Brief
The current favourites selection process has been flagged as confusing and unintuitive by users, leading to low engagement and frequent drop-off.
This brief calls for a complete redesign focused on clarity, simplicity, and discoverability—making it easy for users to understand how to add and manage their favourite channels from the first interaction. The goal is to create a seamless experience that encourages personalisation and long-term use.
Before
After
Favourites
Allowing users to select and manage their favourite channels
Designing for simplicity
Even with a complex set of technical and functional requirements, the goal was to make the experience feel effortless. By focusing on clear hierarchy, familiar patterns, and thoughtful interactions, we distilled complexity into a design that feels simple to use.
This approach not only made the product more approachable but also helped drive adoption, proving that simplicity is key to engaging users—even in the most intricate systems.
Recommendations first
I restructured the user flow to introduce personalised recommendations early, rather than prompting users to engage with them later. This small, intentional moment of friction encouraged users to discover relevant content upfront, making personalisation feel more natural and valuable.
By prioritizing recommendations at the start of the journey, we saw a notable increase in feature adoption and CSAT—demonstrating that thoughtful friction can drive engagement and enhance the overall experience.
Set it and forget it
I designed a favourites selection experience that balances smart automation with user control. By surfacing suggested channels based on individual viewing data and habits, users can quickly add favourites with minimal effort.
At the same time, the interface fully supports manual selection—ensuring those who prefer a hands-on approach can easily browse, search, and customise their lineup. It’s a flexible, user-first design that adapts to different behaviours and preferences.
Smart selection
I designed the Smart Favourites feature, which uses viewing data to automatically surface a user’s most-watched channels for quick access. This intelligent system personalizes the experience by learning from user behavior while still giving viewers control—they can easily reorder or edit their favourites to match their preferences.
The result is a balance between personalization and customization, helping users find what they love faster while maintaining a sense of ownership over their experience.
Manual entry
While Smart Selection personalizes your experience through data-driven recommendations, it was equally important to design for users who prefer a more traditional approach. For those viewers, we introduced the option for manual selection, allowing them to choose and organize their favourites themselves.
This balance between automation and control ensures that every user—whether they trust smart recommendations or prefer hands-on customization—can tailor the experience to match their viewing style.
What’s new
To support the new favourites experience, we’ve placed a strong emphasis on user education and onboarding.
Clear, in-context guidance helps users understand what’s new, why it matters, and how to get started. By highlighting key features at the right moments, we ensure users don’t miss valuable functionality—setting them up for success from the first interaction and driving long-term engagement with the new design.
Outcome
In-depth data analysis has been completed looking at the impact of the changes to Favourite Channels that were launched to UK customers in late 2024.
The new experience, which included a one-off prompt for existing customers and a step in setup for new customers, has resulted in adoption of Favourite Channels growing from 10% of the base to 25% of the base.
The data also shows that Favourite Channels adopters use the Now & Next rail on the Homepage more and show a significant 10% better Ease of Use CSAT than those that don’t.
