SKY TV NZ Set-top Box UI Optimisation
Date: 2016
Duration: 2.5 weeks over 3 phases
Services: UI Design, Rapid Prototyping
Tools: PhotoShop, Axure
Deliverables: Usability review report, PSD files, Specification document and Prototype with instructions for remote user testing
SKY TV, the most well known TV service provider in New Zealand reached out for help on quick, tactical UI optimisation.
Phase One
With only a few weeks left to the next release, my colleague - a senior designer who led the project - and I joined the set-top box product team in Auckland to review existing work, improve on legibility and deliver implementation-ready assets.
Previous release of the set-top box screen.
There were some updates already made by the clients where they changed the entire font to Tiresias. We decided to improve the contrast and make refinements within the existing UI framework with no changes to the user journeys.
Font update that the client has made to the existing screens.
The font change increased the legibility of text but the screens were still bright and glary, especially in darkly lit rooms, which made it harder to read copy on the screens. To minimise glare and maximise legibility the following changes were implemented:
- Bolder and smoother font rendering style
- Varied font colour shades to prioritise main contents
- Darker background colours
- Darker and warmer blue highlight for more contrast on the cool grey background, while using slightly lighter blue against dark background to deliver visually consistent colour
- Removing highlight colour on logo
- Consistent dark colour across arrows and button text
- Adding drop shadows to footer buttons to ensure these do stand out from the background
Following the refinements, the team proposed a suggestion to key stakeholders - develop a dark version. We've come up with a concept where the background colours were dark greys closer to black to minimise the glare on screen.
The feedback was positive, which led to a second phase of work where we developed two alternative UI sets of a dark version followed by A/B testing of the two with Axure prototypes.
After the testing was another phase of the project where we've enhanced the 'winner' UI set. I'd love to share more screen designs and prototypes here, but it will have to be pushed back till the client reveals the work.
Thanks for reading this project story and please contact me if you'd like to see the prototypes and hear about the processes of phase 2 and 3 of the project.
ashlyn.park@gmail.com