Origin Interactive

The need, the challenges

Download and stream media
Rich Media consumption is growing exponentially as users engage more freely and on their own schedules via the internet. With Silverlight's cross browser and cross platform capabilities, the DSTV OnDemand desktop player is available for all to enjoy, regardless of operating system. No more Mac or PC disputes.

Make it fun to use and easy to navigate
An obvious requirement was to make the player fun and easy to use. The challenge was to enable users to search for specific movies or programmes, browse the various catalogues and manage account settings, while adding an element of discovery and intrigue to the journey.

An extension to our brand
DSTV is an established household name in Southern Africa. They bring us up to date BoxOffice hits, great advertising campaigns and dominate the broadcasting industry with ease. We had to ensure that all our efforts were aligned to their image and that the final product was an extension of their already exciting brand.

What we did

• Layout, Information architecture, wireframes, journeys..
• Visual design for the entire app
• Spent a lot of time fiddling with background images
• Interaction design
• XAML development
• Front-end integration support

Research, we watched TV to understand the brand

DSTV was a new client to Origin Interactive. This brought with it new challenges and fresh ideas as well as opportunities to explore. We started by immersing ourselves in the DSTV brand and understanding it's personality and presence. Some of the team mistakenly took this to mean 'watch more TV'.
We held workshops, brainstorming sessions and mapped out journeys until we were satisfied that all user groups had been identified and their needs had been met.

Rich perspective view of media catalogue

The video wall is where it all happens. Elegant and engaging interactions that brought that "something extra" to the experience. The video wall transforms into a sweeping perspective flow.

Sign post categories through iconography and clear navigation

Whether using a mouse, keyboard or touchpad the player needed to work and work well. We learnt from others successes and failures, and designed a navigation system that suited our audience. Iconography was used for visual recognition and users were given different ways of exploring rich video content.

Simple, quick and easy browsing

Rather than limiting the way users interact with the player, a simpler way of browsing is available to those more comfortable with the familiar. Letting the users choose their experience. Through a global alerts area users can quickly manage what's happening in their application

XAML front-end development

Good XAML devs are few and far between. Fortunately for us, we have one of the best XAML ninjas on our team (Implementing and re-creating designs in Expression Blend is trickier than it seems, and requires expert skills). With our support, DSTV's development team was then able to integrate the XAML into their dev environment.

The Result

It looks great and works well
Although the launch release hasn't got all the bells and whistles, the application looks great and works well. Even though it still has a limited media catalogue, users still have the ability to download and watch movies. Users can manage their downloads, filter recommendations and update account information.
At last, a Rich Media application that works well on both Mac and PC.

• Silverlight media streaming
• On brand service offerings
• Explorative media experience
• Multiple interaction forms
• Simple and enjoyable to use
• The app fulfilled a market need