What Constitutes Great Design In Streaming Services, like Disney+

What Constitutes Great Design In Streaming Services, like Disney+

Disney+ has been something I have been waiting for for a long time. Being a Disney fan, I knew inevitably that I would be a subscriber, regardless of the platform itself. However, I am not above being critical of this service. I do not think that Disney+ is perfect; nor do I think it's terrible. Looking at the blend of all streaming services, that I am familiar with, I think there are multiple features from each that I would sample from to create an ideal state-of-the-art design of a streaming service. I have organized this by identifying design principles and giving explanations of why I think they should be included.

1.Disney+'s Simple, Elegant Interface

I read an article discussing Disney+'s purposive choice to keep it tidy and organized. Compared to Netflix, Disney+ does not show all of its content at once. It consolidates its content into separate categories, operating under the assumption that users know what they want and will find respective categories. The look, albeit simple, creates an enjoyable and guided user experience. It also just aesthetically pleasing with its sleek and concise presentation style.

VERSUS

2.AI & User Personalization: Expedited Selection Process

User personalization is such an amazing tool. I am a habitual repeat watcher, so I always appreciate AI doing the job of selecting something I would like. It guides me to something that it knows that I will like based on my patterns and preferences, creating a passive leisure experience. Sometimes I find the sheer mass of content overwhelming, so having something to navigate it preemptively is always an excellent tool to have.

3.Original Content: In Case Everything Already Was Not Enough

Having original content is something enticing about these platforms. It is exciting to see the amazing shows that are produced on these platforms. Most especially, shows like WandaVision are bringing cinematic grade quality to TV shows (averaging about 25 million dollars per episode in production costs).  I think Disney+ does a really neat job of bringing beloved cinematic franchises, like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, into smaller segments through television programming. 

4.Segmenting User Profiles

A feature that I did not realize I enjoyed so much as having my own personal profile. At my house in Williamsburg, with my other roommates, we use one user profile on our TV. We constantly run into the issue of watching the same thing, but not being able to remember where we individually left off. It makes me appreciate having my own user profile so that I can return to the second I left off and not the second my roommate left off. 

Overall, these are the important things that I believe constitute great design in streaming services.