WatchThis | a Thesis process (1/5)
This medium series presents the process of creating my digital design Thesis, done during my MFA at Parsons’ Design and Technology department, 2013–2014.
About the thesis: “WatchThis”
The final result was a complete design for a mobile digital app which included a presentation video, a proof of concept web prototype and a written thesis.
This series is the written thesis, originally written over 2013–2014.
Before you start reading about the process, here is the final design:
Concept overview
Living in an age in which viewers no longer watch TV shows at the same time, we’ve lost the ability to talk about our favorite shows with our friends. WatchThis gives the viewers the opportunity to discuss dramatic moments without the fear of spoilers.
WatchThis has two main goals: making it easy to watch TV online and making it fun to talk to your friends about it.
WatchThis
A new interface for online TV that makes it easy for viewers to watch their shows, alone or with friends. The app aggregates all of your streaming services (like Netflix and Amazon) and provides all the information needed in order to watch online TV in one place. WatchThis also casts the videos on the television screen, using Chromecast or AppleTV, so you can enjoy your content on the biggest screen in the house. The service mimics a real-time commenting system that brings back the once lost feeling of watching at the same time as your friends. It works like this: Jeannette watched Game of Thrones a week ago. She added an awesome comment at minute 51. Dan is watching the same episode right now, and at minute 51 Jeannette’s comment pops up, as if they were watching at the same time. This way comments can be posted without the risk of spoilers. You can check out what your friends are watching right now, view their comments and their watchlists, and discover new shows. You can also create joint lists with your friends: WatchThis automatically adds the shows you have in common and tells you which episodes you can watch together. The app makes it easy to find out which episodes are available for you to watch. Your watchlist is updated whenever a new episode comes out and updated again once you’ve watched it. WatchThis also lets you create personal shortcuts to your content called “Serving Options”. These are based on your mood and behavior: You can pick up where you left off, watch your “High Craving” (favorite shows), or watch with your partner. Feel like binging? Here’s a shortcut to all the shows in which you have more than 3 episodes available to watch. Only have 20 minutes to spare? Watch this “Quick Snack”. Just watched True Detective and feel bad about life? Watch a happy “Dessert Show”! You can also put on some “Background Noise”, watch stuff from your “Filler List” or check out a new show your friends are watching. It’s all up to you! Happy Watching!
More about the final thesis project: Watchthisapp.oranddan.com
To read more about the process behind the thesis:
Part 2: Background
This medium series presents the process of creating my digital design Thesis, done during my MFA at Parsons’ Design and Technology department, 2013–2014.
