Alex The Actualizer
My Role
Product Design Consultant
Skills Set: User Interface (UI) design
Designed 2017
Company
Gaia TV operates as a unique streaming service, holding parallels with platforms like Netflix and Hulu, but with a specialized focus on esoteric and enlightening topics such as Yoga, Truth Seeking, and Cosmic Disclosure. Striving to be a profound resource, Gaia TV offers an extensive collection of videos aimed at expanding consciousness and promoting self-awareness and discovery.
The Challenge
Gaia operates numerous apps across a diverse range of devices such as mobile, tablet, web, and TVos, primarily focusing on delivering video and article content. However, a unique trend was identified based on the device used to access the content - it influenced the type of content consumed by the users. For instance, TVos users predominantly interacted with video content, while mobile users were comparatively less engaged with such content. This disparity led to a noticeable division among their user base, emphasizing a significant influence of the user interface (UI) on content interaction patterns.
The Solution
Introducing a 'Discover' tab to the bottom navigation emerged as a pivotal enhancement, aimed at optimizing content interaction across various devices. This feature allowed Gaia’s back-end to intelligently curate and present content, fostering engagement by showcasing materials that users are most likely to find intriguing, irrespective of the device in use.
Gaia TV Mobile UI Screens
Gaia TV iPad App Screens
The Break Down
Tasked with enhancing Gaia's multi-device platform as the UI designer, a prevalent challenge was encountered: personalizing content delivery effectively across various devices. Discrepancies in user interactions were observed based on device types, with mobile users exhibiting less engagement with video content in contrast to TVos users.
Addressing this issue, the incorporation of a 'Discover' tab into the bottom navigation across all Gaia apps was proposed and executed. This innovative tab was designed to showcase a broader spectrum of content, diverging from users’ habitual preferences, and facilitating exposure to a variety of content types. Utilizing Gaia’s backend data, it leveraged predictive analytics to discern users' potential interests, thereby enhancing content diversity and engagement.
Through the implementation of this strategic feature, a holistic enhancement of the user interface was achieved across Gaia’s diverse array of platforms, enriching user interaction and content discovery.