UX • AIRTEL XSTREAM • AIRTEL DIGITAL • 2020 - 2021
Redefining Entertainment Consumption in India
The Product
Xstream, Airtel's video streaming platform, started to revolutionize how people experience entertainment and reshape the mobile entertainment streaming landscape by pushing the boundaries of technology. Airtel Xstream Premium is a new aggregation-oriented video streaming service launched by Airtel. Over 50 million people pan India currently access Xstream through our mobile app, website, large-screen app, and Xstream Stick.
Timeline
May 2020 - June 2021
Research and previous data synthesis - 2 months
Product and design strategy - 1 month
Iteration and testing - 3 months
Onboarding regional OTT players and content ingestion - 5 months
Final designs and development - 2 months
Stakeholders
Design Research
Leadership
Product Managers
Marketing
Engineering
Content Partners
Growth
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Changing needs lead to the evolving behaviors
The Problem
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned that the content consumption model has transformed from stationary to dynamic. The user is now more alert and necessitates a consistent and continuous feed of information across geographies. This shift in consumer behavior fueled the need for Xstream to redefine itself. From limited stream time to binge-watching shows, from consuming content to creating content. From being an over-the-top (OTT) itself to being an aggregator to regional OTT players through Xstream Premium.
Our Goals
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Increased retention and engagement on the platform (Metric - M1 retention; Active Days/Month)
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Increased consumption which later leads to more Ad revenues (Metric - Stream-time/Day/User)
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Cross exposure to Video on Demand VoD regional partners and increased subscription monetizability (Metric - VoD Subs Leads)
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Onboarding more regional OTT players onto Xstream premium
INITATIVES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Process and Planning
My Role & Responsibilities
Senior User Experience Designer
I led design for Airtel Xstream within Airtel Digital across iOS, Android, Large Screen, Desktop, and Web from November 2019 until July 2021.
As a team, we focus on evolving the service and addressing customers' changing behavior, pain points related to the streaming and discovery experience.
Insights & Ideation
Worked with my product managers Prateek and Sajan to uncover user insights from the data pool and discussed concepts to build a feasible roadmap for the project. I translated concepts that address the product's usefulness from utility to usability.
Experience Strategy
Created frameworks and prototypes to share the vision with the team and build a more robust content strategy. This helped to evangelize ideas, gain alignment and drive decision-making.
Planning and Scope Definition
Defined the design scope with my product managers, where we balanced business goals with user needs. I helped prioritize and negotiate features for the first phase and beyond.
Walkthrough and Coordination
Presented the concept to the leadership, development, content, growth, and core teams to get suggestions on feasibility, timelines, and gaps. This project required significant developmental changes, and understanding the team's load was crucial.
Design Execution and Development
Designed the entire experience and interface across mobile platforms - iOS and Android. Coordinated with the engineering team daily to overcome design and development challenges.
Collaboration and Ownership
The pandemic disrupted how teams function and collaborate. Working online with everyone scattered pan India, with multiple restrictions, challenges, and constraints, was a learning in itself. I believe it to be a blessing in disguise; I could see the team dynamics strengthening and a lot more empathy amongst teams flowing in.
HOW DID WE MAKE IT HAPPEN?
Sprinting towards our goals
We followed biweekly sprints for design and development. The change we intended to make was not only extensive but overwhelming, and sprints helped us prioritize changes and gradually introduce them to the users. We picked the low-hanging fruits first to start measuring the impact soon, which would also work as a motivating factor for the team.
Research
Looked at untapped users data around consumption
Empathize
Understand the users needs & content consumption behaviors
Define
Our problems, goals and expected outcomes
Ideate
Ideas, features, and product usability for low digital literacy users
Prototype
Multiple versions of design before handing of the final version to tech
Test
Tested our product with slight changes with our beta users
* Click to jump to phases of the project
THE CHALLENGE
Pandemic, People, Paradigms
Shifting behaviors from theaters to OTT
The tier one customer had been a consumer of OTT content to a certain extent way before the pandemic shifted their consumption pattern completely; the tier two and three cities customers preferred going to movie theaters to experience the latest movies. One of the main reasons is digital literacy, access to large-screen televisions, and accessibility to premium subscriptions to watch the latest movies and shows in the comfort of their homes.
Encouraging regional OTT
A large part of Xstream's user base consists of tier two and three cities like Chandigarh, Vizag, Indore, Nagpur, Amrawati, Bikaner, and more. These cities are vernacularly hyperlocal, reflecting their content preferences and consumption patterns. Collaborating with regional OTT players and absorbing their content on our platform while giving them access to a broader user base pan India.
Content personalization & control
Build strategies around personalization on the platform to increase content consumption and retain users, especially for users from language-specific regions in a multilingual country like India.
Business scalability
With partner channels and Xstream plus subscription models flowing in, the business is trying to tap a broader range of users. Earlier, Airtel used Xstream as a LOB complimentary product for all their users. With these business expansions, Xstream is moving into a freemium and subscription business model where it will now be able to independently monetize from its users with the help of regional partner channels while increasing content discovery and partner visibility for the future.
RESEARCH • QUANITATIVE
India's media & entertainment market analysis
Audiences consume media across demographics and various avenues, such as television, films, out-of-home (OOH), radio, animation, visual effects (VFX), music, gaming, digital advertising, live events, filmed entertainment, and print.
