Project background & goals

This project stemmed from a desire to explore potential improvements to the Crunchyroll mobile app, sparked by a recent job application experience. I saw an opportunity that I ended up not moving forward with, but I was still passionate in exploring possible solutions that I thought the job would cover. The goal was to tackle several key issues I perceived in the current app:

• ‍Branding Update — the company recently updated their brand aesthetic and needed capture the vibrant, energetic vibe of the updates.‍
• Navigation complexity —  getting around the app and finding content felt cluttered and could use some simplification and refined capabilities.‍
• Content Curation — the home screen's content presentation felt static and didn't really showcase the huge library of shows and features.‍
• UI Inconsistencies — The user interface felt a bit fragmented, lacking consistency in micro-interactions and styling.‍
• Player View Issues — the player view's controls and information layout could be more user-friendly when compared to other streaming services.‍
• Search Functionality Gaps — the search function was missing some key features, like recommendations and auto-complete, making it harder to find what you're looking for.

Process

My design process for the Crunchyroll redesign was a multi-faceted approach.  It began with thorough market research and trend analysis, looking at what other successful streaming services were doing and identifying current user expectations. This research informed my feature prioritization, helping me focus on the most impactful improvements for the Crunchyroll platform.

From there, I dove into information architecture and user flows, mapping out how users would navigate the app and access key features. From there, I explored UI development related to the new branding, ensuring the visual design aligned with Crunchyroll's updated aesthetic. And lastly, I combined all these elements in the UX/UI design and prototyping phase, creating interactive mockups that brought the redesigned app experience to life and allowing me to test and refine my design decisions.

Branding refresh

The redesign pulls in the latest Crunchyroll branding (at least that was publicly available, and I may have created a couple of my own), including a brighter color palette, illustrative elements, and motion graphics, which helps reflect the company's dynamic personality. This is up-front and apparent in a redesigned welcome/loading screen. Within the app UI, the updated orange is used strategically for key actions, complementing the featured content's key art but without overpowering the user.

Architectural improvements

• Top-User Menu — a dedicated space for user profile and notifications is introduced, while keeping the logo front and center.
• Category Menu — an exposed browsing function right on the home screen lets users jump straight into browsing by shows, simulcasts, movies, etc., similar to what other successful streaming apps do.
• Featured Content Carousel — the home screen hero section now uses a timed carousel to show off multiple curated content options, with the potential for trailer previews to draw users in.
• Main Menu Bottom Navigation — the bottom navigation is streamlined to focus on what matters: Home, Search, My Lists, Games, and Store.  "Browse" is removed from the main menu, as the top category menu and home screen are serving that function.

Content curation enhancements

The home screen content curation gets a boost with sections for personalized recommendations, "Continue Watching," "My Watchlist," and a "Top 10" list.  "My Watchlist" gives users quick access to their saved content, while the "Top 10" list taps into social trends to highlight what's fresh and popular.

UI consistency

The redesign emphasizes UI consistency across all micro-interactions and interface elements. For example, show details and "more" functions all use the same styling and drawer interactions, creating a more cohesive experience.

Player view redesign

The player view gets a makeover for clarity and ease of use. Title and episode info are repositioned, core functions are grouped logically, and the scrubber now shows elapsed and total time. Closed caption/subtitle and playback options are separated for easier access. The current app's display options plentiful, but are now simplified to PIP, Airplay, and Cast-to-Device, with playback settings moved elsewhere.

Search functionality bump

The search experience is upgraded with added features of recent searches, recommended content, and predictive auto-complete. Results are categorized and displayed with brief overviews, so users can quickly find and access what they want. The UI for recommended and input results is unified for a cleaner look and less technical debt.

Conclusion

This Crunchyroll UX redesign concept aims to fix the app's current shortcomings by focusing on smoother navigation, richer content discovery, and a more consistent and engaging user interface. By incorporating the latest branding and borrowing some smart ideas from other successful apps, this redesign offers a more intuitive and enjoyable experience for anime fans.