Exemplar Site: Netflix

Mary CatlinCOMM-6961: Information Architecture

2. March, 2009

Information-Seeking

• Typical Netflix user– Known-item seeker– Exploratory seeker

• Browse & Search– Berry-picking: following hyperlinks– Pearl-growing: “More like this”

Online vs. In-store

Source: Copyright 2008 Peer Insight LLCwww.peerinsight.com/netflixjourney.pdf

Online vs. In-store

Source: Copyright 2008 Peer Insight LLCwww.peerinsight.com/netflixjourney.pdf

Organization Scheme: Hybrid, by genre

• Genre: “a class of art (or artistic endeavor) having a characteristic form or technique”http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=genre

• 20 über-genres (user may Show all genres)• IMDb uses 27 genres, Yahoo! Movies: 14• Mix of:

– Topic or theme (Action, Drama, etc.)– Delivery or viewing medium or platform (e.g. Blu-ray, TV)– Audience (e.g. Family, GLBT)

• Within genre: sort by title, year, MPAA, rating

Organization Scheme

• User can rate genres

• Personalization– based on genre and movie ratings, Netflix

recommends titles

• Little to no customization

Organization Structure: Narrow and Deep

• Two views:– Genres > Sub-genres

• Gallery view• Sortable list

– Gallery view organization• Suggestions for you (if genre is user-rated)• Sub-genre• Other:

– Top 25– Award Winners– New Releases– Critics' Picks

Organization Structure: Database

Source: from syllabus of University at Buffalo, CSE 462: Database Conceptshttp://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~staworko/index_files/teaching.html

Database => Metadata

Source: from syllabus of University at Buffalo, CSE 462: Database Conceptshttp://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~staworko/index_files/teaching.html

Navigation

GlobalLocal

Contextual

Navigation

• No sitemap!

• No site index! – Show all genres

• No bread crumbs!

• Guide for non-members => free trial

• Everything that can be linked is linked

Labeling

• Double/triple duty

• Labels serve as headings, contextual links, navigation system choices, search keywords

• Textual only (except )

Search

• Powerful, powerful, powerful browse for exploratory seekers

• Search is for known-item seekers

Stemming

Search

• No advanced search!

• No Booleans or other tricks

• What if Netflix doesn’t have it?

Just N/A?

Fancy Features

• Recommendation / predictions engine– Netflix has been working on this forever– Contests to solicit solutions– Subject of much academic

speculation

• Friends– Community– Social networking features– Takes effort on the part of users