An online streaming service in India with a growing user base of mobile users. This streaming service featured a couple of interactive live TV games that can be viewed by the user on television and mobile simultaneously. The following case study focuses on user research and testing of a TV show called The Big Picture before it was launched in India.
During my tenure at Lollypop, I worked with Voot for nearly two years as an in-house product designer. My primary responsibility was enhancing their UI design and incorporating new features across various platforms, including Android, iOS, and the Web. This case study focuses on designing a specific feature for Voot's interactive live TV show, The Big Picture, which was launched in India.
The objective was to design and conduct user testing in India before launching the feature. The Big Picture is a picture-based trivia game show that tests viewer's knowledge. Participants, playing from home, work alongside a studio player in real-time to answer questions correctly and have a chance to win a cash prize. This format gained popularity globally and was soon adapted in India.
User interviews provide valuable qualitative data that complement other quantitative research methods. They offer rich insights into user's thoughts, behaviours, and expectations, helping shape user-centred design decisions and improve the overall user experience. For this project, we followed the following user research process -
Given copyright constraints, we followed the existing game format. However, we faced the challenge of creating an intuitive and user-friendly design, as interactive games on OTT platforms in India were limited.
The primary target audience for this show was people aged between 20 and 40 from tier 2 and tier 3 cities, who may not be tech-savvy. Therefore, our design needed to accommodate a steep learning curve for these users.
We designed the onboarding process, incorporating coach marks and the quiz section based on the current format of the TV show. Voot's content and design team provided us with the Indian TV show's design language, allowing us to rebrand it accordingly—the UI design for this feature aligned with Voot's existing design system. We also created additional screens for rewards, leaderboards, and profile sections to enhance user engagement, drawing from best UX practices in the games and infotainment industry.
Once the designs were finalised, I developed a prototype encompassing three stages of the game. Since the interactive quiz was only accessible during the show's live airing, we included visible instructions before the show began in the first flow. The second flow involved users logging in when the show aired live on TV. The third flow consisted of screens visible after the show ended. To gather feedback, we conducted user testing with 40 participants from 4 different cities in India as mentioned above. My product manager and I led user interviews, collaborating with Voot's content team members. As this took place in early 2021 amidst the pandemic, the discussions were conducted online via Teams, utilising screen-sharing to present the prototypes to each user.
Following were the user interview questions that we asked the participants -
Overall, the feedback we received was positive. While 50% of the users initially struggled to understand the game mechanics based on the show details page, they could comprehend it once they accessed the instructions page. The users had an existing mental model of how trivia games work, drawing from other TV shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. However, 25% of users found understanding the reward points system challenging. Consequently, we redesigned the onboarding screens by adding a coach mark on the show details page and created a detailed page explaining the reward points, addressing the feedback received.
"Based on the shows I watched, this gives the idea that it is something to do with watching a video or playing, and you get to win cash." - Feedback from Trisha Surve, one of the participants.
Conducting user interviews highlighted the importance of setting aside personal biases when introducing new elements to users. It became evident that assumptions about user expectations should be validated through testing with real users. Additionally, conducting remote interviews posed a challenge, as users were unfamiliar with the concept. Overcoming the language barrier and establishing rapport took time, but with facilitators engaging in icebreaker conversations, users gradually felt more comfortable and provided.
