Netflix Content Hub
Revolutionizing Collaboration for Netflix Studio teams
User Research
Usability Testing
Design Recommendations
uncovering the problem
What happens after “CUT!”?
Think about Netflix, the largest streaming platform with over 260 million subscribers worldwide.
And 55% of this content is Netflix Originals.
Behind the scenes of your favorite Netflix shows, studio and production teams create magic with an avalanche of media and footage, crafting thousands of hours of captivating content.
260 million
users worldwide
55%
of content is Netflix Originals
Enter Content Hub
01
Netflix Content Hub is a collaborative platform that helps different teams across the world collaborate on creating and managing content.
02
It allows thousands of users on studio and production teams to work together as they bring content together from various sources.
03
It essentially acts as a "Google Drive on steroids" for teams to upload their assets and media.
Current Challenges
Netflix teams are not confined to a single location; they're scattered across the globe.
Now, imagine the complexity of collaborating remotely while juggling terabytes upon terabytes of data.
01
Each show has a unique workflow, making standardization difficult.
A multi-camera show with visual effects such as Stranger Things vs Formula 1: Drive to Survive with an extensive amount of footage - vastly different workflows!
02
Each process requires several users from Studio and Production.
Studio users are Netflix employees, while Production users can be freelancers or contractors.
Think about how many names there are in the end credits!
research
How did I approach this?
As an external consultant with little familiarity of content hub, it was important for me team to gain a thorough understanding of users’ relationship with Netflix Content Hub before diving deeper into the if it solves the problems of remote collaboration
This required a two-fold research approach - cultivating a deeper understanding of Content Hub, and evaluating the tool to uncover potential areas of friction
What was the Netflix team looking for?
Being an internal tool with no competitors or scope for monetization, the sole purpose was to provide value for its users - the superstar studio and production teams who bring every Netflix original to life
For this project, Netflix wanted to focus on the Workspaces section - we’ll dive into that a little later.
01
Smoother workflows
Finding areas of improvement that can facilitate smoother workflows for Netflix employees, dive deeper into how they supplement current insufficiencies with external tools.
02
Resolving storage issues
Evidence of what people are doing in terms of storage and what people are doing to interact with files
03
Collaboration
Understand if Content Hub is working as required for collaboration
04
Edge Case Support
Be able to support additional needs or edge cases.
Interaction Map
At this stage, it was imperative to put together everything we’d learned from both designers and actual users of Content Hub to get a better picture of touch points
This resulted in an map outlining how users interact with Content Hub, with a focus on the Workspaces section
Usability Testing
Talking to people who used Content Hub daily for most of their tasks put into perspective the variety of ways in which the tool was being used.
findings & recommendations
Finding 1: Uncertainty Around File Upload Completion
Uploading files lacks clear feedback, leaving users unsure if the process is complete. The system relies on a spinning throbber icon that doesn’t confirm upload success or failure, frustrating users and causing delays.
"I always have to refresh the page to check if my files actually uploaded."
40% of participants described large file uploads as “buggy” and unreliable.
Error messages like “Creation of file failed. Please try again” lacked clarity or actionable steps.
Process of uploading a file
Recommendations
Progress Indicators
Introduce a progress bar displaying upload completion, file size, and estimated time remaining.
Detailed Error Messages
Provide specific reasons for upload failures and actionable solutions to resolve them.
Completion Confirmation
Add a visual cue, such as the throbber disappearing, paired with a pop-up message confirming success.
Why this matters
Without clear feedback, users waste time refreshing the page or troubleshooting, which slows down their workflow and creates frustration. For a tool meant to simplify work, this experience undermines confidence and efficiency.
Finding 2: Confusing File and Folder Creation Hierarchy
Creating subfolders is unintuitive. Selecting a parent folder and clicking "Create Folder" places the new folder at the same level, forcing users to manually adjust the structure.
"I spent more time reorganizing the folder hierarchy than actually uploading files."
83% of participants expected new folders to appear within the selected parent folder but were surprised when they didn’t.
Creating files and folders
Recommendations
Intuitive Folder Creation
Update the "Create Folder" function to place new folders within the selected parent folder.
Simplify Navigation
Enable double-click functionality to allow users to quickly navigate deeper into folder hierarchies.
Why this matters
For users managing large, complex file structures, unclear folder creation adds unnecessary steps and frustration. It slows down their workflow and distracts from more important tasks.
Finding 3: No Format Validation for File Uploads
The system allows incorrect file types to be uploaded, such as a .png file for sound or video cuts. Users have no way to delete or replace erroneous uploads, disrupting workflows.
"I accidentally uploaded the wrong file and now I can’t fix it. There’s no option to delete or replace it."
77% of participants found this lack of validation and control particularly frustrating when dealing with critical files.
Example of the upload accepting an incorrect file format: requires audio but accepts a pdf file
Recommendations
Format Validation
Implement a system check to identify and reject incompatible file formats before upload.
Actionable Error Messages
Display clear explanations for upload failures and provide guidance for correction.
Delete and Replace Options
Allow users to delete or replace incorrect files, giving them greater control over file management
Why this matters
For users managing large, complex file structures, unclear folder creation adds unnecessary steps and frustration. It slows down their workflow and distracts from more important tasks.
CONCLUSION
Project outcome
At the end of the project, I presented the Netflix product design team with recommendations on how they could improve the content hub tool to streamline the workflows of the various teams that use ContentHub.
The recommendations were grounded in research data to illustrate the severity of issues and the immense positive impact it would have on employees and vendors if these usability issues were resolved. I provided the following deliverables to Netflix during this handoff stage:
01
Comprehensive findings and recommendations
This included video walkthroughs and examples of similar products in the market that solved the issue.
02
Usability testing data
All user data was coded to maintain the participants' anonymity. The raw data was summarized into statistics that non-design stakeholders could easily understand and work with.
03
Heuristic evaluation
I supplemented the user research data with a report that was based on Nielsen's design heuristics. This was intended to serve as a starting point in the redesign process and also provided better context to certain usability issues identified through user research.
Reflection and personal growth
Key Achievements
As the only one of 40 teams selected to work with Netflix, I was thrilled to collaborate with some of the greatest designers on the planet. It was a pivotal moment in my UX career and left me with several invaluable insights and experiences.
Cross-functional collaboration
Throughout the project I collaborated with the product manager and engineering stakeholders, sharing updates on every stage of the process. This was valuable experience in translating the impact of user research findings to product stakeholders.
High-Impact Work
I was thrilled to be working with the talented professionals behind the biggest streaming service in the world, working on a high-stakes product that huge chunk of the media industry relied on. Pushed me to think bigger and work harder.