Netflix App on Apple TV Usability Research Study
From the lack of buttons on the Apple TV remote and no navigate system on the Netflix app, users have trouble finding what they want to watch. After adding a breadcrumb trail and navigation buttons to the Netflix app wireframe, user’s efficiency and satisfaction rate was measured to be much higher.
Heuristic Evaluation
Through the Heuristic Evaluation, I followed a set guide that helped me evaluated the user interface of the Netflix app on Apple TV. This allowed problems to be addressed and gave me ideas of what could be fixed to make the overall experience better.
The Heuristic Evaluation showed that the Netflix app on the Apple TV has horrible visibility status.
When a user is going through the different pages of the interface, they can easily get frustrated or lost with no previous or back buttons on the app. With the Apple TV remote only having a menu button, navigation through the app is difficult. I would like to figure out a way to allow users to navigate the app with less frustration.
Research Proposal
For the experimental design, the new navigation buttons added to the interface of the Netflix app is the independent variable. The dependent variable is how quickly the participants can navigate the app and their satisfaction with the movie they have chosen.
To measure and be able to compare the new Netflix wireframes to the original Netflix wireframes, each participant will go through two experiments where they try and navigate the app with two different sets of interfaces shown through wireframes. This will allow the experiment to have a baseline of how quickly the user can navigate the app and how satisfied they are with the movie choice, for both the original wireframes and the updated wireframes.
Link to full Research Proposal
Wireframes
NEW
OLD
Before there was no navigation system, buttons or breadcrumb trail. In the new wireframe, those were added.
Research Participant Feedback
“Compared to the first simulation, I feel more comfortable finding my way around the app.”
— James
“The buttons and line of pages I have visited, take up a lot of room on the screen, but they are helpful.”
— Katie
Conclusion
After performing the experiment with 4 volunteers, I found that my Heuristic Evaluation was correct, users did have difficulty moving around the Netflix app. Compared to the first experiment with wireframes that mimicked the actual Netflix app, users overall satisfaction with the app was higher when the buttons and breadcrumb trail was added to the second experiment wireframe.