In the competitive landscape of global streaming services, Netflix stands as a pioneer in delivering personalized content experiences to millions of viewers worldwide. Behind the seamless interface and spot-on recommendations lies a sophisticated approach to content organization and user experience design powered by Optimal’s platform. 

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By leveraging Optimal, Netflix has transformed how they categorize content and optimize experiences for viewers. 

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Challenge: Untangling the Content Maze

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Netflix faced a significant challenge in organizing their huge library of content across diverse international markets. With distinct audience preferences between viewers, Netflix needed to develop intuitive content categorization systems that would resonate across cultures.

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Additionally, the company needed to optimize their Content Hub, the portal where partner creators submit content to Netflix, ensuring a streamlined experience for both internal teams and external content partners.

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Solution: Designing the Perfect Queue

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Netflix implemented Optimal’s platform to tackle these content organization challenges with precision:

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For audience-facing content, Netflix conducted specialized card sorting exercises where viewers categorized various content ideas into "interested" and "not interested" groupings. This approach went beyond traditional content genres, focusing on the supplementary content about shows rather than the programming itself.

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For their creator-facing systems, Netflix deployed tree testing for the Content Hub menu structure. This approach helped them evaluate how effectively content partners could navigate the submission interface, with the explicit goal to "improve how we organize information and features in Content Hub."

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Results: Ratings That Matter

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Netflix's strategic use of UX research tools delivered tangible results:

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• The card sorting exercises revealed distinct preference patterns between US and Swedish audiences, enabling Netflix to create market-specific content categorization systems that increased content discovery and viewing time.
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• By focusing research on content about shows, not just the shows themselves, Netflix gained unique insights into how supplementary information influences viewer engagement and selection behavior.
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• The tree testing for the Content Hub menu structure identified navigation pain points that, once resolved, streamlined the content submission process for partner creators. This improvement reduced submission errors and accelerated content acquisition.

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Streaming Long-Term Success

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Netflix's investment in content organization research continues to deliver sustained benefits:

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• The refined categorization systems have improved content discovery algorithms, leading to more personalized recommendations and increased viewer satisfaction across international markets.
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• The optimized Content Hub has strengthened relationships with creator partners, making Netflix a preferred destination for premium content and contributing to their competitive advantage in content acquisition.
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• Continuous refinement of both viewer-facing and creator-facing interfaces has established a culture of evidence-based improvement, where user feedback directly shapes platform evolution.

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Netflix's case demonstrates how sophisticated UX insights transform content organization from a basic utility to a strategic advantage, directly impacting viewer satisfaction, partner relationships, and ultimately, business performance in the competitive streaming landscape.

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Want to learn how you can get started gathering meaningful user insight with Optimal?
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