Netflix has become one of the most famous online streaming services since its inception in 1977. Today, Netflix is available in almost 190 countries, catering to millions of customers worldwide. Netflix’s approach is based on enhancing user experience and cultivating future trends.
There is a reason why users are drawn so much to Netflix, and it is not just due to its cheap packages. If we look at the infamous video streaming platform from a design perspective, there is definitely something about its UX more than visual appeal and color theme that makes it more attractive for users.
3 Most Invaluable UX Lessons to Learn from Netflix
As an online entertainment platform, Netflix has invested billions in ensuring that demand for its service remains high. Their business strategy revolves around customer preferences and individual experience.
Keeping aside familiar concepts of responsive layout and color palette, here are the top 3 lessons to learn from Netflix’s design and UX features.
Lesson #1. Easy Onboarding
Netflix is a brand that speaks for itself; therefore, they have not used full-length essays and never-ending lines full of words on their website. No. when you open the website, you see a simple landing page with the easiest onboarding.
“Unlimited Movies, TV Shows, and More. Watch Anywhere. Cancel Anytime.”
If you are starting up then, you would need a full navigation website, unlike Netflix, but what you can do is to mirror this UX to deliver a brief message on the landing page. For example, the Netflix landing page perfectly sums up what the user will get by subscribing, and there is no fear as you can “Cancel anytime.”
Here are some of the key takeaways:
- Build shortcut to conversion points like newsletter subscription, schedule appointment, etc. on landing page banner.
- Your conversion funnel needs to be perfectly streamlined. For example, in the first step of signup, Netflix educates its customers on the benefits and number of steps in the process.
- The interface should be easy to follow and distraction-free. Netflix uses only two colors during the signup process i.e., red and white.
We recommend consulting with a website design Dubai based company regarding designing a simple and minimal UX design for your website to make on-boarding easier for your users. This way, your customers won’t have any problems and doubts along the way.
Lesson #2. Personalized User Experience
With an increase in the use of data analytics and the integration of AI, consumers prefer a personalized experience based on their likes and dislikes. We human beings need to feel accepted and valued. It’s part of our nature. Netflix has most certainly taken notice and used the most recent data points in order to create a personalized experience for every individual user.
For creating this experience, you need to first collect user data. So, how is Netflix collecting data without breaching user privacy? Here is how:
- Allowing users to add a movie or TV series on their personal viewing list
- Rate a series or movies with a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Based on these, Netflix provides recommendations to its users through the platform. It recommends movies and series based on the most recent thing you watched on Netflix. For example, if the latest thing I watched on the platform was ‘Friends,’ it will make recommendations based on that.
Another thing it does is that it creates personalized categories for their users based on their history. For example, if I watch a lot of action movies, I will be shown the following categories which can be used to browse similar movies:
- Action Movies
- Superhero Action Flicks
- Marvel
By providing the user with everything they might want, it is easier to keep them engaged with your product or service. Therefore, you need to tailor user experience according to individual likes and dislikes. Again, consult with a website design expert to ensure the safety of your customers.
Lesson #3. Testing New Features
As long as we can remember, Netflix has gone through tons of changes over the years. From layout to features like pricing, Netflix has always tweaked things up for its users. It’s not just about the theme, layout, or colors; Netflix has always introduced changes that have enhanced user experience.
However, at times when a new feature hampered with the experience, the platform simply rolls back to customer preferences. One of the prominent examples is Netflix’s talking bot, Max. This new feature made recommendations to its users on your previous ratings. However, it was not shoved onto users as it waited to be interacted with if needed. But it quietly disappeared as Netflix knew that its users did not need the bot in making choices.
Some of the major UX lessons here are:
- Always be careful when using the latest AI technology as your users might find it too intrusive. So before investing in such technology, analyse user data.
- Give a new feature or element enough time to provide you with user feedback and then decide if you want to keep it or not. Max was available for around 6 months before it disappeared.
- Personalization is great, but keep things simple.
Keep UX Design Simple and Flexible!
Although there are big video streaming giants in the industry, Netflix continues to reign when it comes to video streaming services. And it is not going to change anytime soon as they have kept evolving alongside the user’s needs.
The color palette and aesthetic appeal aside, these are the most valuable lessons to learn from Netflix and use them on your online platforms to increase engagement.
