When Disney announced Disney+, many skeptics, including myself, thought this was the end of Netflix. Disney has the hottest superheroes in Avengers, Starwars, and all the movies from Pixar. The question in the investing world was, how can other streaming platforms compete with Disney+?
Fast forward to now, Netflix stock just hit All-time High; they’re growing more reliable than ever. Disney+ is also doing pretty well with over 55 Million subscribers quickly.
Since it is challenging to predict the trends, it is becoming clear that the future of streaming is not dependent on just one platform; it is an ecosystem of platforms that may or may not compete against each other. In some cases, each streaming platform can complement each others.
I own subscriptions for Netflix, Disney+, and HBO and use their mobile App frequently, and since I am a product manager & a designer, I couldn’t help noticing differences in each App, some small and some annoying.
In this UX competitive analysis, I’ll compare the User experience, Product design, and some of the fun features of each platform.
I’ll not focus on each platform’s content, as it can become another debate.
I’ll only compare the mobile App and not the TV App, although many UX carries over their respective TV apps.
Let’s define “Good” User Experience.
There are many definitions of user experience in general. In this post, I’ll consider a “Good” UX, where I am a user who can accomplish the intended task with ease and without much effort. There should be no tutorial about using any of these apps; the app should be intuitive and let the user navigate it during the first interactions. The intended use of any of these apps is not to play around with its feature endlessly. Instead, it is to engage as much as possible with the content, whether it is time spent binge-watching your favorite show or browsing the endless stream of suggestions to be added to the playlist for later viewing. I’ll primarily focus on the following:
- Homescreen
- Search
- Playback
- Suggestions
Homescreen
Netflix
Netflix’s home screen is instantly jumping at you. The combination of circles and rectangle design is excellent to keep the user searching and looking for more. The colorful cover of the movies and shows creates a stunning look. The preview functionality is a big step here. They took inspiration from Instagram / Facebook stories and turned them to show a preview of the film/show. The preview is well done. The aspect ratio fits perfectly on the phone screen and gives you enough information about the show. It is like a trailer but better and uniquely made for Mobile users.
Rate: 5/5
Disney
Compared to Netflix’s home screen, Disney took a different approach. They went to show the maximum amount of content possible, and I think it works. They have a slider at the top, which toggles between the latest shows they want to promote. Under that, they’re displaying filters by the studio, so you can jump straight into Pixar or Marvel. There is no preview functionality. Instead, you have to go into each item to see the preview. The bottom navigation is very similar between Netflix and Disney.
Rate: 4/5
HBO
Coming to HBO after Netflix and Disney seems like such a step-down. The biggest issue is that the home screen only shows 2.5 shows information. You must scroll down and then scroll left and right to see more shows. The UI improves as you scroll down, but nothing jumps at you to keep you engaged. If you know what show you want to see, it gets you there. Bottom navigation is similar to Netflix and Disney.
Rate: 3/5
Search
Netflix
I love what Netflix is doing with its search; it is speedy and fantastic. When you click on the search, it shows you the filter for the various categories. You can cancel the search and navigate into each category. Other times, they show you popular searches that other users perform to help you make a choice. They’re A/B testing both features because sometimes I get the Genre screen when searching, and sometimes I get “popular searches.” If you’re in the kid’s profile, they show you recent shows under “Watch it again.” Overall search is excellent; however, they try to push “Netflix” shows and prioritize them in the search, which makes sense from their business POV but not for the user.
Rate: 4/5
Disney
Disney taking an instrumental and smart approach in it’s search. They display top-level categories (Original, Movies, and Series), which takes users straight to each category sorted by “Featured” It is an excellent way to keep the user engaged without having them type. If you do type the search query, the results are speedy. It isn’t easy to measure the response time between Netflix and Disney because Netflix has a lot bigger catalog.
Rate: 5/5
HBO
HBO takes a very minimalist approach to search. Clicking on search shows categories to jump into quickly. The search itself is useful when you click on the search bar to type. It shows the “Recommended series,” which I think is smart to lead users to newer shows.
It is not fun to play with, except it works, isn’t that the whole point of search?
Rate: 4/5
Playback
Netflix
Netflix playback looks excellent. A lot of functionality is cramped into a small screen, but it does not feel overpowered. I love the skip 10 secs forward and backward feature. If you’re watching a series, an Episode button takes you to all the episodes of a particular season. There are Audio and subtitle feature which is easy to use. You can also adjust the screen brightness, and if you’re on home wifi, you can switch to the TV seamlessly, which works pretty well. Netlfix’s “Skip Into” is terrific for getting to the action.
Rate: 5/5
Disney
Disney+ has similar 10 secs forward and back buttons; however, it lacks features such as navigating between the episode that Netflix has. I was not able to make the TV feature works from the phone. There are no brightness adjustment features. Disney+ also has a “Skip intro” button similar to Netflix.
Rate: 3/5
HBO
HBO playback follows Disney features; it has a 10 seconds skip button next to play, so I wouldn’t say I liked its placement. You cannot navigate between the episode, and I don’t recall seeing the “Skip Intro” button either in the mobile app or on their TV app.
Rate: 2.5/5
Suggestions
Netflix
Due to the vast catalog, I felt that Netflix could suggest more shows and movies than Disney or HBO. I also think that, usually, the recommendations are pretty good. I believe that Netflix tries very hard to push its original shows/movies way too much. It makes sense from their business perspective but it can be annoying. Also, it is hard to find the release of a new film sometime since the home screen is filled with suggestions mostly from Netflix’s original shows and movies.
Rate: 4/5
Disney
It is much easier for Disney to suggest other superhero movies if you’re in the Marvel catalog. I like the UX of suggestions. It is very well laid out and beautifully designed. However, I find myself seeing the same movies repeatedly; this can be partly due to a smaller catalog for suggestions.
Rate: 5/5
HBO
HBO does not suggest any other movies once you select the Movie or show you want to watch. I am not sure if they’re so confident that you’ll love the show you landed on or a big miss from them. There are suggestions on the Home screen, however, I am not sure if the recommendations are based on my viewing history or just random shows they’re trying to promote. I do not recall seeing the “Rate” feature either to gather my preferences.
Rate: 0/5
Netflix
$ 18
out of 20Homescreen – 5Search – 4
Playback – 5
Suggestions – 4
Disney
$ 17
out of 20Homescreen – 4Search – 5
Playback – 3
Suggestions – 5
HBO
$ 9.5
out of 20Homescreen – 3Search – 4
Playback – 2.5
Suggestions – 0
Overall best UX
Based on the metrics, Netflix just passed Disney by one point. Overall I think Netflix UI is very fluid and playful to use. The App just works, which is what these types are App supposed to do. We do not get into the Netflix app to check out the app features, instead, the App’s primary purpose is to keep the user engaged and get them to pick a show to watch. Netflix also had years of experience with its App, and they’ve been improving with each iteration. Disney, with its first attempt to jump into streaming wars, did an excellent job.
On the other hand, HBO’s design was just put together without much thought about the overall UX. It does its job, but nothing is impressive about it. Also, note that HBO has been producing shows way before Netflix and did not start as a Digital-first company. They were happy to have exclusive rights with the Cable providers. Not too long ago, the only way to watch HBO shows such as Game of Thrones was to subscribe via cable provider. For now, the Winner of best UX for the streaming App goes to Netflix!
