3 Lessons UX Designers Can Take from Netflix
There’s a reason consumers are drawn to streaming video services like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Go. And it’s not just the fact that the combined cost of these services is often cheaper than many cable packages.
1. Make Onboarding Painless
Obviously, Netflix is a household name, so it doesn’t need to mince words on its website.
Unlimited movies, TV shows, and more. Watch anywhere. Cancel anytime.It perfectly sums up what users get while also taking the risk and fear out of it with “Cancel anytime.” Can you do the same? Totally. While you’re at it, build a shortcut to the conversion point (e.g. newsletter subscription, SaaS purchase, schedule an appointment, etc.) in the same banner. Most of your visitors will need some time to educate themselves, but this will at least shorten the signup process for those who are ready to take action. When that happens, make sure your conversion funnel is streamlined, too.



2. Use Your Data to Create a More Personal UX
Every year, it seems like we have a new law that sends web designers and business owners scrambling to strengthen their website privacy and security policies. And while it might feel like we’re losing control over all that big data we’ve gained access to in recent years, that’s not really the case. What’s happening is that consumers want businesses to more carefully protect their data. Plain and simple. There’s nothing in these laws that’s telling us to stop collecting user data. If that happened, I think consumers would be just as outraged. Personalization is one of those things consumers actually look for in the user experience — and the better a website can deliver on it, the more loyal they’ll be as customers. As far as being responsible with user data, that’s up to you and your clients to manage. As for using the data you’re given, Netflix has shown us a number of ways to use only the most necessary data points to create a very personal experience. First, you need to start collecting data that’ll help you refine the experience. Netflix empowers customers to help with this here:
- Add it to their personal viewing list;
- Rate it with a thumbs up or thumbs down.


- Totally Awesome 80’s;
- Violent Asian Action;
- True Bromance.
3. A/B Test All New Features
I’ve been a Netflix customer since 2007, so I’ve seen it go through a ton of changes over the years. WebDesigner Depot has, too:
- Be careful of trying the latest AI fads, they’re just too costly to invest in without hard data that proves that’s what your users want;
- Give a new feature enough time to build up steam and provide you with reliable metrics — I remember Max being available for about six months, that’s more than enough time to gather user feedback and decide if a feature is worth keeping or not;
- Personalization is great, but not necessarily if it’s at the expense of your customers’ time, sometimes the simpler feature is better.


Invaluable Lessons UX Designers Can Take from Netflix
Although Netflix’s market share is slowly being chipped away at by the competition, it continues to reign supreme when it comes to streaming video services. I don’t see that changing anytime in the future either, considering how how long it’s demonstrated its willingness to innovate alongside evolving consumer needs. And that’s really the key point I want to make in this post. While I could’ve pointed out its dramatic color palette or use of a responsive layout, we already are familiar with these concepts. The most important UX lessons we should be taking away from Netflix are the ones here.WDD Staff
WDD staff are proud to be able to bring you this daily blog about web design and development. If there's something you think we should be talking about let us know @DesignerDepot.
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