The Challenge
Terraflix is a platform that allows users to share videos that include geolocation, motion and orientation data. Videos are recorded with a mobile app, GPS enabled action cameras, dashboard cameras or drones. Terraflix is growing rapidly and needs to adapt its current implementation to be more robust, cohesive, and accessible on multiple devices. As its user base grows, it needs to be able to reach users who want to browse the platform and contribute to it in new ways. Its web experience is not currently optimized to be a social and immersive platform and is lacking e-commerce integration. It also needs an on boarding process to guide first time users through this new immersive experience.
The Process
We were eager to finally meet our clients and have our kickoff meeting. We had a great conversation and about the future of Terraflix and it's infinite amount of potential. After we said our goodbyes we realized we didn't ask a few important questions. What problem is Terraflix trying to solve? What drives user to use Terraflix? Why Terraflix? Instead of solving for the users we discovered there were too many features to begin with and we had to narrow the scope down first. That's where my team stepped in.
Client meeting brainstorm/wireframing session
Research
Market Analysis. Competitive Analysis
Knowing that the scope had to be narrowed, we first asked ourselves, why should users use Terraflix? Why do they need Terraflix and what sets them apart from their competitors? We looked into a variety of video sharing sites:
Competitive Analysis
• Sites that had large amounts of content such as Youtube and Vimeo
• Live streaming sites like Facebook Live and Snapchat, which are successfully used for both business and personal purposes
• Sites that also offer GPS enabled video sharing.
One thing they have in common is they all strive for an intuitive onboarding and a simple interface that makes it easy to use.
While doing a Market Analysis, it’s hard to deny that the world is going video. Video sharing and viewing will account for 80 percent of global Internet traffic by 2019. There is a huge market out there; making it the perfect time for Terraflix to make its mark.
User Research
Knowing where Terraflix needs to make its mark, it was important to figure out what drives users to share content, more importantly GPS enabled content. Who are these individuals, and what drives them? We saw that our users are people, ages 25-34, who wants to be connected and have a sense of community sharing same interests. This is where we knew we had to pivot. Terraflix must target a niche audience of active individuals, who feel the need they needed to share their videos with likeminded individuals.
Brainstorming & Taxonomy
After our discovery process, we needed to conceptualize our findings. As a group we did multiple brainstorming sessions and where we categorized our content and data. By doing so, it was easy to define the content structure to support the user’s and Terraflix’s goals. Some of our findings were:
• Users needed a way to be social so they can connect with like minded individuals and create micro communities
• An easy learning curve and intuitive onboarding, no need to reinvent the wheel
• Need an emphasis on social sign up, that way Terraflix gets the users metadata
• Commenting and interactions between users needs to be conversational. This gives more incentive to share content by giving them visibility, self-expression and recognition.
User Testing
In order to get started on building the new platform, testing the original platform proved to be extremely useful. Users had a lot of great feedback:
• Upon visiting the site for the first time, testers did not respond well to the video pop-up
• They wanted to get straight to the content
• Testers did not feel motivated to upload content, especially when they had to pay to do so
Personas
Once all of our preliminary research was conducted, it was clear that Terraflix would have two types of users, Active and Passive. James and Logan are Active Users who upload and share content, and Sara is a Passive User who just consumes content. When building the platform we wanted to make sure that Sara had the potential of being an Active User through social.
Design, Test, Iterate
Sitemap
Creating a sitemap helped determine the user flow. We kept it fairly simple making it easy to navigate the site. Users can access everything from the homepage navigation.
User Flow
After getting to know our personas and what their needs were, we started to flush out essential flows and features. The core functionality is to upload and share videos at the same time keeping it true to social feel.
Wireframe
Knowing that this platform would be responsive we started by wireframing mobile first.
Having a landing page that introduced Terraflix helps users contextualize the platform.
Sign in and Sign on was meant to be quick and easy. To get the most data, there is an emphasis on social Sign in and Sign on. This allowed users to go straight to exploring.
Once they have an understanding of how things work, it makes for a more intuitive interaction. Though, in the case where users are lost, they are greeted with Joyriding Onboarding, which walks the user through the features of an app or highlights the key features. It’s great because it clears up a lot of confusion right from the get-go.
Since user generated content is integral for Terraflix, it was important to have two options to upload videos:
• CTA on the homepage
• Drag and drop on the profile page
The store showcases the brands and has an easy checkout process that remembers. Users can opt out of saving their billing information if they so choose.
Visual Design
As the acting visual designer I wanted the app to feel welcoming, clean, and friendly. The typography was chosen because it was easy and effortless to read, which fits to Terraflix’s nature. The color scheme is a play off the logo. Red was used to draw the eye, and often used for CTAs. The blues bring a sense of calming and friendliness. Everything was carefully chosen to make sure that Terraflix is inviting and makes people want to explore more.
Test & Iterate
Once the wireframes and mockups were completed we conducted three rounds Guerrilla User testing. The users generally took a liking to how everything flowed. The few pain points they had for updates were:
• Moving the Billing form to after they decided to buy something, not during sign up
• A quicker sign up
• A simpler form for publishing
Once the users gave feedback, it was time to combine all the findings into the final high fidelity prototype.
Prototype
Discover and explore the world around you by checking out the Terraflix prototype. You will learn how to explore the map, upload a video, and buy map layers from their store.
Click through the Terraflix Platform via InVision.
Future Forward and Takeaways
Knowing that Terraflix has an infinite amount of potential, there was no way that we could implement everything in the time we were given to redesign the platform, build a landing page and e-commerce integration. Terraflix will definitely benefit and set itself apart from the competitors if they include some of the following:
• A market place where people can request custom jobs, for example taking a video of a specific area
• In app messaging
• Dynamic comments on videos, much like Soundcloud
• Storefronts within the marketplace
• Live streaming
• Virtual and augmented reality
This project pushed me to want to research and learn more. Not only did I learn about GPS enabled devices and platforms, I learned a lot about people’s psychology and motivations. I grew tremendously over the weeks I worked on Terraflix, in terms of personal and professional growth.
