2024
Content Ratings
BET+ was looking for ways to offer users the ability to interact with content more directly. The decision to pursue a ratings system was established, and I was tasked with exploring how we might surface a rating system throughout the experience as well as the UI and animations.
Goals
Gain insights into user perception of content and curate more accurate recommendations based on user ratings.
Discovery
Myself and another designer started by looking at the current best practices for rating systems. We identified different placements and icons across services that established the tone and intention of the feature. Below you can see the findings from our discovery work.
Content Type and Platform
The effectiveness of each icon is closely tied to the type of content it is associated with and the platform's goals. For example, a heart might perform better on a social media platform focused on personal content, while a star could be more effective on a review site.
Cultural Factors
Cultural interpretations can also influence how these icons are used and their engagement rates.
User Base
Different demographics may respond differently to these icons. Younger audiences might engage more with hearts on platforms like Instagram, whereas a more diverse age group on Facebook might frequently use the thumbs up.
Finals
After continuing our discovery process by journey mapping and syncing with product and engineering, we agreed that a thumbs up and down system would be ideal for initial launch. You can find final designs below.
CTV Final Designs
BET+ user base primarily uses CTV devices to watch, so we started there when exploring design solutions.
Mobile App Final Designs
Next, we explored how we might surface a rating feature on mobile apps. This proved to be a bit more difficult, as the UI within our hero component was already fairly tight.
Desktop Final Designs
Finally, we decided that desktop would receive a similar treatment to CTV.
