In the realm of subscription-based streaming services where powerhouses like Netflix and Amazon Prime dominate, “U-NEXT” continues its upward growth trajectory. Originating from Japan, they deliver diverse entertainment offerings – but how have they designed their platform?

Takeshi Nakajima | U-NEXT CX Department/Senior Product Owner Lead

After working in SIer and content delivery ventures, Takashi joined U-NEXT in 2013. Engaged as the overall product owner for U-NEXT services.

Akira Hirata | U-NEXT CX Department/Product Designer

Joined in 2017 as a new graduate. Studied information science at university and researched content creation. Website: https://hira.page/

Kaai Suzuki | U-NEXT CX Department/Product Designer

Joined in 2022 after working in multiple startups in Japan and Vancouver, Canada. Twitter: @kaaiszzz

Hiromi Sano | U-NEXT Public Relations

Joined U-NEXT in 2014 after working at Kinema Junpo. Responsible for public relations since 2017.

Where 4 million people can watch anything, anytime

──  First, please tell us about U-NEXT.

Hiromi: U-NEXT is a flat-rate content distribution platform. Started in 2007, it offers a service where you can watch anything, anytime, just like a video rental store. Currently, around 4 million people have subscribed. It is available on the web and as an app, and can be enjoyed on devices such as TVs, smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Hiromi: Until 2020, our main focus was on the number of content offerings. We aimed to expand to a state where all the desired content is available for users to feel the value of the service. 

In addition to this, we have introduced two more strategies; One is “All-in-One Entertainment,” where various genres such as sports, music, and e-books can be enjoyed besides TV shows and movies. The other is “Only on (U-NEXT),” where content exclusive to U-NEXT is available. We are advancing our business based on these three pillars, currently delivering 330,000 video content and 940,000 e-books.

Expanding entertainment enjoyment with easy-to-cross genre boundaries

── Amid the presence of specialized competing services, it is distinctive that U-NEXT handles various genres comprehensively.

Takeshi: For example, after watching a certain anime, it’s natural to seek the original manga, listen to the theme song, or watch other works featuring the voice actors. There aren’t many services that cater to this obvious need. We design our service to respect the expanding interests that naturally cross genres, triggered by a single piece of content, allowing for seamless connections.

── When dealing with multiple genres, what design aspects do you pay attention to?

Takeshi: Within a single app, we maintain consistent navigation methods across genres. If we create a specialized UI for each genre, it would confuse users. By ensuring that the same playback button and related content display are located in the same place across all genres, we make it intuitive for users to navigate without confusion.

Takeshi: There were actually discussions about the possibility of separating the app by genre. However, the moment it’s separated into a different app, the other genre becomes “non-existent” to the users. Therefore, we design the UI/UX to function as a single app.

Akira: E-books were originally in a separate app, but at that time, it was not known to the users. Once integrated, it became visible, so providing all genres in one app has become an essential concept.

The neutrality needed to accommodate diverse hobbies and tastes

── Do you have a unique design philosophy that is specific to U-NEXT?

Takeshi: Since our users have a wide range of hobbies and tastes, we are conscious of being as neutral as possible. 

This sentiment is also reflected in the geometric patterns around our logo, as we aim to be “unaffiliated with any particular group.” Our previous logo was green or blue, but now it is based on black, signifying “colorless.” Content naturally tends to create opposition the moment it gains fans. We believe in respecting all hobbies and tastes, remaining unbiased, and even considering ourselves as “non-existent” in any specific category. For users, the purpose is to watch content, and it just happens that the interface was U-NEXT.

Takeshi: Not just the logo, but as a design philosophy for the service, we try to “avoid adding color” to include various groups. By engaging with a wide range of customers, we take a stance of being neutral and not favoring anyone in particular.

Kaai: In UI design, we are conscious of being neutral and pay attention even to the wording of buttons. For example, “Okkake play” refers to the feature on some video or TV platforms in Japan that allows you to watch a program while it is still being recorded. We used the term “Oikake play” for our button since Oikake (which means to chase or follow) is a more polite way of saying Okkake.

Takeshi: “Timeshift” may be unclear to some people. It’s a subtle difference, but it’s crucial. If we cater too much to a specific group, other groups may feel alienated, which would not align with the brand’s vision. After much discussion and insistence on being as neutral as possible, we settled on this wording.

── Were there concerns about users not feeling the presence of U-NEXT?

Takeshi: Most users choose us for a vast selection and not for our presence, thinking they can find everything they want on U-NEXT.

Don’t push after giving enough information

── With 4 million users, there are likely differences in viewing stances. How do you address this?

Takeshi: Since there is a difference between actively searching or choosing from what is given before reaching viewing, we structure the screen into actively watching and passively watching sections. These two stances are significantly different, so recommending unnecessary content to someone actively searching can lead to a subpar experience if it doesn’t match their needs. Conversely, not having recommendations where they should be can also result in a less-than-ideal experience. We strive to provide the most optimal ease of search for users when they access U-NEXT actively or casually.

── Understanding these user behavior characteristics, are there deliberate actions you choose not to take?

