NETFLIX | MOBILE TEAM
Exploring Short-Form on Netflix Mobile
Netflix as a content platform has long reigned king as the go-to streaming service for long-form content such as series and films. With popular short-form media in a phase of rapid growth, a la the likes of TikTok, the Netflix Mobile team decided to explore short-form content: from conceptualization to qualitative and A/B testing.
Introduction
This case study explores Netflix's venture into short-form content, examining the platform's initial trials and the challenges encountered in A/B testing. It also highlights a unique 'browse-by-bucket' approach, tested in a qualitative setting, contrasting it with the methods used by platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
The Challenge
User expectations of quality long-form content.
Traditionally focused on long-form content, we faced a unique challenge in adapting to short-form media to a long-form content experience– however, leveraging the mobile platforms offered an opportunity to tap into the evolving viewing habits of our audience.
Product Goal
Introduce a short-form content experience to a traditionally long-form platform.
A Short History
Before TikTok was ever popular, in 2014, Netflix noodled with the idea of creating and publishing shortform content for TV and Mobile. The results? 30% of members in the test played at least one snack clip. The median number of snacks consumed was 3. However, the final A/B results fell flat in terms of average viewing hours.
The original "snacks" short-form test on shown on mobile (left) and iPad (right).
When I was initially onboarded onto the project, my role initially focused on exploring what entry-points into the short-form experience might look and feel like for the user.
As the work leading up to qualitative testing progressed, we realized that there needed to be a categorical browse experience, if were to differentiate our product from TikTok. Some ideas had already been percolating around collections (left) which I used for inspiration and whiteboarding brainstorming (right).
Final categorical browsing experience for short-form (left) and scalable imagery to represent content (right).
The Results
Although the qualitative tests showed promise, the initial A/B test for Netflix Shortform, like Snacks, fell flat in streaming retention. However, due to the many positive signals through the testing process, many mobile user experience paradigms were reused for future testing.
A Marathon, Not a Sprint
Netflix Shortform on mobile gave birth to two new Netflix initiatives in which the team decided to pivot and magnify categorical representation on the mobile platform. Below is Fast Laughs, a productized shortform experience and as well Kids Shorts, a Kids shortform experience currently being tested on the platform.