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India's Media & Entertainment industry is expected to reach $30.9 bn by 2024
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Smart-connected TVs increased by ten mn in 2021 and are expected to exceed 40 mn by 2025
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The digital media segment grew 29% to reach $5.2 bn in 2021
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Online gaming grew 28% in 2021 to reach $1.2 bn and is expected to reach $1.9 bn by 2024
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The filmed entertainment segment grew by 28% in 2021. 757 films were released, with over 100 movies released directly on streaming platforms
Industry Scenario
India spends 80% of its time on mobile phone apps, media, and entertainment.
India's Media & Entertainment industry is expected to grow to $55-70 Bn by 2030 at 10-12% CAGR, led by OTT, Gaming, Animation, and VFX.
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Demand for regional content consumption is on the rise. The share of restricted content in TV and OTT consumption is expected to reach 60% and 50%, respectively, by 2025
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Video viewers have increased to 497 mn, i.e., around 94% of smartphone owners and wired broadband subscribers.
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At 1.5 bn hours, Indians spent the most time on online sports globally, with around a third of the global time spent on sports apps.
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The animation segment saw colossal demand from OTT platforms and kids' channels.
RESEARCH • QUANITATIVE
Regional diversity and user behaviors
India is one of the world's most diverse and culturally rich countries, and it is challenging to design for a country this assorted. There are 8 tier-1 cities, around 97 tier-2 cities, 33 tier-3 cities, and more than 5,000 tier-4 cities in India. This makes it harder to understand the type of content and language curation we should bring on our platform so that we do justice to all Airtel users.
India has multiple OTT platforms which are region specific or cater to a particular language using the audience. Collaborating with such partners would give Airtel the content it needs and the opportunity to tap into a new user base.
Leading regional OTT players in India
RESEARCH • QUALITATIVE
We talked to our customers, and here's what we heard
RESEARCH • INSIGHTS & METRICS HYPOTHESES
Priortizing user experiences
1.
Modify Information Architecture
Improve the discovery of content and circulation of fresh ones, increasing our user retention on the platform.
2.
Personalization and localization
Improve content recommendations based on user's preferences (language, channels and genres) and consumption behaviour.
3.
Unified ecosystem experiences
Xstream is available on multiple platforms, and keeping the experience consistent and seamless for our users is crucial.
DEFINE • IDENTIFYING USERS
Who are we designing for?
Tier 1
They are updated around global multilingual content and stay updated on trends
Tier 3
They majorly prefer regional and local content, be it movies, tv soaps, shows, and songs.
Tier 2
They are late adopters of global content and prefer regional or national shows and movies.
DEFINE • IDENTIFYING PARTNERS
Who can we collaborate with?
Nationally
For popular and trending Indian shows/movies partnering with Zee5, Voot, Eros Now, Sony LIV, etc.
Globally
Collaborate with top international content distributors like HBO, Warner Bros, Lionsgate, CBS, etc.
Regionally
Uniting with fresh/exclusive regional content providers like AHA, DIVO, Manorama, hoichoi, etc.
DEFINE • THE PROBLEMS
How might we?
Scale - Engage and Retain
HMW scale our user base by adding more content and variety like games and short films, onboarding regional OTT players, and giving them the platform to showcase their content?
Content Discovery
HMW increase the discovery of new and existing content, content types, and partner channels on our platforms to keep the users engaged?
Adapt and Personalize
HMW make the user experience seamless across platforms and suggest personalized content based on their consumption patterns and needs?
Monetize
HMW make money directly through our users and move away from the LOB complimentary product reputation to a premium subscription-based business?
DEFINE • UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESS SHIFT
Freemium to Premium
Old Business Model
Earlier in 2021, Wynk Limited, the daughter company of Airtel rebranded itself to Airtel Digital. It owns two streaming platforms, Wynk Music and Airtel Xstream. Airtel Xstream’s previous business model was dependent on the Airtel and Ads for its revenue.
New Business Model
The new model allows Airtel Digital to run subscriptions and directly montezie from the users. This will give the users more flexibility to choose what they like and subscribe for it. This model also gives Xstream the independence to partner with leading hyper local OTT brands and package their subscriptions under one umbrella.
IDEATE • INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Navigating Experiences
IDEATE • FEATURES & ITERATIONS
Exploring Behaviors and Priorities
Accommodating it all
Navigation is the cornerstone of usability and having good navigation ensures that users can find what they’re looking for intuitively.
User Tailored
Catering to the user’s needs is the key. Personalization brings value to customers and takes the level of loyalty to a new high.
Partner Subscriptions
Bringing regional content to the platform gives our regional viewers more to explore. Increasing our user base and content stream time on Xstream.
Control
Redesigning the profile gives the user more control over the platform and subscriptions. Simplifying the experience and removing unnecessary complications reduce users’ dependency on customer care.
PROTOTYPE • FINAL PRODUCT
Building Minimum Lovable Product
Little Delights
We added personalized micro-interactions for the user when they land on the homepage while highlighting the top featured movies and shows based on their behavior.
Quick Trending Videos
Bite-size clips and videos to hook users to the platform and introduce them to new and trending content available on Xstream.
Direct to Home and EPG
Easy and quick access to DTH and EPG allows users to control their channels, record shows, set reminders, and pay bills.
Partner Subscriptions
Better discovery of partners' content and page where users can see their content offerings, watch trailers and buy subscriptions.
Easy Decision Making
Content landing pages have a progressive information style that helps quicken users' decision-making to watch the content.
Simplified Navigation
Straightforward access to profile to personalize app language, subscribe and seek help. Modal window design helps to pop up the profile whenever needed.
