OTT app design lessons from Apple’s accessibility backlash

At WWDC 2025, Apple unveiled its new "Liquid Glass" interface to a wave of mixed reactions. While the tech giant is known for design innovation, many accessibility advocates were quick to point out a serious regression: more blur, lower contrast, and a visual style that prioritizes sleekness over legibility. For users with visual impairments or cognitive challenges, the update made the UI harder to navigate.

Apple, of course, is better placed than most to weather this kind of misstep. As Morgan Robialle, Head of the Wiztivi Design Studio, explains: "Apple can afford to degrade their interface. They are known for having the most accessible phones for blind people. When the relevant accessibility settings are switched on, they will over-ride the blur and lower contrast that comes with Liquid Glass by default, and visually impaired users will still have a good UX. But not every brand has that kind of margin for error. For OTT platforms, telcos, and Pay TV operators trying to balance innovation with usability in their UI Design, the lesson is clear: don’t sacrifice accessibility for style."

New accessibility regulations – including the EU’s Directive 2023-931 which came into force for many consumer-facing, non-governmental services and digital platforms on June 28, 2025 – are setting clear legal requirements. User expectations also continue to rise.

We asked Morgan to share four essential lessons that every OTT UI designer should take from the recent backlash against Apple, and how these lessons can be turned into competitive advantages:

1. Lesson 1: Aesthetic trends can obscure usability
2. Lesson 2: Accessibility isn’t optional, it’s strategic
3. Lesson 3: Testing reveals what intuition can miss
4. Lesson 4: Feedback is useless if you don’t act on it
5. From insight to action: How Wiztivi helps
6. Conclusion: Design for all, not just the able

Lesson 1: Aesthetic trends can obscure usability

It’s tempting to mimic design leaders. OTT platforms want interfaces that feel modern, minimal, and premium. But some trends, for example ultra-thin fonts, light-on-light text, and blurred overlays, undermine core usability even though they look elegant.

Morgan notes, "We’ve been designing video apps for more than 18 years, but even we can’t afford to make assumptions about what looks good and whether it will work well for all users. We consistently validate our design choices with user testing to enhance and confirm their value in real-world conditions. User feedback tells us what actually works."

Design decisions should be validated not just through taste, but through data and real-world feedback. What works in a marketing mockup might frustrate a user navigating from the couch in dim lighting. Some people still believe accessibility gets in the way of great design; but in fact, it’s the foundation of great design, transforming a beautiful UI into an inclusive, effective UX for all.

Lesson 2: Accessibility isn’t optional, it’s strategic

Accessibility is often treated as a compliance checkbox. But forward-thinking design teams see it as a driver of engagement and loyalty. When your interface is usable by everyone - including users with visual, cognitive, motor, or situational impairments - you expand your reach and improve retention.

Morgan puts it simply: "UX is more than just pretty colours and shapes. And it isn’t a small thing, it can have a huge impact. It’s better to work with experts to ensure you’re getting it right."

This impact isn’t hypothetical. Consider users in older demographics, who make up a growing share of the TV-viewing population. Or think of viewers accessing your app under less-than-ideal conditions such as via an older TV, through a foggy network stream, or on a phone while out and about in bright sunlight. Accessibility-focused design benefits everyone, not just those with diagnosed disabilities.

And with that EU Directive requiring accessibility compliance for many digital services, the cost of ignoring these considerations now includes regulatory risk.

Lesson 3: Testing reveals what intuition can miss

Even seasoned designers fall into the trap of assumption. That’s why structured user testing is essential.

Morgan recalls a recent example: "We expected users would prefer a vertical content flow, but after testing, they clearly preferred a horizontal layout. I know the user, but sometimes I’m surprised. There can be expectations and implications of our design choices that we hadn’t anticipated. Testing tells us the truth."

This is especially critical in OTT app design, where user flows span multiple devices and environments. What works on mobile may not translate to Smart TV. What feels intuitive to designers in a lab environment can become cumbersome when users navigate with a remote control in real-life settings.

Leading platforms like Apple and Netflix invest heavily in user research. OTT operators must follow suit, not simply to copy those platforms, but to ensure a better service for their own audiences.

Lesson 4: Feedback is useless if you don’t act on it

Audits and testing generate valuable insights, but too often, those findings aren’t implemented.

"This kind of feedback can go straight into the garbage," Morgan warns. "Or it can be the start of real improvement."

Design teams must create internal processes to review and act on feedback in a structured way. That includes budgeting time post-launch for iteration, prioritizing fixes that will have the biggest UX impact, and looping in cross-functional teams (product, engineering, marketing) early.

From insight to action: How Wiztivi helps

To support OTT platforms in turning accessibility and UX insights into action, Wiztivi has launched four new design service offers:

• Accessibility Audit: A compliance-focused review of your app or TV interface against global accessibility standards.
• Global UX Audit: A comprehensive UI review with competitive benchmarking and prioritized recommendations.
• UX Timeless Success: Ongoing design support for customers using our Timeless UX solution to guide the evolution of their apps based on user feedback.
• User Testing Service: Structured testing with real users to validate assumptions and improve critical UI paths.

These services are more than diagnostic: they’re designed to be collaborative and actionable, so your teams walk away with clear next steps.

Ready to audit your own OTT UI or get help to test features you think could be optimized? Learn more about Wiztivi’s design services and book your free initial consultation.

Conclusion: Design for all, not just the able

Apple’s backlash moment should serve as a turning point for the industry. If even the world’s most iconic design brand can stumble on accessibility, no one is immune. But most OTT platforms don’t have Apple’s buffer of goodwill, advanced settings, and global design reputation.

"Design isn’t finished when it looks good," Morgan reminds us. "It’s finished when it works for everyone."

Accessibility is not simply a cost center as some people would have you believe. In reality, it’s a growth opportunity, a loyalty driver, and increasingly, a regulatory requirement. Now is the time to rethink what good design really means and ensure it includes everyone who presses play.