Offline playback

Overview

Hulu as a streaming service was in a complicated place in comparison to its competitors. The service offered plans supported by ads, featured Live TV, and offered the ability to add content streams from other services like HBO and Showtime. This wealth of content types made offering downloads difficult. From a legal perspective, our content team would have to renegotiate thousands of content licensing agreements and do so in a way that provided a consistent experience for viewers.

I came into this project part way through. We had already designed the rough outline of how downloads would actually work, but I was tasked, as the new design lead, with streamlining the offline experience on mobile devices and ensuring that the user experience for our viewers regardless of internet connection would be pleasant.

Outcome

• I identified and designed around dozens of complex legal and logistical scenarios our viewers might encounter with various pieces of content
• The feature increased overall watch minutes per user as well as overall time spent in the mobile app
• The offering strengthened and better differentiated the premium no-ads plan for subscribers.

More info

Email me if you want to learn more about this project.