Takeshi: First and foremost, we refrain from unnecessary communication. We believe that unless it’s truly effective, users may feel like they are being pushed, so we do not frequently send notifications for promotional purposes.

Akira: The presentation of information about content follows the same principle. Details like “ratings (star ratings)” and “show details” beyond thumbnails are not necessary for all users. Therefore, we adjust the visibility based on the percentage of users who require that information and categorize the information hierarchically.

Takeshi: It’s designed to be hidden but available when wanted. Additionally, for social features like live streaming comments or posting reviews about content, we deliberately avoid highlighting specific attributes to prevent certain characteristics from overshadowing others.

Hiromi: There were times when we acquired exclusive streaming content and felt a strong urge to “push” it, leading to excessive promotion within the service. At that time, we discussed internally the potential of creating opposition by inadvertently pushing content. Through the accumulation of such past mistakes, the nuances we want to preserve have become even clearer.

The love and passion of the person inside the service create encounters with content

── Even without being pushy, some effort to attract attention is necessary. What are you doing in this regard?

Akira: All content includes text information such as “catch,” “highlights,” and “story,” and we have asked external experts, whom we call “sages,” knowledgeable about each genre of content, to write all of these.

Hiromi: While this text is often directly taken from metadata provided by rights holders, we have the sages rewrite everything to ensure it does not compromise the viewing experience. We make sure the content is not overly specialized for a specific group but can be understood by a wide audience while highlighting the key points. With hundreds of thousands of pieces of content, sticking to this approach for so long may seem somewhat eccentric in a positive way.

Takeshi: Without specifically highlighting certain colors to avoid appearing too mechanical, we are conscious of creating a sense that there are people within the service. I hope users can faintly sense a communication atmosphere similar to what you might experience in a video rental store, like “This month’s recommendation is ‘Home Alone’ in December, and next month will be…”.

Kaai: Taking this further, we recently launched the web media platform “U-NEXT SQUARE” from which we express our love for content. It features various content such as anecdotes related to content and in-depth interviews. Users can come to U-NEXT SQUARE from a search and then proceed to watch the main content on U-NEXT, or they might want to read more on U-NEXT SQUARE after watching the main content.

Takeshi: We continue these efforts because it’s what we want to do. Regarding U-NEXT SQUARE, some sages have expressed that the brief one to two lines displayed in the service is not enough for proper introductions, so it also serves as a platform for them to express their enthusiasm.

── It’s also impressive how you have many “features” including niche themes.

Hiromi: We currently have around 5,000 features, akin to shelves in a video rental store, creating a sense of curiosity like “Why focus on that?” and recommending them within the service.

Takeshi: These features are truly created with human sensibilities. In a way, the features can be seen as a web magazine that leverages their perspectives. Of course, the primary goal is for users to watch the content, but just browsing through them can be enjoyable. Discovering new content through features itself can be a form of entertainment, don’t you think?

Development, design, and business must align to create an experience

── How is the organization structured to realize U-NEXT’s vision?

Takeshi: One distinctive aspect of our team structure is that we do not have separate teams for creating various genres like movies and e-books. Everything is developed by a single team comprising developers, designers, and product owners, ensuring minimal deviation in nuances.

Creating separate teams for each genre may streamline certain aspects. However, this could lead to services being fragmented by genre, becoming confusing for customers. That is the worst-case scenario we envision, and the team members are well aware of the importance of avoiding that situation.

While the business units are divided into development, design, and business functions organizationally, they share a common mindset. That is, the service experience is only created when these three elements come together. Without the technical perspective of what can be done, the business goal of what we want to achieve, and the design perspective of how to express it, the service cannot be successful.

This approach and structure allow us to iterate feedback cycles quickly. Of course, there are errors along the way, but the speed of recovery ultimately contributes to the ease of use for our customers.

Guiding users to fully enjoy our service

── As the number of members steadily increases, do you currently face any challenges?

Takeshi: In terms of functionality, we still have things we want to achieve in the actively searching aspect. Specifically, we currently cannot offer a search experience like you would find on Google, such as “2000s American Action.” To better leverage the vast amount of content, our main challenge lies in enhancing browsing search axes, filtering, and sorting. We are currently progressing with backend improvements in this area.

Another challenge is the lack of awareness regarding “U-NEXT Points.” Despite being granted 1200 points monthly that can be used for movie tickets or e-book purchases, only a few users are effectively utilizing them due to a lack of awareness. Many users either do not know they have these points or are unsure how to use them.

Moving forward, we aim to create a more natural flow for users to utilize these features effectively, leading to increased satisfaction. Helping customers level up in using the U-NEXT service effectively and doing so seamlessly is actually a challenging endeavor.

Kaai: When promoting the use of points and features, simply importing UI/UX practices commonly seen in other services to U-NEXT could feel forced and pushy. We are currently designing with the goal of eliminating these aspects and achieving natural and neutral communication. Through short cycles of various experiments and trial and error, we are gradually gaining a sense of how to approach this.

Related Links
U-NEXT Co., Ltd.