Prime Video — Revamp

Problem

Users watching episodic content struggled to:

• Navigate between episodes and seasons efficiently

• Access show details without exiting playback

• Resume context after interruptions

The player optimized for “watching”, but not for continuing.

Key challenges included:

Users watching episodic shows often needed to:

• Browse seasons

• Select episodes

• Understand what’s next

but doing so required exiting the player, breaking immersion and increasing friction.

On mobile, the challenge isn’t finding the next episode — it’s getting there without breaking the moment.

Context & Constraints

The video player primarily serves mobile users watching episodic content on the go

• Viewing sessions are often interrupted, requiring quick resumption and continuity

• Screen real estate is limited, with content needing to remain the primary focus

• Playback performance and responsiveness are critical on mobile networks and devices

• The exploration focused on improving in-player navigation and continuity without backend or content-model changes

When people are watching a show, they’re not looking to navigate, they’re looking to continue.

Users & Goals

Primary Users

• Binge watchers

• Casual viewers returning mid-series

User Goals

• Reduce friction between episodes

• Enable quick access to seasons and details

• Preserve immersion while adding control

Insights

1. Analysts frequently replayed the same segment multiple times to capture context

2. Important moments were often missed due to lack of visual cues

3. Switching between playback, transcription, and notes broke focus

4. Speed controls and keyboard shortcuts were more valuable than visual polish

5. Analysts wanted to stay “in the flow” while reviewing calls

These insights shaped every design decision that followed.

Design Strategy

The solution focused on three principles:

• Treat the player as a continuation surface, not just a playback tool

• Surface navigation context only when needed

• Prioritize mobile-friendly interactions

Key Design Decision

Decision 1: Persistent Episode Navigation

Why:
Seasons are a mental model, not metadata

Tradeoff:
Required careful hierarchy to avoid clutter.

Decision 2: Contextual Season Switcher

Why:
To eliminate context switching between tools.

Tradeoff:
Required careful hierarchy to avoid overwhelming users.

Decision 3: Inline Show Details

Why:
Reduce page switching.

Tradeoff:
Limited information depth by design.

Wireframe
To validate the interaction model before visual design, I created a low-fidelity wireframe focusing only on navigation hierarchy, episode continuity, and control placement.
This helped ensure the player supported continuation rather than just playback, without introducing visual or cognitive noise.

Solution Overview

• Inline episode & season navigation

• Context-aware controls that adapt to viewing state

• Reduced dependency on exiting the player