Thesis: Connected Viewing: Social App for Streaming Shows

This dissertation explores how viewers can feel the same connectedness when asynchronously streaming Netflix, Hulu, etc. as they do when watching traditional television TV. I adopted a user-centred design approach to propose a new design feature to augment existing streaming services that would provide viewers with this sense of connectedness. The methodology first consisted of interviews to gather participants' experiences with streaming, and then data was analysed through thematic analysis. I then proposed a new design solution that would allow users to post comments at specific times and then show those comments to other users at those times. The design was then evaluated through the evaluation method of observations combined with a mini-interview about their new experience. The participants noted this design solution amplified their sense of connection. As part of this dissertation, I proposed design guidelines that take into account people's sense of connectedness. An important finding from this study is that people need to feel connected even when they are streaming. Thus, there is an opportunity to conduct further studies in this area.

Methodology

My methodological approach utilises a user-centred design approach. Within this section, the methods utilised are explained further. I conducted interviews, and the data collected was later used to design a high-fidelity prototype. Interviews focused on exploring the participants' current viewing experience and how that experience makes them feel connected or disconnected. The data collected were analysed through thematic analysis, where many interesting themes and sub-themes were formed. Based on the data collected, the researcher then developed a design solution that would help participants feel more connected to existing friends or just strangers from around the world. The prototype added a new feature on existing streaming services, where a comment timeline was shown synched with the video clip the viewers were watching. Later, the researcher conducted observations where participants could use the prototype and answer some questions about their experience with the prototype.

Designing a Prototype

Based on the results of the thematic analysis, the researcher began brainstorming possible design solutions for the participants' current experiences and concerns. In this case, the question was how to give users a better sense of connection when watching a streaming broadcast asynchronously. The focus was that the prototype should improve the current streaming experience in terms of feeling connected to others. It was also clear from the interviews that the researcher wanted to focus on the outcomes of the two issues, namely the sense of interaction when streaming and missing features of streaming service.

After careful consideration, the researcher decided that the best design solution for the research questions proposed at the beginning of this dissertation was the "social media-like feed". The idea was to create a design that would make viewers feel like they were using an existing streaming service. Therefore, the user interface of the website tries to mimic a streaming platform with different shows and movies that users can navigate through. The prototype included four web pages, a welcome page with some initial information about the observation, a main screen where they could see the different shows/movies available, a favourites page where users could bookmark a particular show and the episodes page.