Brasil Paralelo

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Before starting the development of solutions, I conducted an initial research phase to identify the issues users face while using the app. It is crucial to understand the users’ needs, frustrations, and problems encountered during app usage in order to guide the redesign of the screens.

To gather quick and relevant information about the problems users face, I utilized a valuable source of qualitative data that is often overlooked: the feedback left by users in the app store. These comments provide direct insights into the difficulties users encounter and allow me to have a comprehensive understanding of the usability issues found in the app.

I collected a wide range of user feedback, addressing different aspects of the app experience. This diversity of opinions helped me gain a comprehensive understanding of the issues users were facing. With this data in hand, I proceeded to the analysis stage.

2.2 – Data Analysis, Insight Extraction, and Solution Brainstorming

To visualize the most common problems identified in user feedback, I used a technique known as “Affinity Diagram.” I grouped similar feedback and organized these cards into categories, highlighting the most recurring issues. This diagram helped me identify the areas with the highest impact on the user experience.

After the feedback grouping stage, I used the “Atomic Research Diagram” to extract relevant insights. We transformed the raw data collected into observable facts, clearly describing what was identified in the feedback. Based on these facts, I extrapolated insights that helped me understand the underlying reasons for the users’ issues.

Based on the insights obtained from the research, I conducted a brainstorming session to generate ideas and proposed solutions. I explored different approaches to improve the user experience in the app, considering aspects such as ease of implementation (both in design and engineering), potential impact (cost-effectiveness of the solution), and alignment with business objectives.

2.3 – Solution Prioritization and Redesign Scope Definition

Desiring a quick redesign focused on specific improvements, I used an impact vs. effort matrix to prioritize the generated ideas. I identified solutions that could have a significant impact on the user experience while requiring relatively low effort from the design and engineering team.

The two prioritized solutions have a broad scope and focus primarily on improving the acquisition and activation of the application. However, in addition to these solutions, other changes will also be made to promote a better overall app experience.

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In addition to these insights, a crucial aspect observed in all competitor applications is the presence of user profile selection functionality. This feature allows different users to access the same account, which is common in streaming services as they are often shared among family members. The creation of individual profiles is essential for the proper functioning of movie and series recommendations, as well as ensuring that viewing history is personalized for each user, regardless of the account. The Brasil Paralelo app does not have this functionality and will need to be implemented.

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To kickstart the redesign of the screens, I decided to begin with some quick idea-generation exercises using the technique known as “Crazy 8’s.” In this approach, participants are challenged to create eight different concepts within a short period of time. This activity is particularly useful for stimulating creativity, exploring diverse approaches, and generating multiple interface ideas in a short amount of time.

The first step of this process involved rapidly generating various ideas for the initial animation screen (Splashscreen). For this purpose, I created eight distinct versions of this screen. These ideas were based on visual elements related to the brand Brasil Paralelo, such as the logo and representative colors. The main objective was to provide feedback to the user, indicating that the app was loading and not frozen. For this reason, the use of animations played an important role in this context.

Next, I focused on the Onboarding screens and user profile selection. I once again performed “Crazy 8’s” exercises to generate quick ideas and explore different concepts for these screens. In the case of the Onboarding screens, my goal was for them to cater to both new users, showcasing some of the value offered by the streaming service even before creating an account, and existing users, allowing them to log in quickly and easily. As for the profile selection screen, the objective was to make it simple and intuitive, enabling users to create and access profiles, as well as providing an option to manage them (where they could be deleted or configured as adult or child profiles).

In the third stage of the project, the focus was on the app’s home screen, which is the first screen displayed to users after profile selection. Once again, we used Crazy 8’s technique to generate quick ideas and explore various layouts and visual elements for this screen. Some interesting ideas emerged, such as the inclusion of a top bar for users to select different types of content, a navigation bar to organize the app between the home screen, a favorites screen (where users can download content for later viewing), a dedicated screen for profile information, and another screen dedicated to searching the streaming service’s content library.

4.2 – New Screens and User Flow

In the Splashscreen screen, an animation of the Brasil Paralelo logo was added to provide visual feedback to the user, indicating that the app is in the loading process, preventing them from thinking that the app is frozen. This animation creates a more pleasant experience and informs the user that the application is being initiated.

In the Onboarding process, significant improvements have been implemented. Buttons for “Create an account” have been added to facilitate new users’ access to the app. Additionally, a “Learn more” button has been included, redirecting users to open content that can be accessed without an account, allowing them to experience some of the value of the streaming service before deciding to create an account. Prominent images of series and explanatory texts about the content offered by Brasil Paralelo have been inserted, along with the subscription price of the service, helping the user understand the platform’s value proposition. Furthermore, the “Sign In” button has been positioned in the top right corner, following the convention used by other streaming services.

A profile selection screen was created to allow multiple users to use the platform with the same account, following the common behavior adopted by most competitors. On this screen, avatars were added for each registered profile, making it easy to identify each user. A button to add new profiles was also included, along with a button to manage profiles, allowing the user to create, modify, and remove profiles and adjust their settings.

In the account creation screen, we made an important improvement by allowing new users to create their accounts directly through the mobile application, eliminating the need to access the website for this process. Standard fields such as Email, Password, and password confirmation have been added to ensure secure registration. In addition to the main “Create Account” button, we also included a “Sign In” button in case the user already has an account, making the transition to the next step easier.

As for the login screen, it underwent a few changes and remains similar to the previous version. However, we added a secondary “Create Account” button in case a new user accidentally arrives at this screen. This addition aims to provide a smoother experience, allowing users to create an account immediately if needed, avoiding the need to go back to the previous screen.

The main screen of the application underwent significant changes to improve the user experience. Firstly, we added an App Bar at the top, allowing users to choose between different types of available content (movies, series, etc.). This addition provides more intuitive and quick navigation, directing users to their specific interests. Additionally, we created a Nav Bar at the bottom of the application, offering the possibility to easily navigate between different screens, such as Home, Search, Favorites, and Account. This navigation improvement helps users quickly access key features of the application.

Another notable change was the inclusion of large cards with featured content images at the beginning of the screen, which I’ll refer to as Hero Cards, allowing a visually appealing presentation of the content. Additionally, each Hero Card now has a dedicated button to save the content as a favorite, providing users with an easy way to access and revisit their favorite content.

These improvements in the redesign of the Brasil Paralelo mobile application screens were implemented with the goal of enhancing usability, simplifying the account creation process, facilitating navigation between screens, and highlighting relevant content. The result is a more intuitive and enjoyable user experience, allowing users to discover and access the streaming service’s content with greater ease and satisfaction.

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Before implementing the proposed changes and solutions in this project, it is essential to conduct extensive prototype testing with users. I recommend conducting four rounds of five usability tests with personas, with adjustments made to the prototype at the end of each round. After these steps and ensuring that the prototype is suitable, the screens should be developed by the engineering team. It is important to follow a phased implementation approach, building the screens or functionalities incrementally, always with a portion of users through A/B testing. Throughout this process, it is crucial to measure the most important metrics to determine if the changes are truly improving the user experience and achieving the strategic business objectives (KPIs).

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This project highlighted the potential to enhance the user experience and achieve business objectives through the redesign of key screens in the application and the implementation of simple functionalities. The proposed approach, based on agile user research and the study of competitor applications, enabled a rapid improvement in the user experience of the Brasil Paralelo streaming application. This project reinforces the effectiveness of a lean product design process, user-focused, and data-driven, allowing for the rapid delivery of improvements in the user experience.

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