Disney Movies
Timeline
18 months
Client
Disney.com
Visual Designer, Interaction Designer, Design System Manager
Role
Process
Research, Site Audit, User Journeys, Wireframing, Design
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Problem
During my tenure at Disney, I primarily worked on Disney.com, the online home for all things Disney. The movies are the nexus for all of Disney’s content, and as such, the most substantial shift I experienced was with the launch of Disney+. But with it, we faced a problem——how do we seamlessly integrate this new business strategy into our ecosystem while providing an exceptional user experience for our guests?
The effort to rework Disney.com was no small task. There are nearly a thousand movie pages, each with a wide variety of popularity and variable content——from Disney Princess movies like ‘The Little Mermaid’ to hidden gems like ‘Charlie the Lonesome Cougar.’ The goal was to make the guest’s experience straightforward, to get them from our site to their destination to watch the content they were looking for.
The Goals
In collaboration with our Disney UK team, we embarked on a comprehensive effort to streamline the modules connecting the EMEA and U.S.-based teams. Our objective extended far beyond an aesthetic overhaul. We were driven by a resolute commitment to delivering an impactful digital experience for our guests. This necessitated a deep dive into the underlying architecture of the platform, identifying inefficiencies and neglected user flows. By fostering a spirit of open communication and shared goals with our UK team, we aimed to create a cohesive and intuitive digital ecosystem that would not only enhance operational efficiency but also inspire a sense of magic for our guests.
So we set to update the movies portal on both Disney.com and Disney.xx to better the guest’s experience, providing the best experience throughout the entire lifecycle of a movie——from teaser to pre-sale to theatrical to streaming. Here were the business goals set before us:
Unify the movie detail page template so that the same movie detail page can be used across the lifecycle of a movie, whether that movie is in theaters, in Disney+, or somewhere in between.
Optimize SEO on movie detail pages to increase conversion.
Drive referrals to stream on Disney+ and movie tickets, depending on the movie’s current lifecycle.
RESEARCH
Unleashing the Magic of Metrics
Our examination of data segmented traffic into two groups: release spikes and baseline catalog traffic. For release spikes, we identified SEO, social media promotion, news articles, and cast announcements as key areas to capitalize on during these high-traffic periods. To improve baseline traffic to our catalog of pages, we saw the importance of SEO and explored the potential for growth from other referral sources.
Analyzing user behavior, we found that a significant majority of users entering the Movies portal landed directly on movie pages, with over half landing on movie release pages specifically. This finding, coupled with the observation that landing pages had higher engagement metrics, informed our decision to prioritize enriching movie pages with content like character details, posters, games, activities, videos, and recommendations. We observed that, while movie pages captured most of the traffic, their click-through rates were low. This indicated an opportunity to improve the content on these pages and increase user engagement.
RESEARCH
Just Beyond the Magic Kingdom
The competitive research for the Disney Movies redesign aimed to provide a strategic roadmap for success. By analyzing our competitors, we sought to understand industry standards and identify best practices. This analysis would inform areas where Disney could differentiate itself through unique design elements or innovative ways to showcase its movie library. Furthermore, the research aimed to unearth inspirational elements from competitors, such as compelling information organization, engaging user interactions, or creative content presentation. We were particularly keen to discover novel approaches to movie portal design that could elevate the user experience and express Disney’s brand identity in a fresh and exciting way.
One Magical Brand
To ensure a cohesive and engaging experience within the redesigned Disney Movies portal, we delved deep, not only into our competitor’s brands but our own Disney brand identity. Our research focused on understanding the unique characteristics and values of each Disney-owned brand, including Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and Disney itself. By examining the core essence of each brand, we aimed to develop a framework that would effectively showcase their individual strengths while maintaining a unified and harmonious overall experience. This comprehensive brand analysis served as the foundation for designing a portal that not only celebrated the diversity of Disney’s offerings but also reinforced the company’s overarching brand narrative.
RESEARCH
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-SEO
With discoverability of the utmost importance, we worked closely with our SEO team, honing in on the improvements to our movie pages. We sought to implement strategic link structures, clear header hierarchies, and content optimization based on search volume. A focus on user experience was maintained through the use of interactive elements and clear navigation, mitigating bounce rate. By strategically placing high-priority movies and related titles, we aimed to improve search engine visibility while enhancing user engagement. Additionally, the redesign ensured all content was crawlable and accessible, with breakout pages created for in-depth information or popular search terms.
Going on a User Journey
To enhance the Disney Movies user experience, we crafted user journeys to understand our audience’s goals and behaviors. We mapped out their interactions with the platform from initial discovery to final engagement to see how we could better the user experience. Through these insights, we identified key pain points and opportunities; the resulting user journeys served as a foundational blueprint for the Disney Movies redesign, ensuring that every interaction aligns with user needs and expectations.
IDEATE
From Sketch to Screen
To translate all of our hard work into tangible designs, we began wireframing. Beginning with the movie page, we explored multiple layouts for each stage of a movie’s lifecycle, from the teaser phase to the Disney+ phase, with a special focus on the latter phase. This iterative process allowed us to test different approaches and refine the user flow.
FINESSE
A Whole New World
Armed with these wireframes, we embarked on the creation of high-fidelity designs, meticulously crafting visual elements that aligned with Disney’s brand identity while prioritizing user-centric principles. Through our team’s attention to detail and collaboration across design, product, and engineering teams, we developed a cohesive design system and modular components. This approach ensured consistency and efficiency throughout the design process. The result was a polished interface that not only enhanced the user experience but also drove significant growth in traffic to Disney+. Our redesign exceeded expectations, demonstrating the power of design-led innovation in achieving both user satisfaction and business objectives.
