Manjunath Bhat

Buzz OTT Platform

Client

Lollypop Design

Sector

Media

Year

2021

Upon joining Lollypop Design, I dived into an exciting project already in its UX and discovery phase. Originally called Aha, this project aimed to revamp a new Indian video streaming service. The main goal was to enhance the user experience by making it both luxurious and simple. Due to an NDA, the project was rebranded as BUZZ.

Major challenges included regionalization to support four South Indian languages, catering to diverse audiences from tier 2 & 3 cities and rural areas, and designing for mobile, web, and TV.

Leading a team of four designers, we began by analyzing the OTT market landscape, identifying competitors, and understanding trends in regional content consumption. This involved studying existing OTT platforms in India and globally to identify gaps and opportunities for innovation, particularly in regionalization and multi-device support.

I then moved into the UX phase, working closely with our team to create user personas, map their journeys, and understand their perspectives. This research guided our design decisions, ensuring we made something visually appealing and meaningful to our users.

Once the UX stage was solid, we ventured into the visual design part. I started by creating a moodboard that set the visual style for our project. We blended colors, styles, and vibes, which fueled our brainstorming sessions.

Reflecting on this journey, I realize I got to be both a UX researcher and a UI designer. It was a creative process where UX and UI came together to create a user-friendly and stylish product.

This venture remains a hallmark within Lollypop's portfolio, etching its mark as one of the most esteemed and impactful projects. It continues to epitomize our dedication to pushing boundaries and crafting transformative digital experiences.

GO TO WEBSITE

3.5 Million Monthly Visits

Achieved approximately 3.5 million total visits per month

15 Million Paid Subscribers

Reached 15 million paid subscribers within three years of launch

20 Million App Downloads

Surpassed 20 million app downloads since the initial launch

Discover

Problem Statement

Our objective was to explore the theme of "Glocal," which blends global values, ethos, design elements, and experiences with local simplicity. The product aimed to resonate with a wide audience by combining the best of both worlds – a cosmopolitan flair rooted in local sensibilities.

Major challenges included:

Regionalization to support South Indian languages such as Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. This was crucial as the content varied significantly and needed to be reflected in the experience.
Catering to diverse audiences from tier 2 & 3 cities and rural areas. The mission was to popularize the use of OTT applications among middle-class audiences in these areas and democratize the entertainment industry.
Designing for mobile, web, and TV. The founders wanted to expand their market and avenues, enhancing the viewing experience for users across different devices.

Market Research

We started by studying the OTT market, examining competitors like Hotstar, Netflix, Zee5, Amazon Prime, Jio Cinema, and YouTube. Our focus was on understanding how they handle aspects such as content variety, user interface ease, device compatibility, and regional content offerings. Our goal was to pinpoint gaps where improvements could be made, especially in regional content and seamless viewing across different devices. Hotstar stood out for its strong regionalization efforts, while all platforms showed varying levels of support across multiple devices, albeit with some limitations or areas needing enhancement. This analysis guided us in shaping our strategy for BUZZ to offer a competitive edge in these areas.

User Research

Extensive user research was conducted to understand the unique needs and behaviors of our users. We carried out in-depth interviews and field studies with people in Tier 2 & 3 cities and rural areas to gather insights into their viewing habits, device usage, and preferences. Since we were working remotely from our hometowns, it was convenient for us to gather insights from our target users. We interviewed around 20 individuals from different demographics, economic backgrounds, and occupations. The findings were very insightful and served as the cornerstone for generating personas.

Document

Persona and Scenario

Detailed personas were developed to capture the motivations, behaviors, and constraints of various user groups, including regional language speakers and users from different urban and rural backgrounds. Scenarios were crafted to illustrate how these personas would interact with the platform in real-world contexts.

Journey Maps

We created user journey maps to visualize the steps and touchpoints each persona would encounter on the platform. Our goal was to understand the purpose and complexity of the user journey from a broad perspective. We focused on onboarding, content discovery, and payment flows. These maps highlighted pain points and opportunities for improvement, guiding our design decisions to enhance the user experience.

User Flows & Task Flows

We designed comprehensive user flows and task flows to map out the pathways users would take to accomplish key tasks, such as onboarding, searching for content, selecting languages, browsing offers, and making payments. We started with happy paths and gradually incorporated edge cases. This helped us ensure we considered all aspects of usability from all edges.

Define

Information Architecture

We developed a detailed Information Architecture (IA) to visualize the structure and flow of the platform across mobile, web, and TV. Using affinity mapping, we organized and prioritized user insights and feature requirements, which helped us create a coherent and user-friendly IA. Affinity mapping organized our user research data into clear patterns and categories, revealing relationships and priorities. This collaborative process ensured a user-centered structure, simplifying complex information for improved navigation and user experience. This approach was integral to our design process during the OTT UX project.

Content Inventory

A comprehensive content inventory was conducted to manage and categorize the diverse range of content available on the platform. This ensured that users could easily find and switch between content in their preferred languages, enhancing the regionalization aspect of the platform.

Design

Wireframes

Low-fidelity wireframes were created to establish the basic layout and navigation of the platform. These wireframes were iteratively refined based on stakeholder feedback and user testing to address identified pain points and improve usability.

High-Fidelity Prototypes

High-fidelity prototypes were developed to provide a realistic and interactive representation of the platform. These prototypes allowed stakeholders and users to engage with the design, providing valuable feedback that informed further refinements.

Deliver

Cros Functional Design

Ensuring responsive design was a critical aspect of the project. We designed the platform to provide a seamless and consistent experience across mobile, web, and TV devices, tailoring the UI/UX to suit the unique interaction patterns and constraints of each device type.

Project Outcomes and Achievements

Enhanced TV Experience:

Improved the TV experience by implementing familiar mental models and UI conventions, ensuring intuitive navigation for users accessing content on television devices, a feature not previously available in Indian OTT platforms.

Multi-Device Accessibility:

Built a multi-experience platform allowing seamless content access across various devices, addressing the diverse preferences and habits of modern viewers, fulfilling a key user requirement.

Improved Playback Experience:

Enhanced the playback experience with features such as skipping intros, songs, and content sectioning, providing users with greater control and engagement, resulting in a more enjoyable viewing experience.

Seamless Payment Process:

Introduced a seamless payment process from TV to mobile devices, facilitating easy subscription through methods like UPI and wallets, enhancing user convenience and accessibility.

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Next Project

PROJECT

Breeder Connect Social Media Application

CLIENT

Breeder Connect

SECTOR

Social Media

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