
Create a personalized playlist by naming it and adding tags.
Add or remove content, either from existing lists or while browsing.
Review and finalize the playlist
Low Fi Wireframes
The wireframes displayed illustrate the foundational structure and functionality of the personalized playlist feature for Paramount Plus. These sketches were created to visualize the user experience early in the design process, ensuring the core flow and interactions were intuitive and aligned with user needs.
Mid Fi Wireframes
Moodboard
Branding
Brand values
Innovation
Seamless
Exploration
Discovery
Variety
Efficiency
Personalised
User Testing
I tested four different flows , Navigate to playlist creation , Name and add tags to the playlist , share playlists and adjusting privacy and permission settings. It was measured based on time and completion rate
Iterate
This is a user feedback analysis for a playlist creation and sharing feature flows.Three users, Martin and Lucy, Kayla tested the feature, providing feedback on tasks like creating, editing, and sharing playlists.
Difficulty distinguishing between my list & playlist feature
Found the green out line a little unrecognisable when adding content to listclicked on playlist access settings rather than privacy and permissions
~ Martin
