Big shifts and rejigs are in process across the entire entertainment value chain. While the closure of public entertainment options is largely increasing the bargaining power for streaming sites, it is also creating a longer-term shift in consumer behavior and sentiments. Opportunities abound in a time of crisis – how the industry aggregates user attention through high engagement experiences will determine what the future of entertainment will hold.
Reimagine UI/UX as the show must go on…
What would a music concert look like with social distancing? What elements of this entertainment experience can we reconstruct in a virtual world? Also, what hybrid experience would that then lead to in a post-Covid19 world where distancing ceases but users have been conditioned?
If we view Covid-19 as conditioning towards a future normal with new use cases, rather than as a disruption of the current normal, this is an incredible opportunity to reimagine user experience.
We are at the advent of seeing the rise of new consumption habits, shifts in bargaining power across the value chain, and eventually the rise of entirely new business models
Invest in innovating for OTT design
OTT applications are rapidly replacing mainstream traditional distribution methods such as cable or satellite. The demand for live streaming and multi-layered content is skyrocketing. New content is being created exclusively for these platforms.
Although traditional TV remains a gargantuan, $70 billion industry, it finally appears to be on the cusp of its digital transformation, with OTT leading the way. How can design support this shift?
Insight for Designers:
Design seamless experiences across large screen formats, platforms, web, and mobiles, allowing users to consume content just as conveniently across devices. Content discovery and recommendation are particularly important for OTT services with deep libraries of content.
Focus on immersive voice UI/UX design as voice gains popularity
Platforms are finding new ways to showcase their content. One of the ways of promoting content discovery that is gaining popularity is voice search. One of the reasons for voice search is becoming popular is that it is easy to use for various user segments, across age groups and linguistic segments.
Platforms are incorporating voice more deeply into the user interface, helping users with both simpler navigation and better content discoverability. How do we design for the future of voice interfaces?
Insight for Designers:
Design delightful voice experiences, with a strong foundation of powerful voice journeys and personas, making sure to keep in mind special considerations that go with designing for a non-visual interface.
Design Interfaces for regional and global accessibility
Connectivity in semi-urban and rural areas, along with affordable data plans has led to a rise in the consumption of regional language content on OTT platforms. A survey recently revealed that regional content contributes to more than 40% of video consumption.
The number of OTT platforms for regional content is very less in comparison to mainstream languages. With overall viewership of OTT platforms increasing, there is a proportionate demand for regional and multilingual content as well. How can the interfaces we design ready to incorporate regional nuances?
Insight for Designers:
Create interfaces that support different languages and scripts. Moreover, use visual cues and gestures that are universally understood, so that users can interact with the product or service by relying on aspects other than text.
Source: India Watch Report 2019 published by Star India-owned video streaming platform Hotstar
Empower entertainment that also accentuates a social experience
As live entertainment becomes inaccessible, many applications are trying to bridge social gaps through features like live story sharing and watch parties. Entertainment is competing with in-person social experiences. In such a scenario, entertainment itself is looking to incorporate in-platform social experiences. The gaming industry is adding features that enhance the connected social experience. TV is becoming an enabler in the connected viewing and engaging experience.
As friends and family who are social distancing look for new ways to connect, OTT is beginning to incorporate features that help enhance the social experience of watching content in sync with others.
Insight for Designers:
Including social experiences in entertainment platforms is key. In order to replace or compensate for live, in-person experiences, interfaces will have to create meaningful, seamless social experiences across devices without losing focus on the key: viewing pleasure.
Upskill on futuristic technologies to design for virtual travel
Traditional travel has made way for immersive digital experiences that depend on futuristic technologies such as virtual tours and AR experiences.
Virtual travel is becoming increasingly popular and has the potential for growth. As tourism is unlikely to pick up even later this year, companies are exploring and investing in emerging technologies such as augmented and virtual reality. What can design do to keep abreast of this revolution?
Insight for Designers:
Upskill and enhance capabilities in futuristic technologies so that you can enable the digital transformation of traditional travel companies.
Entertainment which is more virtual, creates a social experience, is personalized, and is accessible on demand will see a rise in consumption. The future of entertainment calls for greater innovation, new partnerships and sensibilities to leverage the shifts in technology, consumer sentiments and engagement patterns.
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