Scroll Down
Scroll Down
Scroll Down
DIRECTV
Streamlining Discovery via 3rd-Party Integration
The Problem
While third-party streaming apps were technically integrated into the platform, their underlying content remained buried behind separate login walls, causing high user discovery friction, fragmented viewing paths, and platform churn.
The Solution
Redesigned the television home screen into an integrated, subscription-aware content ecosystem structured around an intuitive Continue Watching → Discover → Apps → Control architecture.
The Outcome
Transforming the interface into a content-first framework permanently elevated platform retention and accelerated multi-app engagement across the entire smart TV ecosystem.
The platform for DIRECTV's living room experience brings third-party streaming apps and their content directly into the DIRECTV home screen.
MY ROLE: Lead Product Design & UX Strategy • TEAM: PO, UX + Engineer
📈
Accelerated Discovery Gain
📈
Boosted Engagement Growth
📈
Mitigated Platform Churn
📈
Maximized Content Merchandising
User & Business Friction
Apps were integrated into DIRECTV—but their content was still hidden behind them.
Through consumer profiling, user interviews, and behavioral insights, I identified a severe disconnect between having third-party apps available and actually helping viewers discover what those services offered.
What I Uncovered:
• Content Visibility: Viewers couldn't see what was available across integrated apps without entering them individually.
• Fragmented Discovery: 3rd-party programming remained separated by provider instead of contributing to the DIRECTV home screen.
• Relevance Gaps: Recommendations needed to reflect subscription and viewing context.
• Control Needs: Personalization couldn't come at the expense of predictable access to favorite apps.
Core Problem:
Integrating the apps wasn't enough—their content needed to become part of the core DIRECTV discovery experience.
Hard Constraints:
• Subscription State: Subscribed and unsubscribed viewers required completely different discovery structures.
• Personalization vs. Control: App ordering needed to dynamically adapt to viewing behavior without taking control away from viewers.
• Third-Party Content: External programming needed to feel cohesive within the strict DIRECTV visual language.
• Scalability: The home screen ecosystem needed to seamlessly accommodate multiple apps, dynamic content sources, and evolving viewing behavior.
Strategic Design Architecture
I made third-party content an organic part of the home screen—not another distant destination—by structuring Advanced Apps around a unified Continue Watching → Discover → Apps → Control layout that lets viewers navigate content and services without breaking the core platform experience.
Design Rationale:
01 — Preview Content Before App Entry: Surfaced programming from integrated services directly on the home screen so viewers could discover content before choosing an app.
02 — Personalize by Subscription State: Designed different recommendation behavior for subscribed and unsubscribed viewers—prioritizing relevance for existing subscribers while supporting broader discovery for others.
03 — Bring Viewing Progress Forward: Surfaced recently watched third-party programming through Continue Watching so viewers could resume without retracing their path through individual apps.
04 — Balance Adaptation With User Control: Allowed app ordering to respond to viewing behavior while giving viewers the ability to pin preferred apps in fixed positions.
Product Trade-Offs:
• Personalization vs. Predictability: Usage could influence app ordering while pinned favorites remained fixed.
• Discovery vs. Familiarity: Content became more prominent without removing familiar app-level entry points.
• Breadth vs. Relevance: Broader discovery supported unsubscribed viewers while subscribed users received more contextual content.
How a viewer moves through the experience
How the overall discovery experience is structured
The Final Experience
I translated this unification strategy into a seamless, high-impact smart TV interface.
✓ Continue Watching: Consolidated recently viewed third-party programming directly into the primary homescreen feed.
✓ Content Previews: Exposed active programming items before requiring viewers to enter individual apps.
✓ Subscription-Aware Discovery: Adapted automated recommendations dynamically to match subscription and viewing context.
✓ Advanced Apps Carousel: Kept integrated services directly accessible alongside content-first discovery rows.
✓ App Pinning UI: Let viewers maintain predictable access to favorite services while unpinned apps adapted smoothly to usage.
Make Content the Entry Point
Surfaced third-party programming directly within DIRECTV, letting viewers discover content before choosing an app.
Make Subscription State Useful
Adapted recommendations to subscription status, making discovery more relevant without limiting exploration.
Balance Personalization With Control
Combined adaptive recommendations with pinned apps, giving viewers personalization without sacrificing control.
The Business & Product Impact
Third-party apps became part of DIRECTV's core discovery experience—not isolated destinations.
The redesigned home screen exposed relevant programming earlier in the journey while preserving familiar app access and viewer control.
Performance Gains:
✓ Accelerated Discovery: Viewers discovered programming across integrated services directly from the home screen instead of searching app by app.
✓ Boosted Engagement: Continue Watching and content previews created faster, frictionless paths back into relevant programming.
✓ Mitigated Churn: Subscription-aware discovery successfully reinforced the ongoing value of integrated streaming services within the DIRECTV ecosystem.
✓ Maximized Merchandising: Third-party partner programming gained greater visibility directly within high-traffic home screen real estate.
Systemic Value:
• Strategic Realization: Integrating third-party services creates greater value when their content becomes part of the core discovery experience—not simply another app icon destination.
• Scalable Impact: The Advanced Apps model established reusable patterns for third-party content previews, subscription-aware recommendations, viewing continuity, and personalized app controls within the DIRECTV ecosystem.
