VisoCast case study | Project from User Experience Design Certificate program at George Brown College
THE BRIEF (in a very tiny nutshell)
VisoCast is a fictional video content provider on the scale of Netflix, YouTube and most television networks. As a direct competitor, VisoCast would be an online repository of premium video content that is current and top-notch, combined with user-generated videos themed by the genre. Distribution deals and costs were not a concern for this project.
All advertising would be opt-in. Viewers willing to watch interruptive advertising would get credits that subsidize their monthly bills.
There would also be a very strong “community” component allowing members to share with other VisoCast members, non-members and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest).
VisoCast would “give viewers the ultimate universal remote – one that connects them to a world of programming and a network of other passionate viewers. With the click of mouse or the flick of a finger, users can watch anything, anywhere, at any time”.
THE CHALLENGE
Obviously the scale of this project made it impossible to address the entire scope of requirements. What really grabbed my attention and curiosity was how to make the user-generated component fit into the grand scheme. If money and distribution contracts weren't an issue, than developing a Netflix-like platform was relatively straight forward. But why would a user choose to upload their videos to VisoCast rather than YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Instagram or other content sharing sites? What's in it for them? How do you separate out the high quality user-generated content so it's not lost in a sea of self-indulgent or highly personal videos. And of course, where‘s the money going to come from.
Deliverables: Over the span of three courses this project was rolled out to included a comparative analysis, UX strategy brief, functionality requirements, personas, user flows, site maps and wireframes for RWD solution, each focusing on only a selection of the entire project.
THE USERS AND THEIR NEEDS
At its absolute basic, all users fell under one of two categories — “Viewers” or “Providers”. Once a user had signed up as a member, they could switch from one category to the other. How they interacted with the site would vary drastically depending on their intended use. But encouraging the uploading of user-generated content that would be worth watching by strangers AND getting those strangers to watch their content, was a whole other issue.
This is where researching successful video bloggers, artists, filmmakers, instructional videos, sharing of knowledge/experiences, etc. on sites such as YouTube, Craftsy and Vimeo became crucial. VisoCast needed to create a platform that would encourage individuals or small businesses to build their following on VisoCast, cultivating an atmosphere of support from “Viewers” and VisoCast itself.
If all you want to see is your next episode of Game of Thrones or watch the latest news footage, this was the place. But if you also want to be that person who saw and supported the next rising star comedian in their early days, VisoCast would also be that place. And hey, while you are at it, why not take in some videos on furniture refinishing or photoshop tutorials.
FEATURE FOR USER-GENERATED CONTENT
The use of customized “Channels” would be implemented. VisoCast members could create a Personal or Business Channel with the choice of private, monitored or fully public.
Private and Monitored Channels would be maintained and monitored an individual member but could also be a business. Similar to Facebook, each Channel would be directly linked to a specific member/business. The business could be a “one-person shop”. To watch content, the Viewer would have to be connected with the member, have access to a link to the Channel or be given access permission.
Public Channels — also monitored by a member — are for those willing to put in time and effort into developing and growing their following. Only a Public Channel will appear in search results. Also they can be promoted/shared in Community forums, advertised internally or externally, the owner can pay to remove all ads in their Channel so even non-members can view content ad-free and numerous other benefits.
Public Channels that become dormant or lack traffic will eventually be switched to Private automatically.
CARROT ON THE STICK
While researching for this project, I often came across frustrated commentary from what the public would consider as successful YouTube bloggers. Young artists, in the general sense of the word, had put in huge amounts of time and effort into their video blogs but other than a bit of extra cash from ad revenue, an admiring fan base and kodos from the community at large, they were still struggling to pay their rent.
This is where VisoCast differs from others. For Public Channels starting out, VisoCast will offer incentives at various stages, such as dropping the ad-free charge, than offering ad revenue much like YouTube as the amount of traffic increases to the channel.
While monitoring the buzz and traffic in Public Channels and Community forums, VisoCast may also chose to invest in their up and coming “stars” by offering them a paid contract to move their content into The Independents or Learning sections and become part of the VisoCast “presents” library. A whole realm of possibilities could be expanded on here. For example, teaming up talented videographers with a budding actor/writer. With offering financial, business and creative help it would be a bit like angel investing on video blogger start-ups.