Virgin Media chose Pushbutton as the interactive TV developers to design a prototype of their next generation user interface. The project aims to redesign the way people use interactive TV.
The ‘VPlayer’ prototype was demoed at Cable Congress in Berlin, in March 2009. Designed from the ground up to feel different. It is more responsive, easier to navigate, and more enjoyable to use than the current generation of interfaces. Whilst the approach does not ‘reinvent the wheel’ of tried and tested EPG layout, the user experience is far more streamlined and accessible.
Pushbutton Managing Director, Paula Byrne, said “Looking to the future, and designing concepts for interactive media based on likely outcomes is one of Pushbutton’s core skills. This VPlayer concept for Virgin Media is a text book example of this strength. This is much more than knitting together video and graphics, but is based on Pushbutton’s deep understanding of how video, audio, and still image combine in the context of interactive television.”
Personal TV
Watching TV is often a family or group experience, but there is huge amount of value to be unlocked by tailoring content to individual users. The VPlayer prototype has a consistent login system throughout the app, which would allow Virgin Media to ensure the user sees only the content they want to see. This means that everything from settings, preferences, likes, dislikes, to PVR recordings and more would only apply to the user who chose them.
The VPlayer Grid
From the start of the project, the VPlayer prototype presents the user with different kinds of choices. With the vast array of channels on offer, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed by content. The VPlayer Grid gives Virgin Media a way to suggest content they think a user will like, in an immediate and accessible way, so they don’t have to endlessly surf the EPG for something to watch.
Couple to this the ability for Virgin to personalise content for each member of the family, and suddenly you have personalised, suggested viewing which would be available from the moment you log in (and dad doesn’t accidentally get suggested Gossip Girl).
Connected Home
Virgin Media were so happy with the VPlayer prototype that they asked us to work on a related project looking into the future of media selection and consumption – the companion app for mobile phones. Having designed and developed the VPlayer prototype, Pushbutton was in a unique position to use our understanding of Virgin’s vision of the connected home, to ensure the mobile app prototype fitted in perfectly.