Company contribution
Company contribution
Content discovery through cross-gen UI
Unlimited choice has a hidden cost: confusion. Without effective discovery, vast catalogues risk becoming dead weight. According to experts at Backscreen, the answer lies in UI designed for every generation— restoring the simple pleasure of stumbling upon the right story at the right time.
This is the distinction between findability— searching for something specific— and discoverability— encountering content serendipitously. Both matter. But while streaming platforms have generally solved search, discovery remains inconsistent. Viewers scroll through endless carousels, unsure of what to watch. Many leave dissatisfied.
For providers, the stakes are high. Poor discovery drives churn, undermining billions spent on content acquisition. The future of streaming will be decided not just by who owns the largest library, but by who designs the most effective, generationally inclusive pathways to discovery.
Findability vs. Discoverability Findability is intentional: entering The Crown, Season 5 into a search bar. Discoverability is contextual: being guided to a related documentary you had not considered, but now want to watch.
Most platforms lean heavily on recommendation engines to deliver discovery.
Yet these often recycle narrow suggestions— variations of the same genre or theme— rather than broadening horizons. Viewers encounter what researchers call the paradox of abundance: the more content available, the more difficult it becomes to choose.
Without well-designed discovery, platforms risk transforming large catalogues into cluttered warehouses.
The Promise and Limits of AI Artificial intelligence is widely presented as the solution. In theory, it can deliver highly personalised recommendations, adjusting for time of day, device, and even inferred mood. Voice assistants and natural-language interfaces promise intuitive exploration. In practice, AI discovery remains limited. It often serves three main functions:
• Promotional priorities. Surfaces content chosen by corporate strategy, not viewer preference.
• Engagement optimisation. Prolongs scrolling rather than increasing satisfaction.
• Repetition. Reinforces familiar genres instead of encouraging variety. Industry experience suggests AI works best when combined with other elements. At Plex, for example, social features allow friends to share viewing activity and watchlists. Recommendations from trusted networks often prove more compelling than algorithmic suggestions alone.
The larger obstacle is structural. Subscription platforms remain siloed. Netflix cannot account for Disney + viewing data; Spotify does not connect to Prime Video. Until aggregation layers emerge, AI personalisation will remain partial.
Why Interfaces Still Struggle Despite decades of usability research, many streaming interfaces remain difficult to navigate. Common causes include:
• Legacy systems. Many services run on back-end architectures built for broadcast or early VOD, limiting flexibility.
• Narrow testing. UX testing often overrepresents younger, digitally fluent users, neglecting older audiences.
• Marketing influence. Discovery zones are frequently used for internal promotion rather than user-centred navigation.
• One-size-fits-all design. Interfaces built for an‘ average user’ fail to meet the needs of diverse age groups.
Studies consistently show a link between poor discovery experiences and higher churn. Investment in premium libraries cannot compensate for interfaces that frustrate audiences.
Generational Differences in Discovery A key challenge lies in the differences between age groups.
• Older audiences prefer structured menus and clear categories, mirroring linear TV.
• Millennials value curated playlists, personalisation, and seamless cross-device continuity.
Backscreen delivers comprehensive media streaming solutions, encompassing transcoding, cross-gen OTT, intuitive UX design, multi-CDN integration, online video platforms, pay TV, and Media Asset Management( MAM). For more information, visit www. backscreen. com
14 EUROMEDIA