Project Duration
4 Months
Services Provided
Research, UX/UI Design, Prototyping, User Testing
The Challenge
The challenge in the "Playground" case study was to develop a streaming app tailored specifically for children within the Verizon Fios ecosystem. This involved creating a digital platform that seamlessly blended fun and education while catering to a diverse age range of 2 to 12 years old. The key challenge was to design an interface that appealed to children, with bold, colourful, and cartoonish elements, while also ensuring ease of use for parents who would manage the app's content and screen time controls. Additionally, the team needed to implement an intelligent algorithm to predict and recommend age-appropriate content based on users' preferences and viewing history. Throughout the project, maintaining a balance between entertainment and education, while also prioritising child safety and parental control, posed a significant challenge.
Project Duration
4 Months
Services Provided
Research, UX/UI Design, Prototyping, User Testing
The Challenge
The challenge in the "Playground" case study was to develop a streaming app tailored specifically for children within the Verizon Fios ecosystem. This involved creating a digital platform that seamlessly blended fun and education while catering to a diverse age range of 2 to 12 years old. The key challenge was to design an interface that appealed to children, with bold, colourful, and cartoonish elements, while also ensuring ease of use for parents who would manage the app's content and screen time controls. Additionally, the team needed to implement an intelligent algorithm to predict and recommend age-appropriate content based on users' preferences and viewing history. Throughout the project, maintaining a balance between entertainment and education, while also prioritising child safety and parental control, posed a significant challenge.
Project Duration
4 Months
Services Provided
Research, UX/UI Design, Prototyping, User Testing
The Challenge
The challenge in the "Playground" case study was to develop a streaming app tailored specifically for children within the Verizon Fios ecosystem. This involved creating a digital platform that seamlessly blended fun and education while catering to a diverse age range of 2 to 12 years old. The key challenge was to design an interface that appealed to children, with bold, colourful, and cartoonish elements, while also ensuring ease of use for parents who would manage the app's content and screen time controls. Additionally, the team needed to implement an intelligent algorithm to predict and recommend age-appropriate content based on users' preferences and viewing history. Throughout the project, maintaining a balance between entertainment and education, while also prioritising child safety and parental control, posed a significant challenge.
Solution
Research and discovery
Our journey commenced with a thorough analysis of competitors, extracting valuable insights to shape our strategy. Engaging in direct conversations and surveys with parents and children within the Verizon Fios user base unveiled key preferences and expectations. Additionally, we explored industry trends, ensuring our designs aligned seamlessly with Verizon Fios' brand identity.
Flows and wireframing
We translated research insights into low-fidelity wireframes, meticulously mapping out the app's structure and user journey. Refinement cycles, influenced by internal feedback and usability testing, honed these wireframes.
Parent Controls - Pin and Exit
Home Page
Show Page
Player Page
Design Exploration
Creative brainstorming sessions led to the creation of different design versions. We experimented with bold colours, cartoonish illustrations, and dynamic layouts, exploring various combinations of colour and interaction. The iterative process involved presenting these design variations to internal teams for feedback and refinement.
Home Page
Player
"Crafting a vibrant and visually appealing UI, I employed bold and cartoonish interface components as buttons for a playful and educational experience. "
Show Page
"We opted to eliminate tabs from the Home Page since that interaction was designed primarily for parents, rather than children."
"I experimented with bold colours and dynamic layouts, exploring various combinations of colour and interaction. "
Design system
Crafting a vibrant and visually appealing UI, we employed bold and cartoonish interface components as buttons for a playful and educational experience. Dynamic illustrations and colourful elements aligned with Verizon Fios' brand identity. The design process involved developing a comprehensive style guide, UI library, and a master library to ensure consistency across platforms.
Master Library
Style Guide
UI Designs based on User Testing
Remote user testing sessions, recorded for future analysis, were pivotal. Insights from kids' interactions with the TV interface using a remote control shaped iterative design improvements. The refined designs were shared with stakeholders for validation, ensuring alignment with user expectations.
"During our user testing sessions, we discovered that designing for small users with a "less is more" approach did not work effectively. We found that they were more engaged with illustrations and animations rather than static screens. It was almost like the app was already part of the content itself."
High-Fidelity React Prototype
To elevate the design process and facilitate comprehensive user testing, we developed a complete React high-fidelity prototype. This prototype included animations and considered all possible user journeys and interactions. This approach enabled us to iterate effectively, gather valuable insights from user testing, and make informed decisions throughout the design process. Unfortunately I don't have access to the prototype anymore.
Welcome
Age range selector
Time Selector
Home - Characters
Home - Movies
Home - TV Shows
Home - Networks
Player
Player - Related content
Mobile App
Our experience has been reinforcing the idea of iterative design: constant refinement and elaboration of the product through cycles of feedback and iteration.
An important role in this context was played by usability testing, which helped us gain invaluable input from real people and iterate from that. Besides, it turned out that using learnings and best practices gained during designing of the TV app will be very useful for the iOS platform.
For example, efficiencies we were able to find in the design process of the TV app, namely through the finding of effective design patterns and streamlining workflows, helped in smooth adoption of these principles for the iOS app. This is a notable aspect that has helped to ensure the consistency in the user experience across all devices and platforms, and thereby enhancing the usability and satisfaction of the users from the app overall.
Conclusion
In sum, Verizon Fios has created "Playground" as an end result that comes after meticulous design, user-centric innovation, and iterative refinement. Through the deepest research and collaborative ideation, with rigorous testing, we have developed the streaming app that seamlessly marries entertainment and education for kids aged between 2 and 12.
The main thing was to put emphasis on safety for a child, parental control, and age-appropriate content, creating a kind of a digital playground for fostering learning and creativity, with the possibility of protecting young users' enjoyment and safety.
Adapting design principles well across these multiple platforms and paying attention to the iterations given by feedback shows the dedication to achieve a product that touches its users.
The commitment will stand constant in allowing families and children's digital experiences to be empowered and ennobled within an ever-evolving landscape of digital entertainments.
