Making Digital Exploration as Seamless as the Stories Themselves
I translated critical user research into tangible interface improvements for National Geographic TV, simplifying content discovery and strengthening the path to paid subscription.
The Challenge
Even for an iconic brand like National Geographic, a captivating story can be lost if the digital experience creates friction. The existing user research painted a clear picture of the hurdles viewers faced. We weren't just fixing bugs; we were solving fundamental challenges in how users interacted with a rich media library.
The Emerging Issues
A Labyrinth of Content
Viewers struggled to find what they were looking for. The research pointed to inconsistent navigation across the platform, ineffective search functionality, and confusing interaction paradigms that hindered exploration.
The Commercial Question
Monetization is critical, but the research showed that ad placements were often perceived as disruptive. The challenge was to integrate advertising in a way that supported the business without compromising the immersive viewing experience that is core to the National Geographic brand.
The Balancing Act of Engagement
The desire to showcase a vast library of content led to long, content-heavy pages. This negatively impacted page load times, causing user frustration and contributing to higher bounce rates before viewers even had a chance to engage.
My Mission Was Clear
My role was to be the design catalyst, bridging the gap between data-driven insights and pixel-perfect execution. I was entrusted with the existing body of user research and tasked with collaborating closely with product managers, engineers, and content strategists to transform those findings into intuitive and elegant user interfaces. My work involved translating user pain points into actionable design solutions through whiteboarding, wireframing, and high-fidelity design.
The mission was to honor National Geographic's legacy of immersive storytelling by ensuring its digital platform was equally captivating and effortless to navigate. We focused on core experience improvements that would directly impact user satisfaction and business growth. Our goals were to:
Simplify Content Discovery
Make it fundamentally easier for users to find the content they love and discover new shows, documentaries, and series.
Increase Subscriber Conversion
Design a clearer, more compelling user journey that encourages viewers to become paid subscribers.
Enhance the Viewing Experience
Reduce friction points and distractions, allowing the power of the content to shine through.
The Approach
Great design is forged through evidence-driven collaboration. My approach was to treat the existing research as our definitive guide, ensuring every design decision was a direct response to a known user need or frustration.
Immerse in the Evidence
My first step was a deep dive into the existing usability studies, analytics, and user feedback. Instead of starting from scratch, I absorbed the wealth of knowledge the research team had already gathered, identifying the highest-impact problem areas.
1.
Collaborative Ideation
I led whiteboarding sessions with key stakeholders, making the data visual and accessible to everyone. By sketching flows and concepts together, we transformed abstract research findings like "inconsistent navigation" into shared, tangible ideas for a unified site structure and clear user paths.
2.
From Sketch to Structure
I translated our collaborative ideas into detailed wireframes. This critical step allowed us to focus purely on layout, information hierarchy, and interaction design. We could debate and refine the user flow and content discovery models without the distraction of colors or imagery, ensuring the foundation was solid before moving to visual design.
3.
Crafting the Interface
With the structural blueprint approved, I proceeded to high-fidelity UI design. This involved creating a visually compelling, on-brand interface that was clean, intuitive, and directly solved the challenges identified in the research. The final designs provided clear pathways to content and a seamless journey towards subscription.
4.
An Experience Worthy of the Brand
By grounding our design process in user evidence, we were able to deliver targeted improvements that addressed the most significant points of friction, creating a more intuitive and enjoyable experience for millions of viewers.
99% satisfaction
An Intuitive Path to Discovery
We implemented a consistent global navigation system and redesigned the way-finding experience, simplifying how users find shows and explore the vast content library.
A Faster, More Engaging Experience
By redesigning page layouts and content modules, we created a better balance between content density and performance, leading to a faster, more responsive experience that encouraged exploration over abandonment.
A Harmonized Viewing Experience
We developed new ad placement strategies and formats that felt less intrusive, better preserving the immersive quality of the viewing experience while still meeting business objectives.
A Clearer Journey to Subscription
By reducing friction and clarifying the value proposition throughout the user journey, we designed a more effective and natural conversion funnel for paid subscriptions.
Related Work
Summary needs updated.
Ready to transform your organization?
Let's discuss how strategic design leadership can drive growth and innovation in your company. I specialize in building high-performing design teams and creating measurable business impact.
Enterprise UX
Transform experiences across complex organizations
Team Building
Build and scale high-performing design teams
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Develop frameworks to measure design impact
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Advise leaders on design-driven strategy
Ready to transform your organization?
Let's discuss how strategic design leadership can drive growth and innovation in your company. I specialize in building high-performing design teams and creating measurable business impact.
Enterprise UX
Transform experiences across complex organizations
Team Building
Build and scale high-performing design teams
ROI Strategy
Develop frameworks to measure design impact
Executive Coaching
Advise leaders on design-driven strategy