Entertainment apps had been climbing up the priority ladder at quite an accelerated pace for a while now. Here’s some proof: According to a Statista report released in March 2021, video streaming behemoth Netflix earned annual revenue of $25 billion in 2020. Now, ever since the pandemic struck, the popularity of such apps has not only grown multifold but is expected to retain this growth trajectory for the foreseeable future. In such a market, such apps must gain an edge over their contemporaries, but how? UX is one way to go about it. Let us take a look at how some of the biggest entertainment apps use these UX tricks to reel in users.
1. Highlight unique content: Of course, the bigwigs such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and HBO, with their own production houses, make an abundance of unique content. This is why you will notice that a lot of focus is on original productions when you visit their apps too. However, highlighting unique content is perhaps best demonstrated by TubiTV, a free, 100% legal streaming service. This one has a dedicated section called ‘Not on Netflix’, a great way to pull in new users who likely came looking for content unavailable elsewhere.
2. Offer a tailored experience: Let us all admit, no matter how much one may think that we have nothing to watch, the fact remains that this isn’t due to a lack of content. It is owing to an abundance of content, which makes it quite challenging for users to find something to watch. This problem was quickly and swiftly addressed with the concept of personalized recommendations. Perhaps most popular with apps such as Netflix and Hulu, the personal recommendation feature typically works for individual profiles on the same account. And they don’t even need an abundance of information to get this feature working as intended.
3. Autoplay: Perhaps one of the finest UX tricks one sees on entertainment apps and platforms is the ability to autoplay following episodes. Initially offered by Netflix, this particular UX trick has now become the industry norm. But this is not the only one; streaming services such as Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, etc. — most of them now offer other highly convenient options such as skipping recaps, introduction, end credits, etc. This seems simple enough, but greatly enhances users’ experience since they are saved from the task of manually fast-forwarding through these bits. Such features are especially pertinent with series.
The media and entertainment apps sub-sector within the larger industry has been a greatly discussed topic in all circles over the past decade or so. This is not without reason, of course; these apps not only keep users engaged but also drive businesses’ growth, helping them achieve new levels of success. While this is possible, the fact remains that the success of such endeavors, as well as the extent of that success, is highly dependent on only a handful of factors. Now, this market was already quite competitive but has been rendered cut-throat ever since the coronavirus pandemic started. So, as the competition in the market intensifies, any prudent business would fortify their media & entertainment software development projects with not only the latest technologies but also practices such as the ones listed above.
