Working with lists

The Content Planners often relied on long lists of titles, and we identified several areas that were causing them problems:

• Lack of visual hierarchy made the lists harder to scan.
• Not enough space for displaying metadata for the title.
• Inneficient tools for navigating a list that could have thousands of titles loaded.

To address these issues we started an iterative process with the goal of displaying a grid of data with a higher information density that was well surrounded by the tools the planner would need the most. By making them contextual to the title selected, we could bring forward some interactions that were previously hidden under layers of menus.

As a result, we see emerging this three panel layout that will be used as the foundation for a new version of the interface that is more systematic, modular and reusable.

Version 2

Working over these foundations we were able to refine a new version of the interface that pointed towards what an improved redesign could look like.

In this first iteration, although we kept the horizontal timeline, we introduced the two panels on the side with which we created a more rational left to right flow for the user. The panel on the left includes filters that will affect the list in the main central area, and whatever is selected in this central panel, can be inspected in larger detail in the right hand panel.

The Calendar

The three panel layout allowed us to approach the design in a more modular way. We could then apply the calendar pattern that we looked into while exploring our options to work with time.

The Lists

In a similar way, we explored how to introduce a higher information density to long lists, while keeping the same or new panels on the side, depending on the feature and the operation that gets implemented.

Panels and Modules

A systematic approach to this design project was not only critical for improving usability in the short term, but it will also increase the efficiency of the platform's future development. The proposal included views that are made up of panels, with each panel made up of modules. This means that all these panels can be implemented and reused as part of a palette, making designing and developing new functionality much faster and more efficient.

The modules work in the same way - they have been designed as standalone pieces that can be referenced from multiple panels.

This modularity also simplifies the design of user flows. When the flow only affects to one module it can be designed in isolation, ensuring that it works independent the panel that it is later included in. 

Planning, Scheduling and Beyond

The big advantage of solving the design in a systematic way is that we started creating a new language that allowed for exploration of the future of the tool. We started trying to solve a series of problems for the Planning and Scheduling of titles, but in the process we discovered the foundations to explore solutions at other points of the supply chain.

This is a quick exploration of a menu builder for the Video on Demand. Thanks to the system that we put in place, these screens could be mocked up more quickly with a higher fidelity than just a wireframe, making them also easier to present to stakeholders.

The Results

The introduction of this systematic approach to design resulted in a great sucess for everyone involved in the project. The bigger areas of improvement could be summarized in the following:

Ease of use and Efficiency

The consistent rationale across the multiple features designed resulted in an interface that was more pleasing, predictable and efficient for the users.

By streamlining the number and means of interaction we achieved a system that allowed the same team of people cover more territories and time when planning content for Sky.