Reimagining content discovery for fans
Comedy Central Stand-Up is an Alexa skill that offers fans access to a vast library of 10,000+ stand-up comedy clips. I developed the MVP for a new feature, Discover Mode, that introduces new users to Comedy Central by allowing them to quickly preview different categories and comedians.
Role
Lead Designer
Timeline
Jul - Aug 2021
Team
PM, Eng
Previously, users could only search or shuffle content
Search
Skill plays every video by Dave Chappelle
Search requires existing familiarity with Comedy Central, as users need to know the names of different comedians to utilize the feature
Users start to lose interest after they’ve watched all the queued videos
Because everyone sees the same videos, we weren’t able to tailor the queue to individual preferences
Shuffle
Steep learning curve for new users
While the skill was initially conceived with existing Comedy Central fans in mind, we noticed that a lot of first-time viewers were also downloading the skill to get a feel for stand-up comedy. Since the search function assumed a pre-existing knowledge of stand-up comedians, it limited how these users were able to engage with the skill, causing them to become frustrated.
We shifted our product strategy to focus on retaining our core audience of dedicated fans while also appealing to a broader market of potential new users. Our primary goal was to reduce churn for new users by decreasing the learning curve and providing more opportunities for them to engage with our content. In addressing this gap, we saw an opportunity to expand our user base and transform casual viewers into loyal Comedy Central fans.
The existing experience lacked personalization
Shuffle was designed to appeal broadly to a general audience, rather than appealing specifically to more niche audiences. Shuffle was initially conceived as the pathway for new users to get a feel for Comedy Central, but it failed to account for users’ specific content preferences.
To address this, we set out to reimagine a more personalized approach to content curation and discovery. By offering users a curated “taste” of content aligned with their interests, we hoped to encourage users to continue exploring our vast content library. Our goal was to create a more compelling and sticky product experience with the potential to not only retain existing users, but also attract new audiences seeking a more personalized comedy platform.
Users experienced interaction fatigue while watching videos
Since shuffle was limited to a preset queue of videos, most users eventually switched to search to find new content. However, search required users to provide voice commands after each video to continue watching, which disrupted their viewing experience.
Our goal was to provide users with a more seamless, enjoyable experience that offered fresh, relevant material without continuous input. We also saw an opportunity to expand users’ horizons by rethinking our content discovery experience to expose users to a more diverse range of comedy.
Exploration 1
How can we effectively prioritize and showcase key content to users?
Our goal was to elevate the content discovery experience by showing users fresh, exciting content every time they opened the skill. Drawing inspiration from other streaming platforms, we conceptualized a home page where we could curate new releases and top-performing content. Our approach was designed to broaden the variety of content users were exposed to and deliver a more personalized viewing experience.
Highlighting a featured video
Highlighting several featured videos
Carousel of several featured videos
Exploration 2
How can we understand what users enjoy and don’t enjoy watching?
We borrowed patterns from familiar interaction patterns found in dating apps like Tinder and Bumble. By leveraging feedback from users swiping left and right, our goal was to identify what they liked and didn’t like and tailor the content we showed them to their preferences and interests.
Swipe right to watch video
Preview + swipe right to continue watching
Solution
Empowering users to curate their own viewing experience
Users can scroll through 15 second previews or “trailers” of different stand-up comedy videos. They can swipe right or click to continue watching the full video, or swipe up to watch the next video.
Our goal was to leverage this feedback on what they liked and didn’t like watching to build a profile for each user that would allow us to suggest other videos they may like.
After they finished watching a video, users could either return to discover mode or continue watching the next video in their queue. The queue would be curated by our algorithm, whether it was videos from the same comedian or videos watched by other users with a similar profile.
