Disney+ Relies on Users Already Understanding Streaming

 

Disney+ did not officially launch until November 2019. At that point, streaming giants such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO were already streaming giants, and Disney throwing its hat into the streaming ring was only advantageous because the company’s movie and TV collection are extremely popular. This basically guaranteed the site would be successful no matter how the interface looked. While the decision to copy a lot of the design off of other sites, especially Netflix, might seem like a good decision, Disney+ also should consider that there could be new users that are not accustomed to streaming services that are dipping their toe into the pool with Disney+ for the first time. Whether the reasons be financial or due to lack of interest in what the aforementioned sites have to offer, this group of users should be considered too.

The design of Disney+ mirrors Netflix in many ways. The sites are closer to each other in terms of design than any other combination of streaming sites. They both have carousels organized by similar content. Disney’s carousel categories are a little more self-explanatory, like “Animals and Nature,” “Documentaries,” and “Reimagined Classics” (which refers to their recent live-action remakes). Netflix, however, has carousel categories like “Women Who Rule the Screen,” “Reluctant Adults,” and “Watch in One Weekend.” The creativity of Netflix’s carousel category titles makes one wonder why that’s not a characteristic Disney also “borrowed” from them for their design.

If a user hovers their mouse over a title on Netflix, it gives them options to play the content, add it to your list, thumbs up or down, or see more information. If a user does the same on Disney+, all it does is enlarge the title. A user has to actually click on the title to get more information or add it to their list, which makes it more difficult to add things when one has to click back and forth a lot more. Another action that is easier on Netflix than on Disney+ relates to TV shows specifically. If you click on a certain episode on Netflix, but then decide you want to watch a different one, there’s a button in the video player screen that allows a user to easily skip to the next one. There is also a pop-up menu that allows users to view all the episodes in the season, making it even easier to skip around. Disney+ has the same issue as before, where to see other episodes a user must exit the video player first.

Disney+’s launch led to more competition in the streaming war. However, by borrowing features from other streaming platforms, it makes its own design flaws even more apparent than if it had just started from scratch. While these issues may not be so hard for veteran viewers to get around, they might make it more difficult for newbie streamers to utilize Disney+.