This Is What User Interface Should Look Like For Internet TV And Here's Why

I saw this and instantly thought OMG. For the first time in forever of being in the internet business, I have at long last found a perfect user interface. It happens to be for internet TV specifically (TV industry, take note) but there are some good lessons for everybody to learn here.

Let me kind of explain my background as it relates to UI. I had worked in three arenas for the past ten years, nearly my entire adult working life: 1. Internet telecom and platform business. 2. Media of all types (TV, digital, print, etc.) and 3. eCommerce. Everything you need to know about user interface can be learned from the online retail market. Faced with its disruption by the internet way back at the start of the internet as we know it, the industry came up swinging and worked hard to try to master and survive it. Take a look at all of the top big retailers on the web. You’ll notice several of the same things — sites are neat and well organized with clean navigation, little or nothing goes “below the fold” or the area that isn’t viewable in the screen. Space is used wisely to advertise various things to entice visitors. That’s called “real estate.” It’s the tinsel on your site that keeps a user engaged and interested. It shouldn’t be overly cluttered and doesn’t have to include a lot. But it does need to be there.

Why do so many of the sites look this way? Well, research. eCommerce companies dropped big time cash on researching and learning what users did when they hit a website online, and more importantly, what kept them there. The findings were simple: Our eye hits the top left corner or center of the page immediately on arrival. We then usually scan the page to find out where the action is. This is where a lot of sites lose the user. If they can’t “find the slide” as its often said, they’re going to leave the playground. Studies also showed that people really don’t engage much below the fold (*cough* media companies) so there’s no real point of putting anything there. Take a look at Shopbop, Saks, Neiman Marcus, and Barneys. It’s not an accident they are very similar to each other. What’s important to note is that it’s research based. That’s the right approach. Believe it or not, there are very few web 2.0 sites in media, entertainment and internet that follow any of this — in fact, many do the opposite. Why would sites do the opposite of what research shows a user does on a page? I’m not sure.

The Clicker.com site is a win because it keeps it super simple and puts the main point of the site (video) prominently where studies show eyeballs land when they first hit the page. Close by, you see exactly what the site is (“What’s On Online”). From there, the navigation is clean and concise, easily directing its visitor around. You visit this site and immediately understand what it is and what it offers. This is a good thing. Then, there’s plenty to show how to use it and get around. Even with really content-heavy sites like those found in media, this is the way to go.

Last year, someone conducted an identical study to what 1.0 retail sites had done nearly a decade ago with the same results. I can’t seem to find it. If I do, I’ll post it.