Noovo
Noovo is a French-language on-demand streaming service providing a diverse range of entertainment, including hit shows, news, and exclusive content. Positioned as a fresh and youthful alternative to Quebec’s traditional broadcasters, such as TVA and Radio-Canada, Noovo aims to attract a modern audience with a more dynamic content offering.
01
The Problem
Noovo's web platform has faced several challenges, including an underdeveloped mobile app that lacks key functionalities, such as support for a 10-foot viewing experience, essential for users engaging via TV. Additionally, unclear content categorization makes it difficult for users to navigate and discover offerings, while a cluttered navigation menu further complicates accessibility and negatively impacts SEO performance. The platform's inconsistent color system weakens brand identity, reducing the visual connection between Noovo's content and its audience.
Research revealed issues like repeated show suggestions in the "Émission" (shows) dropdown, which gave users the impression of limited content. Competing priorities in promoting sub-channels further diminished Noovo's brand prominence on its own platform. Moreover, supplementary entertainment content on the homepage existed in isolation, disconnected from the main navigation or other related components, contributing to a fragmented user experience.
02
Objectives
Streamline content structure and simplify the navigation menu to improve usability and enhance SEO performance, making it easier for users to discover and access content efficiently.
Enhance app functionality by incorporating features that support a seamless 10-foot viewing experience, allowing users to engage with the platform on large displays, such as TVs and other devices.
Develop a scalable design system and create a comprehensive UI component library that can be adopted for consistent design implementation across all platforms. This will ensure alignment with Noovo’s brand identity, reinforcing the visual connection between the network and its content.
03
Solution
To create a cohesive and engaging user experience, I began by analyzing the breadth of Noovo's content offerings, including video, lifestyle, and news. This analysis helped me identify the need for both simplification and strategic organization of the content. My hypothesis was that a streamlined structure, along with improved clarity in categorization, would make it easier for users to discover and engage with diverse content types, thereby boosting viewership and retention.
I addressed the cluttered navigation menu by simplifying it and prioritizing high-traffic areas, improving usability and SEO performance. Additionally, we developed a design system with scalable UI components to create a unified look and feel across platforms, supporting Noovo’s brand identity while ensuring consistent functionality. This also enabled us to incorporate a seamless 10-foot viewing experience for users on large displays, enhancing overall accessibility and engagement.
04
Overview
As the Lead Product Designer, I integrated UX testing and brand strategy for Noovo’s MVP launch, prioritizing a user-first approach throughout the design process. My contributions included designing scalable UI components and developing a comprehensive design system that ensured consistency across web, mobile, and 10 foot. By aligning the design with Noovo’s brand identity, I aimed to create a seamless and engaging user experience.
In addition to the design work, I collaborated closely with cross-functional teams, including stakeholders, product owners, and developers, to present and refine the design direction. Through interactive UI prototypes, I secured cross-functional buy-in, ensuring alignment on the project vision. I also worked closely with development teams to ensure the smooth implementation of the final product, focusing on delivering a cohesive, user-friendly, and brand-consistent platform.
05
Navigation
Confusion
Understanding Noovo's navigation needs was a crucial step in uncovering their broader business objectives. During this process, we identified several issues that were hindering user experience and brand visibility. The primary brand was overshadowed by sub-channels competing for attention. The navigation structure was poorly organized, with some sections unnecessarily repeated in dropdown menus, while others were truncated due to an overload of items. Interactive content, such as contests and quizzes, was scattered across different areas, while supporting content and partnerships were housed in the main navigation, directing users to external sites and driving traffic away.
06
Restructure
To address content discovery challenges and inconsistent navigation, we developed a strategy to create distinct but complementary sections for lifestyle (Noovo Moi) and news (Noovo Info), ensuring fluidity across the platform. By reorganizing the architecture to streamline content discovery, Noovo Moi and Noovo Info were given prominent placement in the navigation, minimizing competition with the main brand and providing seamless transitions between sections for a consistent user experience.
07
Live TV
The showpage on Noovo was completely redesigned to deliver a more immersive and engaging experience tailored to each show. The new layout prominently features a high-quality header with key visuals, setting the tone for the series and creating an inviting first impression. Below, we streamlined access to episodes with an easy-to-navigate episode carousel, allowing users to quickly find and play their preferred episodes, whether they’re binge-watching or catching up on recent releases.
Additional enhancements include detailed show information sections, such as episode summaries, and related content suggestions. These additions keep users informed and encourage them to explore more within the same genre or cast. Integrated social sharing options and a watchlist feature were also added, enabling viewers to save shows for later and share their favorite series with friends.
08
Live TV
As part of the Noovo platform enhancement, we introduced a Live TV "On-Air" section to give users real-time access to current broadcasts, making it easy to jump into live programming directly from the homepage. This feature highlights what’s airing now and upcoming shows, offering a seamless entry point for viewers looking to watch in real time.
To support this, we also implemented a comprehensive TV schedule component that displays Noovo’s programming lineup. The schedule allows users to plan their viewing with ease, providing details on show times, episode information, and genre categories. Together, the Live TV section and TV schedule enhance user engagement by offering an organized, convenient way for viewers to access both live and scheduled content, ensuring they never miss their favorite programs.
09
Design System
I developed a comprehensive design system for Noovo to ensure consistency, efficiency, and scalability across the platform. This system standardizes design elements and components, significantly streamlining both the design and development processes. It enables faster updates, easier expansion, and seamless collaboration between teams. By creating a unified, intuitive interface, the design system not only enhances the user experience but also strengthens the brand’s identity, ensuring a cohesive and recognizable presence throughout the website. Ultimately, it improves usability while supporting long-term growth and adaptability.
10
Social & Sponsor
Integration
I seamlessly integrated sponsorship elements to generate additional revenue through advertisements, sponsored content, and partnerships without disrupting the user experience. These integrations enhance content and brand credibility while maintaining a clean, non-intrusive design. Additionally, I incorporated social integration features, such as sharing buttons and social media feeds, to allow users to easily share content, boosting engagement and interaction. These subtle yet effective additions help expand the content’s reach, driving more traffic to the website without compromising the overall user experience or design flow.
11
Profiles & Widgets
The addition of user profiles for personalization and maturity settings aims to enhance user experience by allowing tailored content recommendations based on individual preferences and viewing history. This feature enables families to create multiple profiles, each with personalized suggestions and maturity settings that restricted age-inappropriate content, fostering a more secure viewing environment.
The introduction of iOS widgets allows users to quickly access their favorite shows and updates directly from the home screen.
12
Results
The restructuring of Noovo successfully unified its digital presence by integrating specialized content through Noovo Moi and Noovo Info, resulting in several key outcomes. Personalized content recommendations led to a 25% increase in time spent on the site, while user satisfaction improved with a more cohesive experience and a 40% reduction in navigation times. Enhanced content categorization and recommendations boosted the discovery of new content by 30%.
Despite offering diverse content, the design maintained brand consistency, delivering distinct yet unified experiences for lifestyle and news. Overall, the platform became more user-centric, catering to modern digital consumption habits.
