Netflix's UI is a shell game to trick you into thinking they have more programs than they actually do.
From Netflix to HBO, the terrible design of streaming is ruining TV
11–20 of 41 posts
Re: From Netflix to HBO, the terrible design of streaming is ruining TV
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
While I’d love that, unfortunately the business and unit economics can differ wildly. Some shows may be cheaper to acquire if there’s promotion in the interface (due to tie-ins or newer content like sequels in cinemas), subscribers may churn more regularly if not shown specific things, making marketing less effective and therefore more expensive. It’s like how a TV with no smart features would have to cost more, beca…
> Some shows may be cheaper to acquire if there’s promotion in the interface Something I would gladly pay to live without.
Let's face it: that amount would be low. The costs are around $10/month for Netflix, and less for HBO and Prime. People already complain about rising costs of streaming. Paying for another graphic shell over the same content won't be worth much more than 1$/month. Of that 1$, some, possibly quite a lot, will have to be paid to the streaming service. You need to offer considerable benefits for mass adoption. Suppressing promotions is not enough to achieve that, IMO. Perhaps a better recommendation system would be a more attractive option.
Note that the provider of this UI would be bound completely to the terms dictated by the streaming service(s). E.g., it might look interesting to have all your streaming services in one app, but Disney or Netflix or Amazon or HBO can simply forbid that option.
Re: From Netflix to HBO, the terrible design of streaming is ruining TV
#13YouTube has the best UI and Spotify has the worst.
Watching Joe Rogan on TV is painful, if you ever want to pause it - which is quite often considering how long his podcasts are - resume does not work - you have to close the App and go back in - sometimes it doesn't remember where you were and starts from the beginning - fast forward is excruciatingly slow.
Spotify should sack all developers who work on video they are totally incompetent.
Re: From Netflix to HBO, the terrible design of streaming is ruining TV
#14YouTube has the best UI and Spotify has the worst. Watching Joe Rogan on TV is painful, if you ever want to pause it - which is quite often considering how long his podcasts are - resume does not work - you have to close the App and go back in - sometimes it doesn't remember where you were and starts from the beginning - fast forward is excruciatingly slow. Spotify should sack all developers who work on video they ar…
As they say, what's old is new. A lot of these problems I remember having with VHS. Tapes would rewind too slowly, or they would rewind too fast and I would overshoot. Early IR remotes had to be aimed carefully, so pausing took a few attempts. Some remotes had a physical cord, which could come unplugged. And if a tape got jammed that means pulling it out carefully, gently rolling it back into the cartridge, and since the tape is now back at the beginning, fast forwarding to find my place again.
Re: From Netflix to HBO, the terrible design of streaming is ruining TV
#15> Good luck watching the credits on Netflix—they automatically skip to serve up a new episode. Lol, you've never seen them play five minutes of credits in thirty seconds after a movie or show ends on basic cable?
Has Mr. Diaz never met anyone outside Hollywood? People don't pay for streaming services to watch credits.
I like to watch the credits, even for TV shows I'm watching serially. For me it's like getting that last bite of dessert before the end of a meal, plus I get to stretch my legs, check email, go to the bathroom, etc. before the next show starts.
Re: From Netflix to HBO, the terrible design of streaming is ruining TV
#16My pet peeve: I have only one profile on play.hbomax.com, but every time I open the page I get the screen that asks "Who Is Watching?" with a single option.
I'm thinking of writing a web browser extension just to click that automatically.
Re: From Netflix to HBO, the terrible design of streaming is ruining TV
#17> Good luck watching the credits on Netflix—they automatically skip to serve up a new episode. Lol, you've never seen them play five minutes of credits in thirty seconds after a movie or show ends on basic cable?
In the Netflix web interface there's a per profile setting to turn off that behaviour so you can watch the credits in peace.
Re: From Netflix to HBO, the terrible design of streaming is ruining TV
#18Netflix's UI is a shell game to trick you into thinking they have more programs than they actually do.
I think the Netflix app is very performant and well build, especially compared to the ones like prime. Button presses just work even when using low end devices like a Nintendo Wii.
The switching around of the different things like continue watching is very annoying though.
I hardly use it anymore due to the algorithm bubble of only showing (very) similar things to what I have already watched and no tools to influence this. Also when they started out they had way more access to work from other publishers. I usually am looking for something novel and found more interesting things in the beginning when their algorithm was less "refined", they more had other's titles and it was less geared towards pushing their own content.
Re: From Netflix to HBO, the terrible design of streaming is ruining TV
#19If it was that bad it wouldn’t be in 87% of households.
I don’t think any of the services offer award winning UX, but the difficulties stated in the article are overblown. Nor is it “ruining TV” … the proof is that they keep making TV (well, Until the writers strike…)
Re: From Netflix to HBO, the terrible design of streaming is ruining TV
#20I'm confused why Amazon Prime is the only streaming service with something like X-Ray. I know Amazon owns IMDB, but at the very least, you should be able to see a cast/character list in all the services...even if it's not contextual to the specific scene.