Creating Netflix Black started with a User Interface / User Experience class taken in the Spring of 2023 at SNHU. The assignment was to create an app and develop It as whole starting from the initial idea of the app all the was till its completion and prototype made in Figma.
My idea to recreate the popular streaming platform Netflix, started with brainstorming app designs that I did/didn’t like. I thought of how Netflix has a really sleek interface and is well known for its black interior making it distinguishable against its competitors. The problem I had with Netflix was that it still has some flaws despite its competition growing and becoming just as popular in less time; catching up to Netflix, causing more users to make the switch over to another platform.
The changes I thought of for the redesign was the ability to look at the cast’s filmography and access the show’s and actors’s social media accounts. This way the user can do more within the app and also stay on the platform for longer. It creates an outlet for the user to feel connected to the actor or show and create a trustworthy relationship between the platform and its user. I believe that if a platform is reliable and provides the user with valuable information it makes the user want to continue using it in the future.
Another feature I added to the redesign was the ability to have more control over the interface and its settings. By simply adding additional settings for the user to toggle, the user will feel in control of their journey through the app. The two specific features I added were being able to turn on and off “autoplay” and the ability to switch content categories like “trending now” and “continue watching”.
The next step was creating a whole business proposal to set the design in motion, highlighting the benefits of my new changes (as listed above). Then the creation of empathy maps and personas and then the creation of the site map. From here, I then took all my curated information and designed a wireframe in Figma. Following this, I made a duplicate of the wireframe and proceeded to add in the actual details of Netflix Black to create the most realistic app interface and experience as possible until its prototype was complete and ready to be presented to the class.