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