Quality of UI more important than recommendations in video service satisfaction

Monday, October 14th, 2019
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Quality of user interface (UI) more important than content recommendations in video service satisfaction

  • New study examines consumer preferences related to new UI options

New research from Parks Associates finds 70% of US broadband households with a major video service consider its user interface to be good, with 48% rating it “very good,” and these scores impact their willingness to recommend the service to others. Analysis of consumer responses reveals quality of the UI and the ease of finding content are the most likely factors to drive willingness to recommend a video service.

Most Enjoyed Channel/Programming Types - U.S. Broadband Households

UI Preferences and Content Discovery examines consumer preferences related to new UI options and the ways that consumers find, and want to find, entertainment content. It also explores preferences by owners of various in-home devices and examines interest in new innovations such as smart speakers, personal assistants, and voice interaction.

“User interfaces are a key factor driving satisfaction for OTT services, and Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon – the big three in OTT streaming – have largely set the standard for content navigation and ease of use,” said Kristen Hanich, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates. “Other services have had to follow similar structures established by these three, but as new OTT services launch with greater and greater expectations, innovations in UIs could be an even greater differentiator contributing to their success or failure.”

UI Preferences and Content Discovery reports that one-fifth of households cancelling an OTT subscription cited an inability to find something to watch as a factor.

“Consumers are interested in finding particular shows or genres of content and have less interest in browsing by channel,” Hanich said.

Additional data:

  • 70% of CE purchasers said ease of use is a “very important” purchase consideration.
  • When searching for something to watch, 12% of OTT users consider recommendations from the service as their first step.
  • Apple TV owners give high marks to the device’s UI.