Shop TV

Projects

Context

The proliferation of smart TVs has opened new frontiers for e-commerce, challenging designers to adapt mobile and desktop paradigms to a lean-back, communal experience. This case study examines the development of Amazon's shopping app for Apple TV, focusing on the unique UX challenges and solutions in translating a complex mobile shopping system to a TV interface.

Framework

This project was grounded in the principles of cross-platform user experience design (Resmini & Rosati, 2011) and the concept of "10-foot user interfaces" for television (Chorianopoulos, 2008). These frameworks guided the adaptation of mobile e-commerce paradigms to the unique constraints and opportunities of the TV environment.

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Problem Statement

As part of a strike team tasked with developing Amazon's first app for Apple TV, the challenge was to create a shopping experience that respected the medium of television while maintaining the core functionality of Amazon's mobile app. This involved redesigning interaction patterns, rethinking information density, and addressing privacy concerns in a communal viewing environment.

Methodological Approach

The project employed a rapid, iterative design process within the constraints of a strike team structure:

  1. Platform Analysis: Deep dive into Apple TV's tvOS capabilities and limitations.
  2. Interaction Pattern Inventory: Cataloging existing TV app interaction patterns and identifying gaps.
  3. Rapid Prototyping: Quick iteration of novel interaction designs for TV remote control.
  4. Heuristic Evaluation: Regular assessment against established TV UX heuristics.
  5. Internal Playtesting: Continuous testing with team members to refine interaction models.

Key Design Innovations

The redesign for Apple TV incorporated several novel UX solutions:

  • Remote-Optimized Navigation: Developed a new navigation system optimized for the Apple TV remote, emphasizing horizontal scrolling and minimizing the need for text input.
  • Lean-Back Product Discovery: Created an "Airstream" feature for passive, personalized product browsing.
  • TV-Optimized Detail Pages: Redesigned product pages to prioritize large images and videos, leveraging the TV's strengths.
  • Simplified Checkout: Implemented 1-Click purchasing and a streamlined "Checkout with this item" flow to minimize interaction steps.
  • Privacy Controls: Introduced optional PIN protection for purchases and order viewing.

Results and Impact

While specific metrics are not publicly available, the project achieved several key outcomes:

  1. First-to-Market: Successfully launched as one of the first e-commerce apps on the Apple TV platform.
  2. Feature Parity: Achieved core shopping functionality comparable to mobile app within the constraints of the TV interface.
  3. Novel Interactions: Pioneered new interaction patterns for e-commerce on TV, potentially influencing future TV app designs.
  4. User Adoption: Anecdotal evidence and the extension of this project to the FireTV device suggests successful user adoption and satisfaction.

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