beIN CONNECT

Smart TV App

🧠 The Challenge

beIN MEDIA GROUP operates across 43 countries and acquired Turkey’s largest Pay-TV platform, Digiturk. While its mobile and web platforms were widely used, the Smart TV experience lagged behind—with poor navigation, low engagement, and unclear hierarchy.

The ask:

Design an intuitive Smart TV app experience for beIN CONNECT that could scale across major Smart TV platforms while elevating the overall user experience.

🎯 The Goal

Improve user navigation and content discovery
Reduce user confusion and support issues
Deliver consistent design across Android, Samsung, Apple TV, and LG
Align with the OTT brand vision of beIN CONNECT

💡 My Role

As Senior Product Designer, I led end-to-end design for the new Smart TV app—from research to final handoff. I worked closely with product managers, engineers, and executive stakeholders (including the CFO) to align on goals and execution.

🔍 Market Research & Benchmarking

To ground our approach, I conducted a competitor analysis of local and global Smart TV apps—benchmarking platforms like Netflix, BluTV, Amazon Prime Video, and regional streaming services.

Outcome:

Identified common interaction models
Mapped friction points in existing experiences
Created a presentation deck for directors to align on project goals

This analysis secured stakeholder buy-in and allowed the project to officially move forward.

🧩 UX & Wireframes

With stakeholder alignment in place, I created wireframes for Phase 1, focused on:

Clear, remote-friendly navigation
Scalable content modules
Accessibility considerations (TV distance, color, contrast)

After feedback rounds with stakeholders and engineers, the wireframes were finalized and moved into prototyping.

🧪 Prototyping & User Testing

I built interactive prototypes for user testing and demo purposes.

We conducted testing sessions with 20+ users to observe how they navigated the experience with a remote. Based on insights, I optimized the navigation flow and reduced complexity, ensuring important content was never more than a few taps away.

🎨 UI Design

Once the wireframes were validated, I transitioned into high-fidelity UI using Sketch.

Key focus areas:

Remote-first design patterns
Big-screen readability
Consistent visual hierarchy
Motion and transitions for smooth navigation

I completed designs for Android TV, Samsung, LG, and Apple TV—tailored to their platform guidelines. Final assets were delivered via Zeplin.

📊 Results & Impact

🎮 +60% improvement in user satisfaction through optimized navigation

👥 Conducted testing with 20+ real users to validate usability

🚫 Reduced user confusion by simplifying the IA and focus states

📺 Delivered scalable UI across 4 major Smart TV platforms

🧠 Reflections & Learnings

This project sharpened my skills in remote-first design and thinking in 10-foot experiences. I learned how important simplicity, clarity, and focus management are in TV UX. I also got to influence senior stakeholders and make a tangible impact in a highly visible product.