A feature for
Amazon Prime Video
Designed a feature on Amazon Prime Video where users can seamlessly transition from their favourite shows to discovering and purchasing products featured in scenes.
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
This project was designed as a part of IterateUX's international UXDesign Challenge 2024.
Brief: Design a user experience that seamlessly integrates immersive storytelling elements and e-commerce functionalities within a video streaming platform (Netflix, Amazon, etc.) where users can seamlessly transition from enjoying their favourite shows to discovering and purchasing products featured in scenes.
Design Process: The different tasks and phases of the challenge were laid out in accordance with the Design Thinking methodology. Our project followed the same method.
[Note: The final clickable prototype can be viewed at the bottom of this page.]
ASSUMPTIONS & THE 5 W'S
Our project began by identifying and refining assumptions about our target users—adults aged 20-50 who use streaming services and often wish to purchase products seen in shows. They face challenges in locating and buying these items, leading to frustration due to unsuccessful searches or high costs.
We asked ourselves the 5 W's:
Who is the Target User? People who use streaming services
What is the Problem? Inability to find and purchase products that they like.
When does the problem occur? While watching content.
Where does the problem occur? On streaming platforms.
Where does the problem occur? On streaming platforms.
Why does the problem occur? Why is the problem important? Lack of existing features to identify and purchase products seen on screen without disruption.
Value Proposition
Value proposition answers the question “why should the customer buy our product or service?”
We began our research and discovery phase with a value proposition based on the assumptions we had made about our user and their story at this point.
We began our research and discovery phase with a value proposition based on the assumptions we had made about our user and their story at this point.
This value proposition chart gave us an idea of where to start from with our research, and served as a guide during the first phase of this project.
competitive analysis
We found no direct rivals for our feature. Indirect competitors like YouTube and Instagram offer livestream shopping, but none allow buying products while watching content without interruption. Viewers must search on Google or Instagram for product info from shows or movies.
Secondary Research
Narrowing down our target users
user interviews
We interviewed six users that fit the criteria. We asked them questions about the following:
• Their shopping habits, specifically online
• The kinds of ads they’ve paid attention to in the past
• What devices they use for shopping and entertainment
• Their opinions about and experiences with streaming platforms
• What they think about product placements in movies/shows
• Their opinions about a feature that let them shop while watching content
• The kinds of ads they’ve paid attention to in the past
• What devices they use for shopping and entertainment
• Their opinions about and experiences with streaming platforms
• What they think about product placements in movies/shows
• Their opinions about a feature that let them shop while watching content
These user interviews gave us great insight into our target users’ behaviours and opinions, and challenged our prior assumptions.
Here are some interesting quotes from the interviews that gave us food for thought:
“The overall experience should be intuitive, flexible, & accessible”
“TV is a terrible device to buy stuff because it's not intuitive, not easily browsable, there is no touch screen.”
“I would prefer purchasing on a companion app because on the TV it becomes a social purchase.”
“I find my phone secure because it uses my face ID, biometrics not passwords to process payments.”
what is the problem?
Problem Statement
The absence of a feature on streaming platforms that enables the identification and purchase of products seen on screen poses a challenge for millennials in North America in discovering and acquiring products they are interested in without interrupting their viewing experience making them feel unsatisfied.
The absence of a feature on streaming platforms that enables the identification and purchase of products seen on screen poses a challenge for millennials in North America in discovering and acquiring products they are interested in without interrupting their viewing experience making them feel unsatisfied.
How might we
• Seamlessly integrate product discovery and shopping features into streaming platforms?
• Enhancing viewer engagement?
• Creating a seamless transition from entertainment to shopping?
• Seamlessly integrate product discovery and shopping features into streaming platforms?
• Enhancing viewer engagement?
• Creating a seamless transition from entertainment to shopping?
Objective/Solution
Create a feature on Amazon Prime that lets viewers easily shop for products they see in Amazon original shows and movies, blending entertainment with shopping for seamless and engaging experiences.
