When people talk about designing great OTT experiences, they often focus on features, speed, and scalability. Yet behind every truly intuitive interface lies a deep understanding of the user, a perspective made possible through user research.
Understanding how people really interact with their screens – whether they’re watching on a smart TV, tablet, or smartphone - is the foundation of intuitive, satisfying user experiences. That’s why user research is an ongoing mindset throughout our development process.
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Before diving in, here’s what you’ll learn in this article, a structured look at the key components of successful OTT experiences, all grounded in user research:
- The role of User Research in shaping OTT experiences
- Designing for TV: UX rules for optimal OTT experiences
- How the user habits of different generations should influence your OTT experience
- How we apply this at Wiztivi: Designing Timeless OTT experiences
- Why a better OTT experience is better for business
- Want to see Timeless in action?
1. The role of User Research in shaping OTT experiences
User research is the process of studying the behaviors, needs, and preferences of your end users. In the world of video content consumption, that means understanding how people watch, navigate, and interact with content across different devices, generations, and contexts.
At Wiztivi, we use methods such as interviews, usability testing, and behavioral analysis to learn about users at every stage:
- During the initial concept phase,
- When designing the user interface,
- Just before delivery, through ergonomic evaluation.
This helps us answer key questions like:
- What kind of content do users watch and when?
- How do they navigate with a remote control vs. a touchscreen?
- Which layouts feel natural and which cause friction?
2. Designing for TV: UX rules for optimal OTT experiences
Television has its own rules. Most people still use a remote control to navigate, meaning interaction is often limited to simple commands like up, down, left, right, and OK. The viewing distance is also greater than with mobile or desktop screens, so on-screen focus and readability become critical.
This creates a unique environment where precision in layout, color contrast, focus management, and content hierarchy are crucial because they directly affect usability. Even seemingly minor details, like the position of a menu item or the pacing of animation for on-screen elements, can impact how quickly and comfortably users can navigate a TV app.
Designing for TV is about making things look good, of course, but also about guiding attention, reducing effort, and minimizing cognitive load. These are all challenges that user research helps us solve by validating assumptions and surfacing pain points before they reach production.
3. How the user habits of different generations should influence your OTT experience
The streaming boom has dramatically changed how people watch content. Younger viewers may binge-watch VOD on their phones, while older generations still favor live broadcasts on the big screen. Some users primarily watch replays, while others explore live events or niche on-demand content.
Beyond demographics, user preferences (and cultural expectations) also vary based on lifestyle, available time, and device usage habits. A commuter might prefer short-form content with resume-play capabilities, while a family using a shared TV may need prominent parental controls and easily accessible profiles. Regional patterns also play a role: for example, FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) content is widely adopted in the US, whereas in Europe, VOD and live TV remain more dominant. These differences can shape both feature prioritization and interface layout.
User research helps us uncover these patterns so that we can create designs that feel personal rather than generic. This includes adapting layouts for ease of access, adjusting recommendations to match behavioral cues, and refining the flow between sections to match user intent. And when users feel seen, they stay engaged.
4. How we apply this at Wiztivi: Designing Timeless OTT experiences
At Wiztivi, we’ve applied these user research insights directly into the development of Timeless, our easy-to-manage, white-label app platform. It offers OTT content owners, telcos and pay TV operators a rapid route to deploying high-quality, branded apps on everything from Samsung, LG and Tizen Smart TVs to Android TV STBs, Apple TV devices and smartphones.
Drawing on insights from testing and refinement based on real user behavior, we designed Timeless apps to:
- Offer intuitive navigation with any type of input device,
- Adapt seamlessly across screen types and generations,
- Organize and display content in a way that aligns with the latest user behavior patterns.
Whether your viewers are sports fans watching live TV or families browsing kids’ VOD content, Timeless delivers an experience that just feels right for your audience.
5. Why a better OTT experience is better for business
An application that’s easy to use is a competitive advantage and a revenue driver. A strong OTT experience boosts engagement, reduces churn, and increases Net Promoter Scores (NPS). It also contributes to operational efficiency: fewer support requests, reduced onboarding time, and higher rates of feature adoption. From a business perspective, each improvement in user experience translates into measurable impact, from longer session durations to higher conversion rates. And it all starts with knowing your users.
6. Want to see Timeless in action?
If you're looking to launch or improve your video app, user-centered design should be your starting point, and Wiztivi can help. Book a demo to see how Timeless delivers seamless, research-backed OTT experiences across every screen.
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