- Role
- Solo — research, UX, UI, design system, prototype
- Timeline
- ~4 weeks, self-initiated
- Type
- Concept project
- Platform
- iOS & Android
- Status
- Designed & prototyped · not shipped
Context
MoovyFlix is a self-initiated concept: design a streaming app from scratch that fixes the UX problems the big platforms still ship. I used it to practice the full process — from problem framing to a polished, interactive prototype with a complete design system.
Constraints & scope
- Solo project, ~4 weeks part-time — scope had to stay tight.
- In scope: browse, search/filter, content detail, resume playback, profile.
- Out of scope: account/billing, downloads, social features, live TV.
- Mobile-first, dark UI, single design system — no tablet or TV layouts.
- No access to real platform analytics — decisions are based on heuristic analysis and my own audit of 3 competitors.
Problem statement
After auditing 3 major streaming platforms as a user, I grouped the recurring friction into four themes:
Cluttered home screens that overwhelm rather than guide the user toward content.
Poor content recommendation — “continue watching” buried deep, no smart suggestions.
Weak search and filter — hard to find content by genre, language, or mood.
No visual distinction between movies, series, and documentaries at a glance.
Who I designed for
Proto-persona — assumption-based, to be validated
Kofi, 27 — Urban Professional
Watches 2–3h of content per evening after work
Goals
→ Find something good to watch fast
→ Pick up where he left off easily
→ Discover new content without effort
Frustrations
✗ Spends 15 min choosing, then gives up
✗ Forgets where he stopped in a series
✗ Recommendations are irrelevant
Design decisions & rationale
Smart Home Screen
Organized into clear zones: "Continue Watching" at the top, then "Trending", "New Releases", and "For You" — each with a clear visual hierarchy so users find content in seconds.
Advanced Filter System
Search by genre, format (movie/series/doc), duration, language, and mood. Users can discover by what they feel like watching, not just what they know.
Immersive Detail Page
Full-bleed hero with trailer preview, synopsis, cast, user ratings, and content tags. A prominent play button with resume detection.
Dark-First Design System
Built a full dark-mode design system optimized for evening/low-light viewing — high contrast content cards, muted backgrounds, cinematic feel.
Mini-Player & Continuity
A floating mini-player persists while browsing. "Continue Watching" is always visible on the home screen — no hunting required.
Screens
Outcomes
Success criteria I designed against
- Time-to-first-play under 20 seconds from cold open for a returning user.
- "Continue watching" reachable in one tap from any main screen.
- Content type (movie / series / doc) identifiable without reading a label.
- Filter flow completable in under 15 seconds for a specific mood + genre.
How I pressure-tested the design
- Heuristic evaluation of every screen against Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics.
- Click-through walkthroughs of the 3 core tasks (resume, discover, search) in the Figma prototype.
- Competitive teardown of Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ to check each decision against a real baseline.
Next step — Unmoderated testing with 5–8 regular streamers to measure time-to-first-play and filter success on the prototype, then iterate the home hierarchy.
Reflections & what I'd do next
MoovyFlix sharpened my ability to design complex information architectures and content-heavy interfaces, and to build a dark-mode design system that holds contrast and readability at scale. If I took it further, I'd validate the home-screen zoning with real users, pressure-test the recommendation model with content metadata, and design the account and download flows I scoped out.
“In entertainment UX, time-to-first-play is the metric that matters most — every screen was tested against it.”