Create a feature on Amazon Prime that lets viewers easily shop for products they see in Amazon original shows and movies, blending entertainment with shopping for seamless and engaging experiences.
affinity mapping
personas
Our research identified two user behaviours: those who deliberate before buying and those who buy impulsively, and those who notice products in streams versus those who don’t. We created two non-binary personas, Can and Ning, reflecting these behaviours without gender bias.
journey mapping
For our persona Can, we built journey maps for scenarios with and without our feature. This helped us determine at which point in their journey the problem arises, and at which point our feature would be of best use.
For Ning, we built a journey map with the feature, as they do not pay attention to products on screen.
user flow
The journey map gave us an idea of where and how our feature would be of most use. We built a basic flow to get an outline of what paths our users would take with our feature.
A note on devices: Our feature spans TV and phone for a seamless experience: users spot products on TV and explore or buy them on their phone at their convenience, ensuring privacy and ease of payment.
low-fidelity wireframes
In the ideation phase, we developed low-fidelity wireframes for layout concepts, integrating the feature across TV and mobile to enhance user experience without causing interruptions.
mid-fidelity wireframes
For our next step, we crafted mid-fidelity wireframes with clear language to explain the new feature. We matched Amazon’s style for clarity and introduced a label for recommended products, linking it to the user’s current viewing. Users are prompted about mobile notifications for product features in a straightforward manner.
mapping out the screen flow
In our design process, we connected screens to visualize the entire flow. Our design ensured a fluid experience, offering users flexibility to interact with the feature at various points, such as activation before/during streaming, mobile notification prompts, and easy access to featured products for in-app purchases without interrupting their viewing.
high-fidelity wireframes
We developed high-fidelity mockups with detailed UI elements, adhering to Amazon’s style guides and capturing typography and colours from their apps. Our design focused on the icon style, screen placement, animations, mobile notifications, and product display within the app.
changes made between low and high-fidelity wireframes
• Repositioned new feature using “Recognition over Recall” heuristic.
• Revised Home Page to highlight products.
• Added clickable new feature icons for consistency.
• Featured our product under “Included with Prime” on TV.
• Enhanced icon with glowing effect.
• Introduced “Add to Cart” process.
• Displayed clickable product images from user’s watched shows on home page.
• Prominently displayed main product with image carousel and similar product options.
initial icon design
We designed the featured products icon as a gift box with stars and confetti to evoke excitement and curiosity, symbolizing special items in the scene. Later, we refined the icon based on user feedback from testing.
prototype 1
methodology
After completing our prototype, we initiated testing using usability tests and feedback, focusing on task duration and success rate. We assessed users on two tasks: navigating the Amazon TV app to use the feature and making a purchase. With 6 participants, we aimed to determine the feature’s usability, recommendation potential, and impact on the viewing experience and product discovery.
User feedback highlighted several issues:
• The feature icon was often unnoticed or confused with other icons.
• The icon’s design didn’t clearly represent its function.
• Users found the activation pop-up window ineffective and suggested a more concise explanation with visuals.
• The feature icon on the TV show was mistaken for a clickable button.
• Users expected direct navigation to product listings from mobile notifications and wanted an easy return to the product list after a purchase.
TV SCREEN FLOW (Expand to view)
MOBILE SCREEN FLOW (Expand to view)
key points
Outcome & Impact
We conceptualized a new feature for Amazon that:
• Drives additional revenue for the company
• Streamlines the product identification and purchasing process for users
• Provides minimal disruption to users while they stream content
• Strengthens brand loyalty
• Caters to users who want to buy items they see on screen and those who prefer uninterrupted streaming
Marketing this feature
• Our aim is to establish this feature as a premier product placement tool that not only enriches the viewer’s experience but also opens up new revenue channels for creators and partners, extending beyond Amazon.
• By supporting various streaming services, we can maximize this opportunity and offer an enjoyable experience that attracts more users to the Prime ecosystem, benefiting both the company and its customers.
Continuing Testing
• Collect Prime user feedback through in-app ratings and email surveys.
• Monitor engagement metrics like link clicks and purchase rates.
• Aim to extend the feature to all streaming platforms for wider adoption.
Limitations
• Our team faced time constraints, resulting in a few user interviews and tests.
• The feature is exclusive to Amazon Prime subscribers with linked phone numbers and is restricted to Amazon originals.
• We followed what was publicly available of Amazon’s design standards, using only their colours, typography, and sizing.